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Financial Aid In College

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Disclaimer: Every college has different policies regarding financial aid and the paperwork that they require. This information is simply based on my knowledge from my university and should not be taken as gospel. For specific questions, please consult your school's financial aid office or studentaid.gov.

FIRST THINGS FIRST...FAFSA

The FAFSA is your your first step to receiving financial aid in college. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This application has to be completed every year that you would like to receive financial aid. Your university's financial aid office uses the FAFSA to determine your financial need, which determines how much aid you qualify for.

One of the most common mistakes that people make is …show more content…
This is sent to you either online or in the mail. Keep an eye on your campus email and your mailbox at home to make sure you don't miss it!

Your award letter will outline all of the financial aid that you qualify for, based on the calculations that were mentioned above. You will have the option to either accept or reject the financial aid offered to you. Below are some of the different types of aid that you might see on your award letter:

GRANTS

Grants should be one of the first things that you accept on your offer letter because they are essentially free money. There are no "catches" if you accept a grant and you do not have to repay them.
FEDERAL PELL GRANT

The Federal Pell Grant is awarded to students based on financial need. There is, however, a limit to the amount of Pell Grant that you can receive; students cannot receive a Pell Grant for more than 12 semesters.

STATE GRANTS

State grants will vary from state to state and can be affected by a variety of factors, including GPA, financial need, etc. Consult your state's Department of Education or your school's financial aid office for more information on what is offered and what you qualify …show more content…
A lot of students just take the full amount of loans offered to them, without considering how much will be covered by other financial aid or how much they can pay out of pocket. Contact your financial aid office if you wish to lower your loan amount.
There are several types of loans that you might see on your offer letter:

SUBSIDIZED LOAN

Subsidized loans are only available to students with financial need, as determined from your FAFSA. If you have to taken out any loans, this one is your best option, because the interest is paid for by the Department of Education while you are in school and for the first six months after graduation.

UNSUBSIDIZED LOAN

The unsubsidized loan is available to anyone, regardless of financial need. However, the amount that you can borrow will still be determined by the information from your FAFSA. Because the interest in this loan is not paid for at any time by the Department of Education, you have two options. You can either begin to pay interest on your loan while you are in school or your interest will begin to increase, even when you are in school.

PARENT

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