MIDLOTHIAN HIGH SCHOOL
GUIDANCE TEAM
GUIDANCE TEAM
Main Number 972-775-8237
FAX 972-775-3178
A goal without a plan is just a wish. FAX 972-775-3178
Scholarships/College Invitations
Current National Scholarships
|
|
||
SPECIAL NOTE
Please refer to the College and Career page for general scholarship sites. It is the MHS Counseling Department stance that college advising for financial aid should be available for free as a first option. Come see your counselor or the College and Career Liasion for help or advice.
Please refer to the College and Career page for general scholarship sites. It is the MHS Counseling Department stance that college advising for financial aid should be available for free as a first option. Come see your counselor or the College and Career Liasion for help or advice.
NEW! Click below for a complete listing of all scholarships available so far.
MHS scholarship applications are available online. Students who do not have access to computers at home may use computers in the Library. Once you have printed the scholarship application please check for the deadline date and where to turn in or mail the completed application. All deadline dates must be met as stated on the application forms. There will be no exceptions.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS FOR 2009-2010!
SPECIAL NEWS:
For FAFSA Changes, click HERE. Things have been made easier for students to apply for financial aid.
SPECIAL ARTICLE:
Want financial aid for college in this economic downturn? Better do your homework
Opportunities for financial help are out there, but you’ll need an 'A’ in persistence
BY GENE TRAINOR
gtrainor@star-telegram.com
Sheila Fletcher, who works part time for a foster-home agency, and her husband, Jason, who works in banking, make a good living.
Her daughter, Kiera Cheever, has her heart set on attending the University of Oklahoma, which both mother and daughter describe as a beautiful place with a great program in finance, her intended major. But the cost — more than $26,000 a year — would amount to about a quarter of the couple’s gross income.
"It’s a huge hit," said Sheila Fletcher, of Arlington.
Resigned to make it work, the family is seeking whatever help it can get. But it will likely find fierce competition for financial aid. The economy is lagging, so more adults are returning to college to learn new skills. And a bumper crop of high school seniors will graduate this spring. Adding to the competition:
With the national unemployment rate rising, more people may qualify for money. Federal officials expect about a 10 percent increase in applications for federal college financial aid for the upcoming school year. For this academic year, such applications were also up 10 percent from 2007-08 to a record 14.7 million, according to the Education Department.
Home-equity loans have been a popular way to finance a college education, but declining home values make it more difficult to borrow.
The value of many 529 college savings accounts has dramatically declined. The accounts, named after a section in the Internal Revenue Service code, are tied heavily to the plummeting stock market.
As a result, government grants — the most sought-after form of financial aid — are likely to fall short of covering all who might qualify, leaving aid more in doubt for applicants. Federal officials have already warned that the government could face a nearly $6 billion shortfall in the federal Pell Grant program, the nation’s largest, with about 5.5 million grants awarded as of the 2007-08 school year.
Financial aid experts say federal, state and university aid is important, but they urge parents and students to look beyond traditional funding sources. University officials, aware of the strain, are trying to expand help for more middle-class families. And high school students can pare expenses by taking high school courses that can result in college credits.
Above all, be persistent, experts recommend. Realize that aid packages that fall short can often be negotiated and that sometimes the colleges with the highest costs can offer the most generous financial help.
"Students are so stressed out, and parents are," too, said Kim Stezala, who wrote Scholarships 101: The Real-World Guide to Getting Cash for College. "You need to be entrepreneurial. The students who are entrepreneurial do better. You don’t take one rejection as the end of the road."
Colleges offer help
Linda Misenheimer, a cook, said she and her husband, Wyatt, who analyzes cash flow for a water company, earn too much to qualify for most federal grants but not enough to easily pay tuition. Her daughter, Laurie, a senior at the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts charter school, is looking at several universities in Texas and New Mexico.
"We’re going to have to come up with some bucks," said Misenheimer, of Benbrook.
The total cost to attend college — tuition, room, board, books, etc. — varies widely, from $50,250 this year at the private Harvard University in Massachusetts and $43,930 at Rice University in Houston, to $21,470-$25,284 at the public University of Texas at Austin and $16,159 at Texas Woman’s University in Denton.
