Round two of college applications: Financial aid

Planning to attend a four-year university, there are three main scholarships for which one can apply. Beginning with perhaps the most well known, one can submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA form. There are three main branches that extend from the FAFSA: Grants, work-study and loans. Grants are quite literally free money for college. They are given out based on a student’s financial needs and situation, which is evaluated by family income and current state of living. Common knowledge is that grants are need based, while scholarships are generally based off of merit. The next branch of a FAFSA application is a work-study job, which gets a bit more complicated. In short, students with work-study jobs are provided part-time employment to help pay off education costs. Students who are full or part time qualify for a work-study opportunity, and they are given the option to either work on campus, or for a nonprofit organization or public agency — the goal of the jobs is to be involved in a student’s similar course of study or some sort of civic duty. The final branch of the FAFSA aid falls into loans. A loan is a form of government aid that must be paid back over time, generally with a fixed interest rate. There are direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans, with subsidized being based on financial need while unsubsidized is not. Finally, consolidation loans allows the combination of multiple loans into one — hence the name.

The next form of financial aid given to students applying for college is the College Scholarship Service Profile, or CSS profile. This is provided through the College Board organization, and it is not through the federal government. Awarding $9 billion in grants per year through multiple universities and organizations, the CSS profile application allows one to be more specific as to their family situation and other important financial details to give accurate and fair financial aid. If one is struggling with a family issue or sudden hardship, the CSS profile provides options to go into detail on one’s current state. Of course, since the CSS profile gives students grants, not loans, this is free financial aid for college.

The final form of financial aid available for students is the CADAA, or the California Dream Act. The Dream Act is geared specifically toward undocumented and nonresident students in California, all with strict confidentiality. Filling out financial aid without the need for a Social Security number is a great resource for students struggling with their documentation, especially the California Dream Act because of its privacy and protection. One must have completed at least three years of high school, adult school or community college, and the aid they receive can be used only on California colleges that appear on the eligibility list, found on the California Dream Act website. There are both private and public schools on the list, with 327 from which to choose.

I sincerely give my best wishes to anyone applying for college and urge them to apply for any form of financial aid for which they qualify. Even if one’s family is better off than others, one may still qualify for government aid. Merit scholarships are another great form of aid, available for just about anything — a few being people who are left-handed, people with red hair, and much more. Good luck!

Brooke Hanshaw is a senior at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.