| Many different types of financial aid are available to | | | | - Contact the Financial Aid Offices at the colleges of |
| you in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans. | | | | your choice for deadlines and additional documents |
| With billions of dollars at stake, it is important to | | | | they require |
| begin the search process early and to apply on time. | | | | - Complete the Free Application for Federal Student |
| Follow these guidelines for applying for financial aid: | | | | Aid (FAFSA). Available at this form is your key to |
| Three to four years before you plan to begin | | | | most financial aid, and to all Federal and state grants |
| college... | | | | and loans. When you complete your FAFSA, be sure |
| - Review your high school coursework and activities. | | | | to list all the schools you're interested in attending (up |
| Colleges will look for challenging coursework, a good | | | | to six), even if you haven't yet been accepted. Be |
| grade point average, and extracurricular activities | | | | sure to keep copies of all of the forms you submit. |
| such as sports, volunteer work, and community | | | | - Fill out your tax returns as early as possible so you |
| involvement. | | | | have accurate tax information for your FAFSA |
| - Take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test | | | | - Complete the CSS Financial Aid Profile if it is |
| (PSAT) to prepare for the standardized tests (SAT | | | | required by your college |
| and ACT) that you'll take later. If you do well on the | | | | - Find out which financial aid applications your college |
| PSAT, you may be eligible to receive a National Merit | | | | choices require and when the forms are due. |
| Scholarship. | | | | - Send midyear transcripts to the schools to which |
| Two years before you plan to begin college... | | | | you have applied. |
| - Begin researching your financial aid options by talking | | | | - About four weeks after you submit your FAFSA, |
| to your career counselor and researching grants and | | | | you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that |
| scholarships through books and the internet | | | | contains federal financial aid information. Submit the |
| - Start planning to take the SAT and/or ACT exams, | | | | SAR and, if requested, your tax forms to the |
| depending on what is required by your college. | | | | Financial Aid Office. Contact each office to make |
| - During your college visits, meet with a Financial Aid | | | | certain that your application is complete. Find out |
| Officer to find out what types of aid are available. | | | | what else you need to do to establish and maintain |
| As soon as possible after January 1 of the year in | | | | your eligibility for financial aid. |
| which you start college... | | | | |