The cost of a college education has outpaced family incomes since at least the early 1980s. Based on the most recent data, for 2003-04, college students graduated with an average debt of $19,200, according to the national nonprofit Project on Student Debt. That’s more than twice the $9,250 debt during the 1993-94 school year.
The figures do not include loans taken out by parents, Project spokeswoman Edie Irons said.
Under pressure from Congress and to offset fears about affordability, the country’s most selective universities have begun using money from healthy endowments to lower costs.
At Harvard, for example, families earning $60,000 or less a year are not expected to contribute anything toward the cost of their child’s education. A family earning $120,000 will have to contribute $12,000, down from $19,000 during previous years.
At Rice, incoming freshmen with family incomes below $80,000 will not be expected to take out loans. Their costs will be covered by grants, scholarships or work-study programs. For families with incomes above $80,000 that have a demonstrated need, Rice will ensure that the student’s loans will not exceed $10,000 over four years.
Chris Munoz, Rice’s vice president for enrollment, said that in mid-December applications for admission and for financial aid were both down from the previous year. So the school sent out an e-mail to prospective applicants touting the $80,000 program. A flood of applications came in for a record 11,048 for the fall freshman class.
This trend has put pressure on public schools.
Texas A&M University recently announced a renewable free tuition program for freshmen whose family incomes don’t exceed $60,000. They will also be eligible for additional grants, loans or work-study programs to cover textbooks and room and board.
UT-Arlington, which does not have a comparatively large endowment, announced in October that it will offer free tuition to undergraduates whose families have an annual income of $65,000 or less if they qualify for a federal Pell Grant, officials said. That’s a significant condition because 89 percent of families that qualify for the Pell Grant earned $40,000 or less, according to the most recent federal figures.
UT-Arlington officials had spent weeks discussing what the 25,000-student university could afford, taking into consideration federal income requirements and an endowment of $64 million as of June. That endowment has since fallen to $47 million in November because of the woes on Wall Street.
In comparison, the 5,200-student Rice had an endowment of $4.61 billion as of June 30, the most recent figure available.
There are other options to help foot the bill. Some selective private schools, such as The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts, provide free tuition regardless of family income, leaving them to pay only for room and board and personal costs. Sometimes, other aid is available to help with those expenses, which can still be formidable.
Fees and room-and-board costs add up to about $15,600 a year at Cooper Union, for example. Most colleges and universities also offer scholarships. Misenheimer said she is feeling the pressure to collect all the forms, since the deadline is approaching for some schools.
"There’s so much," she said.
More help could be on the way. The Texas Legislature may step in this year to control costs. A bipartisan coalition of state senators hopes to win approval of a bill that would impose a two-year freeze on tuition increases at four-year public universities. After the freeze expires, future increases would be limited to the rate of inflation.
"Having had five children in college, I understand from firsthand experience the impact high tuition costs are having on family budgets," said state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, one of the bill’s authors. "We cannot afford to price anyone out of higher education, especially in this economy, in which many Texans may unfortunately find themselves in need of new skills to find jobs."
Private scholarships
Misenheimer’s lament is something author Stezala says she hears across the country. She suggests that students take the following four avenues:
Online. These four Web sites will match students with scholarships for free: www.scholarships.com, www.fastweb.com, www.findtuition.com and www.scholarshipexperts.com. Other sites include Zinch.com, which targets students who are "more than a test score."
Print. Check newspapers for scholarship announcements. Read last year’s graduation bulletins because they often contain information or listings about local scholarships. Visit the local library and talk to a librarian. "Their whole mission is to connect people with information," Stezala said.
Word-of-mouth. Students need to network with employers, a parent’s employer, community groups and others even if they feel uncomfortable about asking people for money. "They need to get over it if they want free money for college," Stezala said.
Self-promotion. Students need to elaborate about their accomplishments. Stezala remembers one student who wrote only "Red Cross volunteer" on a scholarship application when she was part of a mobile response team that required medical training. Stezala said a common phrase among scholarship providers is "We don’t know what you don’t tell us."
Military service is another option. Kyle Schroder graduated in December virtually debt-free from the University of North Texas in Denton. He received $38,000 over his college tenure after serving in the U.S. Army for three years. He now plans to train to become an officer.
