Guidance Department
FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS
Search for scholarships with the websites below. Students can earn money through privately funded scholarships to be applied to their tuition or help them with books and living expenses. Each scholarship has its own criteria. Apply for all scholarships for which you qualify!
New Haven Scholarship Fund application (NOT the New Haven Promise) is due for seniors by March 23rd to the guidance office.
www.varsitytutors.com/college-scholarship
There is much help available to students in terms of paying for college. One of the most popular ways is filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA gives students who qualify money from the government in the form of:
-
Grants (money that doesn’t have to be paid back)
-
Loans (money that has to be paid back by the student)
-
Work Study (student works on campus and earns a paycheck)
In addition to these funds, some families have money saved up, some choose to make payments on tuition, and others choose to take personal loans. Check with your employer to see if they have any programs that help pay for their employee’s children’s college tuition.
When accepting loans, from FAFSA or personal loans, it is important to keep in mind how much money a student is willing to pay back. The general rule is that a student should not take more in loans than what they expect to make in salary in their first year after college. So, if a student is interested in being a teacher, the average teaching salary is around $35,000. Therefore, a student may want to avoid taking more than $35,000 in loans over their 4 years of college.
Guidance holds a Financial Aid Night for seniors and their families to learn about and how to apply for student government aid. This usually takes place in October, so stay tuned for announcements during senior year. Attending this meeting is a great way for students and families to understand the process, especially for those who have never applied for Financial Aid before.
Explore more information on Financial Aid through the links below.
Financial Aid and FAFSA Quick Sheet
State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education | www.ctdhe.org
select “Financial Aid” from Quick Links to learn about financial aid at a federal and state level
FinAid: The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid | www.finaid.org
Comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice, and tools.