Financial Aid & Scholarships

GENERAL INFORMATION

Aid from Colleges

95% OF ALL SCHOLARSHIP AID COMES DIRECTLY FROM THE COLLEGES IN WHICH STUDENTS ENROLL. Every college offers both academic and talent based scholarships. When you apply for admission, request a list of scholarships available from the institution and inquire about application procedures. Every college has different procedures.

Paperwork

You will need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify for all need based aid. You can log on to www.fafsa.ed.gov to learn about the FAFSA and to apply for a PIN. The FAFSA can be submitted electronically or can be submitted on a paper form. Forms will be available in Guidance in December. EVERY COLLEGE ESTABLISHES ITS OWN DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE FAFSA. Most deadlines range from Jan. 31 – April 1. DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINE; it is better to file an estimate than to apply late.

Help completing the FAFSA is available. The University System of Ohio has posted a helpful video on its website, http://students.ohiohighered.org/paying/FAFSA that provides tips and advice for filling out and filing the FAFSA. The OhioHigherEd.org website also features a fact sheet about the FAFSA that answers potential questions. 

USA Today recently reported that about 28 percent of families with college-bound students did not submit a FAFSA in 2010. About half said they were not aware of the form or didn't think they would qualify. All college-bound students should take a few minutes and complete the process. Federal Financial Aid and many other types of financial aid are determined based on the information provided in the FAFSA.

Some colleges require that students complete the CSS Profile and/or an institutional financial aid application. Be sure to consult the financial aid office at every college to which you apply to be certain that you are completing all of the correct paperwork. The CSS Profile is available online.  Keep copies of all forms, including income tax forms, the FAFSA, the CSS, and all institutional application forms.

Additional Local Sources

Be sure to check with your parent's employer and your employer for scholarship opportunities. Many businesses and unions offer financial assistance to eligible members. Your church and organizations within the community in which you hold membership may also offer assistance.

Local, State, and National Scholarship Search

Students are encouraged to log on to FASTWEB to explore additional scholarship opportunities. Fastweb maintains a file of over 600,000 scholarships. When information about National Scholarship competitions is received in Guidance, it will be placed in a file that students can browse if they are interested.

Scholarship Search Services

You will likely be contacted by numerous scholarship search services that offer to find scholarships for a fee. Please be aware that you have available to you through the internet all of the same resources that the search services use. You can access this information at no cost; however if you do not have the time then a college planning resource may be beneficial to you and your family. One such organization is the College Funding Solutions, Inc. which provides assistance for a fee in preparing for college.

Organization of the Scholarship Guide

The Fairfield County Foundation is the largest source of local scholarship aid. Foundation scholarships are grouped together at the beginning of the scholarship listing.  Scholarship applications are open in October and deadlines are in March/April of the student's senior year.

William J. Sitterley is Trustee of the Kindler/Campbell/Herzberger/Taylor/Lehman Scholarships. These scholarships provide support for approximately 90 Fairfield County students each year, and are featured together in this guide.

Know your Counselor !!

The best way to keep up-to-date on scholarship sources is to keep in touch with your counselor. Let your counselor know about your talents, achievements, and interests so he/she can assist you in finding scholarship aid.

SCHOLARSHIP TIPS

Apply for admission early in the fall to have the best opportunity to earn scholarships. Some on-campus scholarship competitions require that applications for admission be received as early as October 1. Since the majority of scholarships come directly from the institutions, you are jeopardizing your chances of receiving assistance if you wait until December or January to send out applications. Make a good first impression! Applications should be typed or printed neatly in black ink. Answer all questions completely. Proofread! Have someone else proofread! Give teachers and counselors plenty of advance notice if you need recommendations. Quality references take time.

Completed applications should be turned in to Guidance two weeks before the deadline to allow time to add necessary transcripts and counselor reports. Applications received in Guidance on the day of the postmark deadline are not likely to make it on time!

Do not eliminate yourself from the competition! Scholarship committees are not always looking for the valedictorian. They may be intrigued by your community service, your financial situation, your contributions to school, or any number of attributes. Some committees focus on finding a student who has not received financial assistance from other sources. As long as you meet the minimum criteria, GO FOR IT!

WATCH DEADLINES! Scholarship committees usually make no exceptions for late applications.

College Prep, Scholarship & Financial Resources

FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION