Financial Aid Page

Financial Aid Information

Financial Aid picture (59311 bytes)

If you need help filling out your FAFSA form, please click here for a step-by-step tutorial that you can print!

South Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid administrators website that has wonderful information

Click here for info on South Carolina grants and scholarships

Click here for info on Federal grants and scholarships

click here for other scholarship and financial aid info

Click here for South Carolina Student Loan Corporation's website

One site for financial aid!

www.studentaid.ed.gov

newpulse.gif (3451 bytes) School Affordability Calculator

Quickly find out the average cost to attend the schools on your list, the average financial aid they offer...and how much you might be expected to pay out-of-pocket. To use this calculator, click on www.wiredscholar.com/afford

NEW.gif (3972 bytes) FINANCIAL AID TIMELINE

September

Although the FAFSA isn't available until November/December, it's the primary form used for awarding student aid. Filling it out can be involved, so get familiar with the information you'll need to complete it.
Keep an eye out for scholarships and prepare applications as you find ones for which you may qualify. Keep track of all scholarship deadlines.

October

As you narrow down the list of schools to which you're applying, you may find out that they require you to file additional financial aid forms. Some private colleges require that you file the PROFILE form. PROFILE deadlines vary depending on the school. For a form, call (800) 778-6888
Compare overall college costs for the schools that interest you. Also, find out the percentage of students who receive financial aid at those schools.

November

If you're applying for early decision, remember that most schools have deadlines in mid-November.

December

Begin to prepare to complete your FAFSA.

January:

To qualify for the most aid possible, submit your FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) as early as you can after January 1 of your senior year. This is VERY IMPORTANT!!

Dorman's financial aid night is in January

February:

If you sent in your FAFSA on January 1 or shortly after that, you should receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) indicating your eligibility for aid and your family's expected contribution.
Make any corrections to your SAR, including updates based on your family's federal 1040 tax forms.
Sign, date, and return the SAR to the address designated

March

Receive a corrected SAR if needed
Make sure a copy of the corrected SAR reaches the financial aid office at each college you're applying to

April

You may receive notices of admission and financial aid awards. You can begin to compare offers.

May

May 1 is the traditional Candidate's Reply Date. You must accept an offer from one school and decline all others.
Complete any loan forms (for Stafford, PLUS, etc.)

June, July, & August

Consider working during the summer so you will have money for expenses when you arrive on campus
Continue to look for scholarships. You will need funds beyond freshman year and new scholarships appear every year. Make note which of your awards are renewable.

Source: Colleges & Careers, NOV/DEC 2002. www.CareersAndColleges.com

****Please fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible.****

The 2006-2007 school year FAFSA forms are available now. Each student needs to fill out the FAFSA as soon as all tax information for themselves and their parent/guardians(W-2's, etc.) have been collected and evaluated.

For help on filling out the FAFSA, click here

Colleges need this information to process your financial aid packages promptly. Do not miss this important step in the financial aid process. Students can miss out on scholarship/grant/aid money if they do not fill out this critical form! If you have a senior, or are a senior yourself, please visit www.fafsa.ed.gov (suggested way), or stop by your counselors office and get one of the paper forms TODAY!!!!!

The website for the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education offers tremendous information on the LIFE Scholarship, the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, the HOPE Scholarship, and other forms of financial assistance in the state of South Carolina. Please check out their website by clicking on their logo below

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is the form that should be used to apply for federal student grants, work-study money, and loans. The FAFSA form should be filled out after the family's income tax return has been completed. You can apply online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov or obtain a copy from the guidance office.

The U.S. Department of Education suggests that you go to the following websites to expedite the financial aid process:

VERY IMPORTANT!! www.pin.ed.gov where students and parents can request a Personal Identification Number (PIN). The PIN may be used as an electronic signature for FAFSA on the web, renewal FAFSA and corrections on the web, and access to the National Student Loan Data System.

www.fafsa.ed.gov

www.ed.gov/studentaid which contains Funding Your Education, The Student Guide in English and Spanish, and links to other resources.

www.students.gov This is SFA's award winning website, which connects students with U.S. government services and information, including information on careers, planning an education, and paying for college.

S.C. Tuition Grant Information

Other financial aid books, The Guide, and Scholarship Opportunities (goldenrod sheets) are pictured above. For further scholarship information see the scholarship opportunities link on the Dorman Homepage.

Other financial aid online resources are:

www.NASFAA.org, www.fastweb.com, www.money.com, www.finaid.org, www.kaplan.com, www.ed.gov, www.mapping-your-future.org, www.americorps.org, www.cityyear.org, www.jobcorps.org, www.pellgrantsonline.ed.gov, and www.collegenet.com

***Special note for Seniors***

The LIFE scholarship is $5,000 per year ($4700 for tuition and $300 for books). To obtain this scholarship for your freshman year of college, you must meet TWO out of the following THREE requirements:

1) 1100 on the SAT or 24 on the ACT

2) Obtain a final GPA of 3.0 or higher (the only GPA that counts is the end of the senior year GPA)

3) Finish the senior year in the top 30% of the graduating class (This rank is the FINAL rank at the end of the senior year. ***It is possible to be in the top 30% before the end of the senior year and lose this ranking.*** All seniors are strongly encouraged to continue to work hard to keep your grades as high as possible to give yourself the best possibility for success.

Once a student obtains the LIFE scholarship, he or she must maintain a 3.0 GPA in college while earning at least 30 hours of credit per year. The scholarship is renewable year-to-year.

Click here for information on the LIFE Scholarship from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

Other Lottery based scholarships are available other than the LIFE scholarship.

Please check out these sites for more info:

Click here for information on the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship from the S. C. Commission on Higher Education

Click here for information on the HOPE Scholarship from the S.C. Commission on Higher Education

Click here for information on the Lottery Tuition Assistance from the S. C. Commission on Higher Education

Click here for information on the Need-based Grants from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

For GREAT Financial Aid Information, Click Here

Free scholarship websites that you need to check out are:

www.fastweb.com

www.collegeboard.org/fundfinder/html/ssrchtop.html

www.collegenet.com/mach25

www.wiredscholar.com

Click here to return to Guidance Home Page