"It’s a huge bonus," he said. "It makes going to school a whole lot easier."
Dual credit
Finally, high school students can cut college costs by passing tests such as the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams. Students typically take AP classes before taking the exam, but they’re not required, said Jennifer Topiel, spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the AP. But students must take IB courses before they can take IB exams, said Jenan Al-haddad of IB. If students score high enough on the AP or IB tests, colleges and universities will often give them credit so they can skip that course.
Some students earn credits for two years of college classes, saving tens of thousands of dollars.
Tarrant County College also has a program with almost every school district in the area that allows high school students to take college courses. The Arlington district, for example, has a modular classroom at each high school called a college center. Faculty members from TCC Southeast teach the courses, and the Arlington school district covers the cost.
Under the program, students are limited to two courses per semester. But they receive both high school and college credit. When they graduate from high school, they can skip a college semester or two or take fewer courses.
Kiera Cheever, Fletcher’s daughter, and Dyllon Boynton, both seniors at Seguin High School in Arlington, said that they appreciated that the TCC instructors treated them like adults and that the courses were more in-depth than in high school. But the chance to cut costs was not lost on Cheever.
"We’re pushing, pushing and pushing for scholarships," Cheever said. "Applying, applying and applying."
Federal grants
The federal government has five grant programs. To apply, students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or calling 1-800-433-3243.
Pell Grant. Awarded to undergraduates based on family income, the cost to attend the school and other factors, such as family size. The maximum grant during the 2008-09 academic year was $4,731. Most students who qualify come from families whose incomes total $40,000 a year or less. Once eligible for the Pell Grant, students can apply for other federal help, including grants for those who plan to enter computer science, mathematics and other high-need fields.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. Awarded to students who have exceptional financial need, with Pell Grant recipients getting priority. The grants can total up to $4,000 and are awarded by the students’ schools.
Academic Competitiveness Grant. Also awarded to Pell Grant-eligible students and provides up to $750 for the first year of study and up to $1,300 for the second. The grant requires that students take a rigorous high school program and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average (B average) during their freshman year in college.
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant. Given to Pell Grant-eligible students for their third and fourth years of study. Students can receive up to $4,000 for each year provided they major in mathematics; technology; engineering; physical, life or computer sciences; or a foreign language considered critical to the nation. Requirements include maintaining a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant. The TEACH grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who teach for four years in public or private schools that serve elementary or secondary students from low-income families. They must also teach in a high-need area, including math, science, special education, bilingual education or reading specialist.
State grants
Students must have applied for Selective Service or be exempt from applying to be eligible for most of these state scholarships.
Engineering Scholarship Program. The scholarship of up to $5,000 per year is open to freshmen seeking an undergraduate engineering degree at a Texas public university. Applicants must have been in the top 20 percent of their high school graduating class. They also must have a 3.5 GPA (B-plus, A-minus average) on a 4.0 scale in math and science courses and complete the state’s recommended or distinguished programs. To keep the scholarship, students must maintain a 3.0 (B average) on a 4.0 scale. Applications are available at Texas engineering schools.
Fifth Year Accounting Student Scholarship. This scholarship of up to $5,000 is open to Texas residents attending a public or private college or university in the Lone Star State who plan to become accountants. Applicants must have completed 120 hours of college course work, including 15 hours in accounting, at the beginning of the term in which the award is made. They also must plan to take the state’s CPA examination. Applications are available at college financial aid and accounting departments.
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program. Residents who attend a private or public university in Texas can apply for these scholarships of up to $5,000. They must show financial need and apply through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. Students’ colleges will notify them if they receive the scholarship.
Professional Nursing Scholarships. Texas residents who are enrolled in classes to become a licensed professional nurse and who demonstrate financial need can apply for scholarships of up to $3,000 provided they attend a Texas public or private institution. Applications are available at college financial aid offices.
Robert C. Byrd Scholarship. High school students who attend public or private universities can apply for this $1,500 scholarship provided they graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class. Grades and scores on college entrance exams are also considered. Interested students can get information and applications from their high school guidance counselors.
