Financial Aid & Scholarships

FINANCIAL AID 

Applying for financial aid for college can be a complex process. There are many free resources to help students and families. Regardless of the college, the first step in obtaining federal student aid is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which opens on Oct 1. *The form for the 2024-2025 school year will not be available until December due to upgrading the form. The FAFSA is a free, financial application that gets submitted to the US government, then information is forwarded on to college(s). 
East, in collaboration with the WI Department of Public Instruction, will host a FAFSA Night on Oct 13, 2022, 5:30 - 7:00 pm (Library). Attendees will learn about the basics and types of financial aid and get individualized assistance in completing the FAFSA from educational specialists. Please register here so we can ensure enough materials and get you pertinent information beforehand. 
Agenda:  5:30-6:00 pm - Informational FAFSA session  6:00-7:00 pm - Individual Assistance session   Parents are welcome to attend both sessions or just one.The following are additional resources that will help you get started on financial aid:
  • FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid application and information
  • UW Help Financial Aid 
  • College Goal Wisconsin - These events are free. Financial aid experts from area colleges are readily available to answer specific questions and/or walk you through completing the FAFSA. Please visit College Goal Wisconsin for more information and to register for an upcoming event: Oct 17 & Nov 15 (at NTC) or every Wednesday in October (virtual).  

If you still have additional questions regarding financial aid, feel free to contact your child’s counselor, Mrs. Gauger in the Career Center, or your child's prospective college.

Financial Aid Night, October 12, 2022


DPI Financial Aid Night 2022.pdf

SCHOLARSHIPS

Like grants, scholarships DO NOT need to be paid back after the student graduates from college, although you may need to maintain certain conditions to keep or renew the scholarships.  Scholarships are considered a gift.  Scholarships are typically merit based  although there are scholarships that are based on income.  There are thousands of scholarships, from all kinds of organizations, and they’re not hard to find. You might be able to get a scholarship for being a good student, a great basketball player, or a member of a certain church, or because your parent works for a particular company, or for some other reason.  It is up to the student to search and apply for relevant scholarships, although East counselors and our Career Center Coordinator can offer a great deal of assistance.
There are four main scholarship sources for Wausau East Students:
  • The college or university the student chooses to attend will offer scholarships to incoming students.  Each school has different scholarship guidelines, expectations, and parameters.  Some scholarships are merit based (typically high GPA and high standardized test scores), some are based on major, some are based on ethnicity.  Furthermore, some schools use the student's application for admission as their scholarship application, other schools have a completely separate application.  Students should be reviewing the college scholarship website.  

UW System Scholarship Applications and DeadlineUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities Scholarship website      Northcentral Technical College Foundation ScholarshipsNorthcentral Technical College External Scholarships
  • The Career Center at East receives information about available scholarships from a wide range of sources on a daily basis.  Scholarship criteria and applications are listed and linked on the Career Center Scholarship website.  We recommend that students check the Scholarship List or stop into the Career Center at least once a week. 
  • East Seniors with a 3.3 GPA or above after the 7th semester of high school will be invited to participate in the Local East Scholarship Program.   Eligible students will be emailed the application in February.  In addition to the application, students must participate in an interview with a scholarship committee of school faculty members.  Scholarships are awarded to students at Senior Awards Night in May.   
  • There are many scholarship database websites available for students to access.  If searching for scholarships on the internet, be aware of scams.  Students should never have to pay money to enter a scholarship competition.  A reputable website is www.fastweb.com.   Scholarships posted on sites like Fastweb have large applicant pools. When applying for scholarships from large database websites, make sure to consider how much time and effort the application will take to complete compared with the likelihood of receiving funds.