The New York State Dream Act: The New York State Dream Act was finally approved, which will enable students who were previously ineligible for New York State financial aid due to their immigration status to now qualify for state funding like TAP or Excelsior. These awards can be worth over $5000 per year in grant aid.
Apply here: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/dream/
BASIC STEPS AND LINKS TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID
STEP 1: Gather important documents (Federal Tax Return form 1040, W2s, bank statements, etc.), student and parent social security numbers, and alien registration # (if applicable)
STEP 2: Get your FSA IDs (one for a parent, one for the student) at fsaid.ed.gov
STEP 3: Complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA at fafsa.gov and make sure to complete IRS Data Retrieval within, if eligible
STEP 4: Apply for New York State’s TAP by following on screen prompts upon FAFSA completion or visiting https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/nys-tap.html
STEP 5: Complete Collegeboard’s 2021-2022 CSS Profile (only if applicable) at www.collegeboard.org
STEP 6: Review (and correct, if needed) FAFSA Student Aid Report, which is normally available within several days after you submit your FAFSA
STEP 7: If applicable, complete any required institutional financial aid forms (Princeton, UPenn, etc.)
STEP 8: Upload tax information for CSS Profile colleges via IDOC (if requested…always check your email and college portals)
STEP 9: Once you know where you are going to college, log in to your account at www.hesc.ny.gov and make sure that your TAP application reflects the school that you will attend in the fall (NY State only). You may also use this site to apply for the New York State Excelsior Scholarship in the spring/summer if the program remains intact
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The Net Price Calculator is a tool that you can use to estimate your “net price” to attend a particular college or university. Net price is the difference between the “sticker” price (full cost) to attend a specific college, minus any grants and scholarships for which you may be eligible. Sticker price includes direct charges (tuition and fees, room and board) and indirect costs (books and supplies, transportation and personal expenses).
Listed in the link below are colleges and universities that use the College Board's Net Price Calculator. Click on the name of the college to access its calculator and receive an estimate of your net price to attend. Remember, if you have a College Board account and save your data, you can explore many different colleges with very little effort.
Net Price Calculator's are available on ALL college's websites. This list is simply the ones that contracted with College Board to use their calculator.
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has created a College Cost Comparison Worksheet that allows students to (1) compare the costs of attendance at multiple colleges, and (2) develop consistent comparisons of financial aid award letters they may have received from colleges. The CFPB’s College Cost Comparison Worksheet can be found at this Web address:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/payingforcollege/________________________________________
No Loans for Low Income Students
A handful of schools have instituted policies that ensure that low income students have no loans in their financial aid packages. These are also referred to as "free tuition" programs for low income students.
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Top 10 Student Loan Tips for Recent Graduates
Whether you just graduated, are taking a break from school, or have already started repaying your student loans, these tips will help you keep your student loan debt under control. That means avoiding fees and extra interest costs, keeping your payments affordable, and protecting your credit rating. If you're having trouble finding a job or keeping up with your payments, there's important information here for you, too.
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