Most financial aid is based on NEED. To apply for aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA). The FAFSA is what decides your financial need for college and whether you qualify for grants, work study, and federal student loans. This is an application that should be filled out with a parent/guardian. For step by step information it is important to get information directly from the FAFSA site. Please Click the FAFSA Step by Step Guide that is linked above. Below is general information related to FAFSA.
Both students and parents must create a Student Aid Account to get an FSA ID before completing the form. An FSA ID is an account username and password combination.
Allow at least three days because in the new process, the Social Security Administration will require verification of FSA IDs before tax information can be accessed. Students and parents must log in to the FAFSA separately to complete each of their respective sections.
If parents are divorced or separated, the parent who provided the most financial support in the last calendar year will now complete the FAFSA.
The once Expected Family Contribution will now become the Student Aid Index and will still be subtracted from the cost of attending to determine how much aid you might need, but it will no longer be divided by the number of students a family has in college.
Families with an adjusted gross income of $60,000 and own farms or small businesses with fewer than 100 employees will have to include their farms or businesses as part of their financial assets that can be used to pay for college and reduce their needs.
When completing your FAFSA, you will be able to enter the code for each college to which you have applied (up to 20 colleges).
Each school you have applied to, listed on the FAFSA, and have been admitted to will then calculate and send you an award letter in the late winter/early spring which outlines your aid package specific to attending their school. The college may also require completion of some additional institutional forms in order to complete your financial aid package. Some students choose to compare aid packages from each school before making a final decision about which school to attend.
In general, students are encouraged to complete their FAFSA as soon as possible...because there is a limited amount of grant funding and this is distributed on a first come, first served basis to qualifying students until it runs out. See www.fafsa.gov for more information and to apply for financial aid.
Resource: Ready Set FAFSA Information for families
In addition to applying for the local St. Clair High School scholarships (will be released to Seniors in the spring), eager students may wish to explore other scholarships that are available. Finding and applying for scholarships takes time and effort. You are advised to NOT pay money for scholarship search assistance. Some sites may attempt to charge a fee for their services. However, most scholarship options can be found on your own, at no cost, with some time and effort. Below are a few lists and websites students can explore to find more scholarship options. In addition to these, it is a good option to explore scholarships available through the college your student is likely to attend!
Log into MCIS with your St. Clair username and password. Use the Financial Aid Sort under the Education tab to narrow your scholarship search. You can save searches on your MCIS profile.
This is a great tool to use with your account. Under the EDUCATION Tab, click on "Financial Aid Sort". Answer the questions/criteria to sort out the awards that match you.
This search provides access to a scholarship database containing more than 3 million scholarships, worth over 16 billion dollars and is expanded and updated daily.
Information to assist students and their families in finding college scholarships and to help them explore a variety of valuable financial aid opportunities.
Free scholarship search service, designed to help students make the decisions regarding paying for college, including scholarships and finding jobs and internships.
Scholarship info specifically for MN students
There are also additional ways to pay for college. Please reach out to the school counselor Joe Stauffer for information on ways to pay for college.