Texas Educational Opportunity Grant. Students attending two-year colleges can apply for this grant provided they show financial need. They must have enrolled at least half-time for the first 30 hours of their program. Students can receive the equivalent of their tuition and fees. To be eligible, they must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Towards EXcellence Access and Success Grant Program. Texas residents who attend public institutions in the Lone Star State can receive the equivalent of their tuition and fees if they show financial need. They must have earned an associate degree or completed the state’s recommended or distinguished high school program. To keep the grant, they have to maintain a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale during the second and subsequent years of their education. To apply, students must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Texas Public Educational Grant. To be eligible, Texas residents must show financial need and attend a public college or university in the Lone Star State. Each college can set the award, but the money cannot exceed a student’s financial need. Students must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Top 10 Percent Scholarship Program. Students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class, enroll in a Texas public institution and show financial need can receive up to $2,000 a year. Applicants must file the federal form by April 1 to be eligible. The scholarship can be renewed annually provided the students are enrolled full time (completed 30 semester hours), have maintained a 3.25 GPA (about a B-plus) and have completed 75 percent of hours attempted. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Tuition Equalization Grant Program. Texas residents or nonresident National Merit finalists are eligible for this scholarship if they show financial need and attend a public or private school in Texas. Recipients can receive $3,331 per school year, or $4,966 if they show exceptional need. The scholarship can be renewed for full-time students who maintain a 2.5 GPA. Applicants must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at the institution they plan to attend will notify them if they received the scholarship.
Vocational Nursing Scholarship. Texas residents who can demonstrate financial need can receive up to $1,500 a year if enrolled in a vocational nursing program at a public or private school in the Lone Star State. Students can get applications at their college or university financial aid office.
Federal loans
Financial aid officials urge parents and students to seek federally backed loans before seeking private loans. To apply, students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or by calling 1-800-433-3243. Here are the federal loan programs:
Perkins Loans. Undergraduates can receive up to $5,500 a year if they demonstrate financial need. The interest rate is 5 percent. Students have up to 10 years to repay the loan and typically begin paying six to nine months after graduation.
FFEL Stafford Loans. Awards vary and are open regardless of need. But if students show financial need, the federal government will pay the interest while students are in school. Students have 10 to 25 years to repay this loan and can defer payments to six months after they graduate. The interest rate for 2009-10 will be 6 percent for the government subsidized loans and 6.8 percent for the unsubsidized loans.
Direct Stafford Loans. The conditions are the same as above, except students would repay the U.S. Education Department over 10 to 25 years instead of a private lender.
FFEL PLUS Loans. Parents who don’t have a negative credit history can take out these loans, and they can be as much as the cost of attendance. The interest rate would be 8.5 percent, and borrowers have 10 to 25 years to repay the loans.
Direct PLUS Loans. Conditions are the same as above, except that the interest rate is 7.9 percent.
Applying for financial aid
Filling out financial aid applications is akin to filling out income tax forms.
Though it can be worse.
Federal officials estimate that completing their form takes one to two hours for first-time applicants. Sheila Fletcher of Arlington, whose daughter is heading to college in the fall, said it took her family two days because of all the documents needed.
"It was craziness," she said. "It’s a lot of information."
Some forms require even more documentation, including information on home values, retirement accounts, expected pay raises and the value of various assets.
To apply for federal and other forms of financial aid, students need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form is available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or calling 1-800-433-3243.
Students need the following to fill out the form: Social Security number; driver’s license number; 2008 W-2 income tax forms; a 2008 income tax return; a spouse’s 2008 income tax return if applicable; their parents’ 2008 income tax return; untaxed 2008 income records, such as child support; current bank statements; investment information; and alien registration or permanent-resident cards for non-U.S. citizens.
Some colleges require the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE (https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp) from the College Board, the group that administers the SAT.
Students are typically informed about their financial aid packages through their colleges or universities.
For FAFSA Changes, click HERE. Things have been made easier for students to apply for financial aid.
SPECIAL ARTICLE:
Want financial aid for college in this economic downturn? Better do your homework
Opportunities for financial help are out there, but you’ll need an 'A’ in persistence
BY GENE TRAINOR
gtrainor@star-telegram.com
Sheila Fletcher, who works part time for a foster-home agency, and her husband, Jason, who works in banking, make a good living.
