Scholarship and Financial Aid Information
The process of applying for financial aid is closely allied to the admission process, although decisions about financial aid
are not necessarily tied to admission. Most colleges profess that applying for aid does not affect the admission process at all.
Applying for aid can be a three-pronged process, depending on what kinds of forms the schools to which you are applying require. Almost all schools will require parents to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available on the internet. The college may also require its own aid application to be filed with the college's application for admission. The FAFSA is sent to a central processor that will apply a federal needs analysis methodology to the application and forward the results to all indicated schools. Click here to obtain more information about the FAFSA.
For some schools, the federal needs analysis is not sufficient. These schools make use of an additional methodology, called the institutional methodology, and require completion of the CSS Profile form. The application for this form is available on the internet. The Profile form works similarly to the FAFSA, in that families complete
one form, which is sent to an evaluator (The College Scholarship Service, in this case). CSS then forwards it to all the schools the applicant lists on the form. Click here to obtain more information about the Profile form.
For many years, Ramaz
has been fortunate enough to offer parents an evening seminar
with Kal Chaney, founder of Campus Consultants. Mr. Chaney is
nationally known as an expert on financial aid. His many television
appearances and citations in the print media have garnered him
a reputation for thoroughness, accuracy and forthrightness. The date for the 2011 edition of Mr. Chaney's seminar will be in late October. Campus
Consultants has a web site with lots of useful information
on financial aid.
Click
here for another financial aid website
