For those considering the pursuit of need-based financial aid, it is paramount to initiate the process early and inform your child's counselor accordingly. The documentation required for the initial financial aid application corresponds to the tax year coinciding with your child's Fourth Form year.
It is necessary to acknowledge the complexities inherent in the application process, as each institution employs a unique approach. Furthermore, parents whose children attend the Abbey on need-based aid should note that independent schools adopt a more generous formula for determining need compared to colleges.
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Process
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Step One
Start by using the FAFSA4Caster to get your EFC (estimated family contribution) which will help you estimate your eligibility for federal student aid. Your estimate will be shown in the "College Cost Worksheet" where you can also provide estimated amounts of other student aid and savings that can go towards your son or daughter’s college education.
Step Two
Fill out the Net Price Calculator (NPC) on each individual college website. You will need your tax returns to do this. Doing the NPC will give you a sense of the range of packages—and will give you an estimate of what you could expect from each specific college. It is reasonable to call individual financial aid offices to discuss these numbers in the process.
Step Three
Student and parent must each apply for their own FSA ID. Federal regulations prevent anyone from doing this process on your behalf. Please make sure to store your username and password in a safe, secure place. Do not use the student’s PAS email in obtaining a FSA ID; FSA accounts will need be utilized for at least four years after PAS graduation, when students no longer have a PAS email address.
Step Four
Use the IRS Data Retrieval tool to populate the federal financial aid documents (FAFSA) in the fall of the student’s Sixth Form Year (starting Oct 1) with your tax returns from two years prior. Please note: there is a finite number of spaces to list colleges on the FAFSA. If you need to list more colleges than what is allowed in the FAFSA list, input the first batch of colleges, wait a few days, delete the old list, and input the remaining college names.
Nearly all private colleges require you to fill out the CSS profile. Unlike the FAFSA (which is free), this costs money and lives on the College Board website (the same company that brings you the SAT). You will be able to fill this out in the fall (Oct 1). You can start that process on the college board website.
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| Key Terms |
Meet Full Need
Means the college will meet the full demonstrated need of the accepted student as calculated by federal formula (and, for private colleges, by the individual college formula).
Need Blind
Means the college will never review ability to pay as part of the admission process.
Need Sensitive/Aware:
For those students on the cusp (not clear admits or denies) the college reviews the student’s ability to pay as one factor in admission.
Gap
Means that while the college might be “need blind” they do not “meet full need.” There will be a gap between your estimated family contribution and the money offered in the financial aid package. You will need to make up that gap by paying more than your EFC or securing private loans.
Unsubsidized Loans
Means that interest starts to accrue the moment one takes out the loan.
Subsidized Loans
Means that the government pays the interest while the student is in college—and then the repayment process commences (with interest) once the student graduates.
PLUS Loans
These are issued by U.S. Department of Education—it is your lender. You must not have an adverse credit history. The maximum loan amount is the cost of attendance (determined by the school) minus any other financial aid received. The current interest rate on those is about 4.27%. You can find out more about those here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/plus#eligibility
Perkins Loan
Available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with exceptional financial need. The interest rate for this loan is 5%. Not all colleges participate in the Federal Perkins Loan Program. You should check with a college’s financial aid office to see if they participate. The college is the lender; you will make your payments to the college that made your loan or your college’s loan servicer. Funds depend on your financial need and the availability of funds at your college. Find more information here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/perkins
Grants
Free money.
Merit Money
Many of the top colleges/university do NOT offer merit money—they only offer financial aid to those who are eligible. However, there are some colleges that offer merit money for a variety of different reasons. If, for example, a student is a highly qualified candidate for College X (test scores and GPA well above what the college publishes as the middle 50% of accepted students) and that college offers merit aid, College X might be compelled to offer that student a generous package which would include grants/scholarships.
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