Her daughter, Kiera Cheever, has her heart set on attending the University of Oklahoma, which both mother and daughter describe as a beautiful place with a great program in finance, her intended major. But the cost — more than $26,000 a year — would amount to about a quarter of the couple’s gross income.
"It’s a huge hit," said Sheila Fletcher, of Arlington.
Resigned to make it work, the family is seeking whatever help it can get. But it will likely find fierce competition for financial aid. The economy is lagging, so more adults are returning to college to learn new skills. And a bumper crop of high school seniors will graduate this spring. Adding to the competition:
With the national unemployment rate rising, more people may qualify for money. Federal officials expect about a 10 percent increase in applications for federal college financial aid for the upcoming school year. For this academic year, such applications were also up 10 percent from 2007-08 to a record 14.7 million, according to the Education Department.
Home-equity loans have been a popular way to finance a college education, but declining home values make it more difficult to borrow.
The value of many 529 college savings accounts has dramatically declined. The accounts, named after a section in the Internal Revenue Service code, are tied heavily to the plummeting stock market.
As a result, government grants — the most sought-after form of financial aid — are likely to fall short of covering all who might qualify, leaving aid more in doubt for applicants. Federal officials have already warned that the government could face a nearly $6 billion shortfall in the federal Pell Grant program, the nation’s largest, with about 5.5 million grants awarded as of the 2007-08 school year.
Financial aid experts say federal, state and university aid is important, but they urge parents and students to look beyond traditional funding sources. University officials, aware of the strain, are trying to expand help for more middle-class families. And high school students can pare expenses by taking high school courses that can result in college credits.
Above all, be persistent, experts recommend. Realize that aid packages that fall short can often be negotiated and that sometimes the colleges with the highest costs can offer the most generous financial help.
"Students are so stressed out, and parents are," too, said Kim Stezala, who wrote Scholarships 101: The Real-World Guide to Getting Cash for College. "You need to be entrepreneurial. The students who are entrepreneurial do better. You don’t take one rejection as the end of the road."
Colleges offer help
Linda Misenheimer, a cook, said she and her husband, Wyatt, who analyzes cash flow for a water company, earn too much to qualify for most federal grants but not enough to easily pay tuition. Her daughter, Laurie, a senior at the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts charter school, is looking at several universities in Texas and New Mexico.
"We’re going to have to come up with some bucks," said Misenheimer, of Benbrook.
The total cost to attend college — tuition, room, board, books, etc. — varies widely, from $50,250 this year at the private Harvard University in Massachusetts and $43,930 at Rice University in Houston, to $21,470-$25,284 at the public University of Texas at Austin and $16,159 at Texas Woman’s University in Denton.
The cost of a college education has outpaced family incomes since at least the early 1980s. Based on the most recent data, for 2003-04, college students graduated with an average debt of $19,200, according to the national nonprofit Project on Student Debt. That’s more than twice the $9,250 debt during the 1993-94 school year.
The figures do not include loans taken out by parents, Project spokeswoman Edie Irons said.
Under pressure from Congress and to offset fears about affordability, the country’s most selective universities have begun using money from healthy endowments to lower costs.
At Harvard, for example, families earning $60,000 or less a year are not expected to contribute anything toward the cost of their child’s education. A family earning $120,000 will have to contribute $12,000, down from $19,000 during previous years.
At Rice, incoming freshmen with family incomes below $80,000 will not be expected to take out loans. Their costs will be covered by grants, scholarships or work-study programs. For families with incomes above $80,000 that have a demonstrated need, Rice will ensure that the student’s loans will not exceed $10,000 over four years.
Chris Munoz, Rice’s vice president for enrollment, said that in mid-December applications for admission and for financial aid were both down from the previous year. So the school sent out an e-mail to prospective applicants touting the $80,000 program. A flood of applications came in for a record 11,048 for the fall freshman class.
This trend has put pressure on public schools.
Texas A&M University recently announced a renewable free tuition program for freshmen whose family incomes don’t exceed $60,000. They will also be eligible for additional grants, loans or work-study programs to cover textbooks and room and board.
UT-Arlington, which does not have a comparatively large endowment, announced in October that it will offer free tuition to undergraduates whose families have an annual income of $65,000 or less if they qualify for a federal Pell Grant, officials said. That’s a significant condition because 89 percent of families that qualify for the Pell Grant earned $40,000 or less, according to the most recent federal figures.
