Believe it or not, for many families, it is time to apply for financial aid for college...many institutions maintain financial aid deadlines for Early Action/Early Decision/Restrictive Early Action applicants as early as November 1st. Seniors can apply for financial aid beginning on October 1.
Below is a very basic set of steps for applying for financial aid below that contains links to the most important websites. Always consult the financial aid pages of the colleges to which you'll apply for more details.
Please remember that we will hold our virtual event for senior parents covering the financial aid process on the evening of October 11. An in-person presentation for students will be held during the school day on October 12.
***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, AND one for the student):
https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
STEP 3: Complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA and complete IRS Data Retrieval within (if eligible):
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Filling Out the FAFSA® Form | Federal Student Aid
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/apply-for-tap.html
STEP 5: Complete Collegeboard’s 2023-2024 CSS Profile (only if applicable) at www.collegeboard.org. View which colleges require the CSS and the family guide here:
https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatinginstitutions.aspx
https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/get-started
STEP 6: Review (and correct, if needed) FAFSA Student Aid Report, which is normally available online 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 or the method articulated by the colleges to which you're applying if requested. Always check your email and college portals and follow directions for sharing your tax documents.
STEP 9: Once you know where you are going to college (that may well not be until May, and that's fine), 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 of 2023
NEED HANDS-ON HELP COMPLETING YOUR FAFSA? Attend a free FAFSA completion workshop offered by HESC (NY State):
https://startheregetthere.ny.gov/events
**Please note that a small number of our students may be ineligible to file the FAFSA due to their immigration status. However, these students can still file the CSS Profile, and, can qualify for NY state aid like TAP and Excelsior through the The New York State Dream Act . These awards can be worth over $5000 per year in grant aid. Students can apply here: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/dream/
Please let your assigned college counselor know if you have any questions. You can always contact college financial aid offices as well.
