5-FASFA, Bright Futures &Scholarship Opportunities!

The number 1 difficulty that is facing students in America today is
the Cost of College!
Well there are many ways to help alleviate that cost & find ways to pay for continuing your education with out ending in crushing debt!

1. Fill out your FAFSA Form AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE!! Did you know that you can fill it out at the end of your Jr Year to find out your “Expected Family Contribution.” And the earlier you fill out the form the more likely you are to get grants and scholarships that you DON’T have to pay back!
   • To start the form go to: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa 
     • Here’s what to expect (review this with your parent/guardian): https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
     • A Practice Form can be found HERE: https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-24-fafsa-worksheet.pdf
   • To Fill out your FAFSA you need things like (see the Practice Sheet above):
     1. Your Social Security Number (now is the time to start memorizing it as you will need it for a LOT in the future!)
     2. Your Driver’s License or state ID Card
     3. Your Parents SSN
     4. Your Parents Tax information for the Previous year (so if you are filling out the form to start Summer of 2024 you would need their 2023 Taxes)
     5. Any Tax information from your jobs
   • Complete your registration for the FAFSA & that will help you know how much you will need to look for in other scholarship $$ to cover the “Expected Family Contribution” (i.e. what you are going to have to pay out of pocket or get loans)

2. ---

   Check to See if you Qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship Opportunity!

   • Bright Futures Website: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPHome/SAPHome?url=home
   • Handbook with Details about Qualifications: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/PDF/BFHandbookChapter1.pdf

3. ---

   Start looking for SCHOLARSHIP OPTIONS ASAP!!! For many you don’t even have to be a Senior to start Applying!

   • Scholarship Search Options:
     • https://www.scholarships.com/
     • https://www.fastweb.com/about
     • https://www.unigo.com/
     • http://www.collegescholarships.org/financial-aid/
     • https://www.cappex.com
     • https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/
     • https://bold.org/scholarships/by-demographics/women/
     • Check out the FL Trends Magazine we looked at in class for more Scholarship & College Application information!!

     • This 2022-2023 issue: https://www.pageturnpro.com/Florida-Trend/105870-FloridaTrends_NEXT_2022_2023/sdefault.html

     • 2020-2021 Issue: https://www.pageturnpro.com/Florida-Trend/96258-Florida-Trends-NEXT_20_21/sdefault.html#page/1

Thank you,

Mrs. Reed

Updated 4/26/23