“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats-
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Financial Aid
You can’t afford not to go to college. It’s the best investment you can make in yourself. In today’s job market you will need to continue your education after high school in order to compete for the highter paying jobs. An education is invaluable and one that will never diminish in value or be taken away from you. A post-secondary education is your ticket to a better future for yourself and your family.
Each year billions of dollars are available to eligible students to purse a higher education. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to determine students’ eligibility for federal, state and campus-based financial aid. There are four categories of financial aid.
- Grants - which you don’t have to repay, but you must maintain satisfactory academic progress each semester as determined by the college.
- Scholarships - most of which are awarded based on your academic record and may or may not be renewable
- Work-study - campus employment with flexible hours to accommodate your class schedule
- Loans - must be repaid and may or may not accure interest while you attend college
Our College Placement Specialist will:
- Provide more information on the various types of financial aid
- Complete and electronically submit your FAFSA free of charge
- Explain your Student Aid Report (SAR)
- Discuss your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
- Review financial aid notices from each college with you
- Assist with completing scholarship applications
- Assist with completing loan application, if necessary
- Assist with completing on-campus housing applications, as needed
There are deadlines and required documents to complete your FAFSA, call our office for more information.
Current News
January - February, 2012
- Students must be enrolled with Project STAY to be eligible for free services. See your Advisor for enrollment information and deadline.
- Parents and students should file their 2011 federal income tax returns as soon as possible. FAFSAs will not be completed without a copy of a completed tax return, W-2s and schedules. .
- Make note of all deadlines for scholarships, admission and financial aid applications, etc.
- Research scholarship opportunities and note deadlines.
- Seniors who receive fee waivers for the SAT or ACT college entrance exams are eligible for admission application fee waivers from the school counselors.
- Submit college admission applications to any Texas college or university at ApplyTexas.org. Keep a copy of the confirmation page for your records. Your Project STAY advisor can mail your transcripts and fee waivers for you.
- You may register for private or out of state colleges at CommonApp.org. or on individual college websites.
- If your college requires a CSS/Financial Aid Profile talk to your Project STAY advisor for assistance.
- High school seniors should check colleges' web pages for important information and deadlines.
- College students must maintain a 2.0 GPA each semester in order to maintain their eligibility for financial aid the following semester.
- High school students taking dual-credit courses must also maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to be eligible for financial aid when they enroll in college in the Fall.
- Juniors should register for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. Fee waivers for eligible students are available from the school counselors.
- Attend a Financial Aid Night with your parents for more information on new FAFSA requirements. Any student and parents may attend any of the following:
