Academics and School Life  College Counseling FAQ
Financial Aid Process
What financial aid forms are required by colleges?
Nearly every college in the country will require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This application is free to complete and submit; parents should never pay a fee to complete this form. Many private colleges (about 400 in all) will also require the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile which asks more detailed questions about the family's finances. There is a fee to submit this Profile. Some colleges may have their own institutional forms for students to complete. In many instances this institutional form will substitute for the Profile at that particular college and will be free to complete and submit. Do not submit the Profile unless necessary.
How do I get copies of the financial aid forms?
The College Office receives paper copies of both the FAFSA and the Profile. However, colleges will encourage you to complete both the FAFSA and Profile online. Colleges with their own institutional forms will mail those to the students directly or include them with their application materials. Both the FAFSA and the Profile may be completed online; links to those sites may be found under the Financial Aid and Scholarships link on the College Office home page.
How do I find out about available scholarships?
Colleges typically mail information about financial aid and scholarships to students who are in their databases. There are several books available that compile information about independent scholarships, and there are also several websites that allow you to search for scholarships based on criteria that students set (see the Financial Aid and Scholarships link on the College Office home page). Scholarship information that comes into the College Counseling Office will be posted on the website.
Will independent scholarships help me?
Before investing too much energy in seeking scholarship monies that are not college-sponsored, the student should investigate how colleges will handle the receipt of those awards. Some colleges will add independent scholarship money to the student's total financial aid package making that money a genuine benefit, and some colleges will reduce the student's self-help (loan or work-study) amount by the amount of the scholarship, so the student will have less debt when he or she graduates but no less expensive while attending college. Still, other colleges will reduce the student's grant award by the amount of the scholarship which benefits the college but does not benefit the student.
What must I do to qualify for the Nevada State Millennium Scholarship?
(1) You must graduate with a diploma from a Nevada public or private high school; (2) complete high school with a 3.25 GPA calculated by using all high school credit-granting courses; (3) pass all three areas of the Nevada Proficiency Exam; (4) you must have been a resident of Nevada as defined by the Board of Regents for at least two years of your high school years.
Where can the Millennium Scholarship be used?
The maximum life-time total the Millennium Scholarship pays is $10,000 toward undergraduate coursework. You must be a full-time student (12 semester hours), and you will receive their support only during the first six years following your high school graduation.
I received an invitation to a free seminar that will help me find hidden sources of financial aid. Should I go?
There are no "hidden sources" of financial aid. Colleges openly publish information about their scholarships and financial aid packages, and there are many free sources for learning about independent scholarships. Invitations to seminars like this are most often scams and should be avoided. Families should never have to pay money to find financial aid.
I don't think my family will qualify for need-based financial aid–how do I find out?
Financial need calculators are readily available online. The College Board's website has a good link under "Paying for College," and families may complete a free FAFSA form online at any time. The number that is calculated and returned is a family's EFC (Expected Family Contribution). The EFC will remain the same, regardless of the cost of college. So, if the EFC is $15,000 and a college costs $25,000, the family/student's need is $10,000. The student may not be considered a "high need" student at that college. However, if the student also applies to a college that costs $35,000, the need will be $20,000 at that school, and the student would be considered a "high need" student there. Every college has its own methodology for distributing institutional funds, so even families with high incomes may qualify for financial aid at particular colleges.
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