Tips for Foster Youth

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Tips for Foster Youth
FINANCIAL AID
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What Is Financial Aid?

• Money available for you to use to pay for
  tuition, books, health or lab fees and other
  expenses.
• There are many different types of financial aid.
  Some money needs to be repaid while some money
  does not.
• Financial aid is individual. It should be
  personalized to meet a students wants and needs.
  

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Where does it come from? What is it based on?

• Financial Aid can come from
• Federal government
• States
• Institutions / schools
• Private donors or organizations
• Financial Aid can be based on
• Financial need
• Grades
• Class standing
• Other factors such as race, major or affiliations

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First things firstFill out a FAFSA!

• What is the FAFSA?
• Free Application For Federal Student Aid
• This form opens the door for all forms of
  financial aid
• Where can I get a FAFSA?
• Online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
• You can also visit your colleges financial aid
  office or your high school guidance counselor

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Need Help Filling Out A FAFSA?

• Call the federal government at 1-800-4FED-AID,
  its FREE!
• Attend a FREE California Cash for College
  workshop near you. Workshops are held across
  California during January and February of each
  year. To find a workshop, visit
  www.californiacashforcollege.org.
• Ask your ILP Coordinator or CSW / PO / CASA
• Ask your high school counselor or financial aid
  officer at the college youre planning to attend

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Grants

• Grants are a form of financial aid that doesnt
  have to be paid back
• Pell Grants are need based grants to low income
  undergraduates average awards are around 2,466
  and can be used at more than 5,400 participating
  schools
• Chafee Grants award up to 5,000 a year for
  college or career/technical training must be a
  current or former foster youth and younger than
  22 as of July 1 of the award year
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity
  Grants for low-income students with exceptional
  financial need. Not all schools participate.

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Scholarships

• Scholarships are a form of aid that is based upon
  specific qualifications, talents, or merit, often
  without regard to financial need.
• Almost every college campus, at every level,
  provides their own specific scholarships.
• Some scholarships are awarded by public and
  private organizations or individual donors.
• United Friends of the Children (UFC) offers
  scholarships and support for youth transitioning
  out of foster care or probation.

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Federally-Guaranteed Student Loans

• Loans for financing your education are available
  from a variety of programs, including
• Subsidized Stafford Loans available to students
  who meet financial requirements and are attending
  school at least part time. The government pays
  the interest from the time you get the loan money
  until up to six months after you leave school.
• Unsubsidized Stafford Loans available to any
  student regardless of financial need, but the
  student pays the interest while in school, and
  after leaving college.
• Perkins Loans administered by colleges and are
  for students with exceptional financial need.

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Work-Study

• Work-study programs allow you to earn money to
  pay for your education through part-time jobs.
• You should check off the work study box on your
  FAFSA.
• Note that these opportunities are harder to
  secure in community colleges and at CSUs because
  of the number of students attending with
  financial hardship.

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Extended Opportunities Programs and Services
(EOPS)

• EOPS is a California State funded program
  established to recruit, enroll and retain
  students.
• EOPS is designed to assist students who are
  identified as economically and educationally
  disadvantaged.
• Eligible students are provided with a wide range
  of support services such as grants and book
  loans educational, personal, and career
  counseling personal development courses college
  survival skills cultural awareness activities
  career workshops and field trips to four year
  colleges and universities.

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Trio/Student Support Services Program

• TRIO is a federally funded program designed to
  assist students transferring to a four-year
  college or university.
• Eligibility is based on low income, first
  generation or disabled college students with
  academic need. Students must be a U.S. citizen or
  permanent resident.
• TRIO provides academic career and personal
  counseling, cash grants, tutoring,
  skills/information workshops, priority
  registration, cultural activities, field trips,
  computer lab usage, and laptop loaning.

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California Community Colleges

• The Board of Governors Enrollment Fee Waiver
  (BOGW) Program - waives enrollment fees for
  qualified students for the entire school year.
  Students may receive a waiver for any number of
  units, with no minimum if they have financial
  need and meet certain income requirements.
• You can find the BOGW application in your
  schedule of classes or ask the financial aid
  office at your community college.
• Answer Yes on question 4 Are (a) both your
  parents deceased, or (b) are you (or were you
  until age 18) a ward/dependent of the court?

