College Application Process, Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid and Scholarship Search

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Scholarship Scene~ A guide to scholarship opportunities in Sarasota County

http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/pss/Scholarship%20Scene%202005-06/2005-06%20Scholarship%20Scene-I.pdf

The Sarasota County Scholarship Scene provides information regarding the scholarship search process, financial aid, local opportunities, Bright Futures, and means of researching additional scholarship opportunities outside our local area.

FAFSA

It is beneficial to apply for a PIN number before completing your FAFSA. Both Parents and Students can request PIN Numbers. Having a PIN will speed the processing, as well as allow you to make any necessary changes. A PIN can be applied for before Jan 1, 2006. Click here to request your PIN.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid: The Department of Education uses the information provided on your FAFSA to determine your eligibility for aid from the federal Student Financial Assistance (SFA) programs.

FACTS.org

www.facts.org

FACTS.org is Florida’s official online student advising system! High school students, college students, parents, and even counselors can use the services provided on this website to help plan and track educational progress in Florida! FACTS.org is provided free by the Florida Department of Education to help students make informed choices about their education

School Soup

Search the world’s largest scholarship database, free of charge. SchoolSoup has over $32 billion in available scholarship awards.

www.schoolsoup.com

Scholarship Resource Network

www.srnexpress.com/index.cfm

A one stop resource for financial aid- Scholarship Resource Network Express contains a database of over 8,000 programs with a distribution level of over 150,000 awards for undergraduate and postgraduate students worth a total of more than $35 million! This database also includes student loan forgiveness programs for those who have graduated from college and need alternatives for repayment.

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)

http://www.nasfaa.org/Home.asp

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is an association of over 3,000 colleges, universities, career schools, and others with an interest in the effective administration of student financial aid. The Association does not provide financial aid to students; please contact the financial aid administrator at the college of your choice for specific details on available financial aid opportunities. However, with this Web Site NASFAA provides information on the financial aid process and directs you to some of the more important and helpful financial aid guidance on the Web. We hope you find this information useful.

College Data

http://www.collegedata.com/

Choose, prepare, apply and pay for college with advice and tools from CollegeData. Get college admission help and search for colleges and scholarships.

Nelnet

www.nelnet.net/collegeplanning

The Nelnet College Planning center can answer all your questions about planning, applying for, and paying for college. We award five $1,000.00 scholarships to Florida high school seniors. All you need to do is go online and register! There are no test score, GPA, or essay requirements. Registration for the scholarship ends in March, 2006. In addition, students can also search for scholarships, colleges and financial aid information.

CollegeNet

www.collegenet.com
This site provides extensive information on scholarships.

Sallie Mae

www.collegeanswer.com/index.jsp

Search for scholarships, explore study abroad programs, and apply for loans using this site. A great page designed to help students prepare, select, apply, and finance college education.

US News

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/eduhome.htm (under College Search)

Lists the newest school rankings by US News which allows to search for the top schools in the nation by major. It also has a college cost predictor and offers financial aid information. It also allows a student to do a personalized search for community colleges according to set perimeters of location, scholarships, distance from home etc.

Bright Futures Scholarship

http://www.firn.edu/doe/brfutures/

In 1997, the Florida Legislature created the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. This Florida Lottery-funded scholarship rewards students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funding for them to pursue postsecondary educational and career goals in Florida.

During the 2004-05 award year, over 130,000 Florida students received funding for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

CSS Profile

http://www.collegeboard.org/profile/
This is the Web site for the online version of CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE – the fast, easy, convenient, secure way to apply for financial aid for the 2005-2206 school year.

Expected Family Contribution

http://www.collegeboard.org/
Use the following worksheet to estimate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is used by colleges to estimate how much you can reasonably be expected to pay toward college. Your EFC is subtracted from college costs to estimate your aid eligibility.

FastWEB

http://www.fastweb.com
This site provides an extensive search of scholarships.

Financial Aid Page & Fast Web

http://www.finaid.org/
A Tremendous Financial Aid Web Page. A Wealth of Information. Includes a scholarship search program designed to assist families in identifying potential scholarship services.

The Federal Government

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/index.html?src=mr
The largest provider of financial aid, the federal government has a great deal of
information on student financial aid on these three web sites

State of Florida information on Scholarships

http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/SSFAD/home/uamain.htm
The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) provides access to grants, scholarships and loans. The administration of these financial assistance programs rests on either the State Programs for grants, scholarships, and some Florida State loans, or on the guaranty agency for the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).