Discuss: Financial Aid Planning
The amount of information, applications, and deadlines can seem overwhelming. If you start early and work together, you and your family can do the research and get prepared so that the process is less stressful.
Visit the following websites to learn more about financial aid and start your planning:
- The State of California’s CaliforniaColleges.edu site has student and parent college planning tools and built-in access to financial aid applications: californiacolleges.edu Links to an external site.
- The College Board’s BigFuture site has another set of college planning tools, financial aid information, and a scholarship search tool: bigfuture.collegeboard.org Links to an external site.
- Fastweb is a popular and long-running scholarship search website that matches potential scholarships with students based on their strengths, interests, and background: www.fastweb.com Links to an external site.
- Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) is a student loan provider that has resources for college readiness and financial aid planning: ecmc.org/students/opportunities-guide-workbook.html Links to an external site.
Discuss With Your Family:
- How can your family maximize the opportunity to get help paying for your child’s education? What scholarships might your child be eligible for?
- Gather all of the family information and documentation you need to begin the college application process, including the FAFSA or CADAA.