UT-Arlington officials had spent weeks discussing what the 25,000-student university could afford, taking into consideration federal income requirements and an endowment of $64 million as of June. That endowment has since fallen to $47 million in November because of the woes on Wall Street.
In comparison, the 5,200-student Rice had an endowment of $4.61 billion as of June 30, the most recent figure available.
There are other options to help foot the bill. Some selective private schools, such as The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts, provide free tuition regardless of family income, leaving them to pay only for room and board and personal costs. Sometimes, other aid is available to help with those expenses, which can still be formidable.
Fees and room-and-board costs add up to about $15,600 a year at Cooper Union, for example. Most colleges and universities also offer scholarships. Misenheimer said she is feeling the pressure to collect all the forms, since the deadline is approaching for some schools.
"There’s so much," she said.
More help could be on the way. The Texas Legislature may step in this year to control costs. A bipartisan coalition of state senators hopes to win approval of a bill that would impose a two-year freeze on tuition increases at four-year public universities. After the freeze expires, future increases would be limited to the rate of inflation.
"Having had five children in college, I understand from firsthand experience the impact high tuition costs are having on family budgets," said state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, one of the bill’s authors. "We cannot afford to price anyone out of higher education, especially in this economy, in which many Texans may unfortunately find themselves in need of new skills to find jobs."
Private scholarships
Misenheimer’s lament is something author Stezala says she hears across the country. She suggests that students take the following four avenues:
Online. These four Web sites will match students with scholarships for free: www.scholarships.com, www.fastweb.com, www.findtuition.com and www.scholarshipexperts.com. Other sites include Zinch.com, which targets students who are "more than a test score."
Print. Check newspapers for scholarship announcements. Read last year’s graduation bulletins because they often contain information or listings about local scholarships. Visit the local library and talk to a librarian. "Their whole mission is to connect people with information," Stezala said.
Word-of-mouth. Students need to network with employers, a parent’s employer, community groups and others even if they feel uncomfortable about asking people for money. "They need to get over it if they want free money for college," Stezala said.
Self-promotion. Students need to elaborate about their accomplishments. Stezala remembers one student who wrote only "Red Cross volunteer" on a scholarship application when she was part of a mobile response team that required medical training. Stezala said a common phrase among scholarship providers is "We don’t know what you don’t tell us."
Military service is another option. Kyle Schroder graduated in December virtually debt-free from the University of North Texas in Denton. He received $38,000 over his college tenure after serving in the U.S. Army for three years. He now plans to train to become an officer.
"It’s a huge bonus," he said. "It makes going to school a whole lot easier."
Dual credit
Finally, high school students can cut college costs by passing tests such as the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams. Students typically take AP classes before taking the exam, but they’re not required, said Jennifer Topiel, spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the AP. But students must take IB courses before they can take IB exams, said Jenan Al-haddad of IB. If students score high enough on the AP or IB tests, colleges and universities will often give them credit so they can skip that course.
Some students earn credits for two years of college classes, saving tens of thousands of dollars.
Tarrant County College also has a program with almost every school district in the area that allows high school students to take college courses. The Arlington district, for example, has a modular classroom at each high school called a college center. Faculty members from TCC Southeast teach the courses, and the Arlington school district covers the cost.
Under the program, students are limited to two courses per semester. But they receive both high school and college credit. When they graduate from high school, they can skip a college semester or two or take fewer courses.
Kiera Cheever, Fletcher’s daughter, and Dyllon Boynton, both seniors at Seguin High School in Arlington, said that they appreciated that the TCC instructors treated them like adults and that the courses were more in-depth than in high school. But the chance to cut costs was not lost on Cheever.
"We’re pushing, pushing and pushing for scholarships," Cheever said. "Applying, applying and applying."
Federal grants
The federal government has five grant programs. To apply, students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or calling 1-800-433-3243.
Pell Grant. Awarded to undergraduates based on family income, the cost to attend the school and other factors, such as family size. The maximum grant during the 2008-09 academic year was $4,731. Most students who qualify come from families whose incomes total $40,000 a year or less. Once eligible for the Pell Grant, students can apply for other federal help, including grants for those who plan to enter computer science, mathematics and other high-need fields.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. Awarded to students who have exceptional financial need, with Pell Grant recipients getting priority. The grants can total up to $4,000 and are awarded by the students’ schools.
