What is financial aid?
Financial aid (also called financial assistance) consists of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study wages. Grants and scholarships are not repaid and reduce the net price of obtaining your education. Loans must be repaid and serve only to help you pay the net price. Work-study wages must be earned through your work and help you pay the net price.
Understanding the Financial Aid Application Process
The financial aid application process is complex and stressful. Every college has a slightly different process with different requirements and deadlines.
Some of the required forms are difficult to complete and it very easy to overlook important financial aid deadlines in the rush to complete the admissions application.
Because financial aid budgets are increasingly strained at many colleges (and at many state agencies), it is critically important for students to submit financial aid application materials that are complete, correct and on-time.
Missing a financial aid deadline or submitting information that is incomplete might result in reduced aid or no aid at all.
Important Questions
- How do you apply for school-awarded need-based grants?
- How do you apply for school-awarded merit scholarships?
- How do athletic scholarships work?
- How do you apply for federal aid?
- How do you apply for state aid?
- How do you apply for outside scholarships?
Next Steps
Download the Financial Aid Application Manager and use it to track application requirements and deadlines for each target school.
Read the comprehensive fact sheets on all Application Requirements.
Use the Quick Links in the right hand margin to navigate directly to many of the required forms.
