You CAN Afford College

1
You CAN Afford College

• Felice Rollins
• The College Place Northern Virginia

2
What is Financial Aid?

• Financial aid refers to funds provided to
  students and families to help pay for
  postsecondary educational expenses

3
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

• Amount family can reasonably be expected to
  contribute, but not what the family will pay to
  the college
• EFC is the same regardless of what college you
  attend
• Two components
• Parent contribution
• Student contribution

4
What is Financial Need

• The difference between the cost of attendance and
  the EFC
• Need will vary based on cost of different
  colleges
• Your financial need determines how much aid you
  may receive
• Colleges may not be able to offer enough aid to
  meet your financial need

5
Types of Financial Aid

• Scholarships
• Grants
• Loans
• Employment

6
Federal Aid

• The student must be one of the following to
  receive federal financial aid
• U. S. citizen
• U. S. national
• U. S. permanent resident (I-151, I-551, I-551C)
• Possess an I-94 with designation refugee, asylum
  granted, Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Victim of human
  trafficking, or parolee
  
  
  
  
  

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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• A standard form that collects demographic and
  financial information about the student and
  family
• Should be filed electronically
• Available in English and Spanish
• For 2012-2013 academic year, the FAFSA may be
  filed beginning January 1, 2012
• Colleges may set FAFSA filing deadlines

8
Scholarships

• Money you can earn based on your academics,
  athletics or other skills
• Finding scholarships is a process which requires
  organization and dedication
• Scholarships can make the difference between
  where you WANT to go and where you HAVE to go

9
What else can you do?

• Talk to your family about your desire to attend
  college
• Research college costs
• SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!!

10
THANK YOU!

• The College Place Northern Virginia
• 13895 Hedgewood Drive, Suite 225
• Woodbridge, VA 22193
• 703.680.3729
• www.ecmcfoundation.org