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Cal Grants

• Cal Grants are funded by the State of California
  and are administered by the California Student
  Aid Commission. There are both competitive and
  needs-based grants available.
• Cal Grant A CSU/UC schools 2,772 - 6,636
  private colleges up to 9,708 toward tuition and
  fees. Student must be working toward an
  Associates or Bachelors degree.
• Cal Grant B - awards low-income students with a
  living allowance and assistance with tuition and
  fees. Most first-year students receive an
  allowance of up to 1,551 for books and living
  expenses.
• Cal Grant C - helps pay for tuition and training
  costs at occupational or career colleges. This
  576 award is for books, tools and equipment. You
  may also receive up to an additional 2,592 for
  tuition at a school other than a California
  Community College.

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Watch Out for Predatory Lenders!

• Beware of private loan lenders. There are many
  private lenders who work like credit card
  companies giving you money you will have to pay
  back with a high interest rate and none of the
  safety features or protections of a federally
  guaranteed student loan.
• 3 signs that youre dealing with a predatory
  lender?
• You dont have to fill out a FAFSA. Remember,
  youre closing the door on lots of other money
• A lender is willing to offer you a huge sum of
  money (often between 40,000-250,000)
• Money goes directly to you and not your school
• Scholarship scams are everywhere. Beware of any
  group or individual that guarantees a scholarship
  if you pay a fee.
• There are many very good, FREE scholarship
  sources to help you avoid scamscheck out
  www.fastweb.com or www.finaid.org.

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Tips for Foster Youth Completing the FAFSA

• If you were a ward of the court up to age 18, you
  are automatically an independent student.
• Even if foster parents, grandparents, aunts, etc.
  get TANF/welfare benefits for you, this is NOT
  your income.
• Legal guardians and foster parents are NOT
  considered parents when completing the FAFSA.
• What is a ward of the court? This term is used
  for both foster and probation youth. It means the
  court (state or county) has custody of you.
• I see my parents occasionally, do I need them to
  sign my form? NO, parents signatures and tax
  records are NOT needed when you are a ward of the
  court through age 18.

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Independent Status

• Currently, an undergraduate student is considered
  independent in certain circumstances only.
  However, being an orphan or ward/dependent of the
  court until age 18 is an automatic qualifier.
• Effective July 1, 2009, the following will be
  considered Independent students
• Youth in care or adopted any time after their
  13th birthday
• Youth in legal guardianship
• Homeless youth

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Is College Worth the Price?

• YES!!! Look at these salaries in comparison
• 9th-12th grade, no diploma 22,138
• High school diploma or equivalent 31,683
• Associate degree 39,601
• Bachelor's degree 53,693
• Graduate or Professional degree 71,918

Source U.S. Census Bureau American Community
Survey 2005
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Making College Your Reality

• Talk to people you trust about what type of
  school might work best for you. They can also
  help you with tips about how to juggle school,
  work, and other responsibilities.
• Decide what kind of college community you want
  big city, suburb, small town and whether you
  want to be close to home or try someplace new.
• You dont need to know exactly what you want to
  do before going to college! But think about what
  your interests are and what your ambitions might
  be so you can make sure they are available at the
  schools you choose.
• Remember that there is no one right choice. There
  are many options, so look around and decide which
  schools seem best for you.

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Making College Your Reality

• Check out Internet resources on higher education,
  financial aid and career prospects.
• Find some people who are currently attending, or
  who have graduated from, the kind of program you
  are considering so you can talk to them about
  their experiences.
• Ask the Admissions Office to help you find the
  special services office for students with
  special needs. As someone who has been in foster
  care, you are entitled to these services. Your
  social worker should also contact the Admissions
  Office to see if they will waive the application
  fee, given your circumstances.

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Making College Your Reality

• Dont choose which schools to apply to based on
  cost. Harvard, Stanford and others actually offer
  FREE tuition to students in need.
• If a school wants you, theyll help you create a
  financial aid package that gets you in.
• Remember, you can appeal to your school to remain
  in the dorms during vacations/breaks.

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Helpful Websites for College Financial Planning

• www.californiacolleges.edu
• www.icanaffordcollege.com
• www.fafsa.ed.gov
• www.californiacashforcollege.org
• www.csac.ca.gov
• www.chafee.csac.ca.gov
• www.fosteryouthhelp.ca.gov
• www.orphan.org
• www.ilponline.org
• www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying.h
  tml
• www.csumentor.edu/finaid