Academic Competitiveness Grant. Also awarded to Pell Grant-eligible students and provides up to $750 for the first year of study and up to $1,300 for the second. The grant requires that students take a rigorous high school program and maintain a 3.0 grade-point average (B average) during their freshman year in college.
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant. Given to Pell Grant-eligible students for their third and fourth years of study. Students can receive up to $4,000 for each year provided they major in mathematics; technology; engineering; physical, life or computer sciences; or a foreign language considered critical to the nation. Requirements include maintaining a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant. The TEACH grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who teach for four years in public or private schools that serve elementary or secondary students from low-income families. They must also teach in a high-need area, including math, science, special education, bilingual education or reading specialist.
State grants
Students must have applied for Selective Service or be exempt from applying to be eligible for most of these state scholarships.
Engineering Scholarship Program. The scholarship of up to $5,000 per year is open to freshmen seeking an undergraduate engineering degree at a Texas public university. Applicants must have been in the top 20 percent of their high school graduating class. They also must have a 3.5 GPA (B-plus, A-minus average) on a 4.0 scale in math and science courses and complete the state’s recommended or distinguished programs. To keep the scholarship, students must maintain a 3.0 (B average) on a 4.0 scale. Applications are available at Texas engineering schools.
Fifth Year Accounting Student Scholarship. This scholarship of up to $5,000 is open to Texas residents attending a public or private college or university in the Lone Star State who plan to become accountants. Applicants must have completed 120 hours of college course work, including 15 hours in accounting, at the beginning of the term in which the award is made. They also must plan to take the state’s CPA examination. Applications are available at college financial aid and accounting departments.
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program. Residents who attend a private or public university in Texas can apply for these scholarships of up to $5,000. They must show financial need and apply through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. Students’ colleges will notify them if they receive the scholarship.
Professional Nursing Scholarships. Texas residents who are enrolled in classes to become a licensed professional nurse and who demonstrate financial need can apply for scholarships of up to $3,000 provided they attend a Texas public or private institution. Applications are available at college financial aid offices.
Robert C. Byrd Scholarship. High school students who attend public or private universities can apply for this $1,500 scholarship provided they graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class. Grades and scores on college entrance exams are also considered. Interested students can get information and applications from their high school guidance counselors.
Texas Educational Opportunity Grant. Students attending two-year colleges can apply for this grant provided they show financial need. They must have enrolled at least half-time for the first 30 hours of their program. Students can receive the equivalent of their tuition and fees. To be eligible, they must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Towards EXcellence Access and Success Grant Program. Texas residents who attend public institutions in the Lone Star State can receive the equivalent of their tuition and fees if they show financial need. They must have earned an associate degree or completed the state’s recommended or distinguished high school program. To keep the grant, they have to maintain a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale during the second and subsequent years of their education. To apply, students must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Texas Public Educational Grant. To be eligible, Texas residents must show financial need and attend a public college or university in the Lone Star State. Each college can set the award, but the money cannot exceed a student’s financial need. Students must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Top 10 Percent Scholarship Program. Students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class, enroll in a Texas public institution and show financial need can receive up to $2,000 a year. Applicants must file the federal form by April 1 to be eligible. The scholarship can be renewed annually provided the students are enrolled full time (completed 30 semester hours), have maintained a 3.25 GPA (about a B-plus) and have completed 75 percent of hours attempted. The financial aid office at their college will notify them if they’re eligible.
Tuition Equalization Grant Program. Texas residents or nonresident National Merit finalists are eligible for this scholarship if they show financial need and attend a public or private school in Texas. Recipients can receive $3,331 per school year, or $4,966 if they show exceptional need. The scholarship can be renewed for full-time students who maintain a 2.5 GPA. Applicants must fill out the federal form. The financial aid office at the institution they plan to attend will notify them if they received the scholarship.
Vocational Nursing Scholarship. Texas residents who can demonstrate financial need can receive up to $1,500 a year if enrolled in a vocational nursing program at a public or private school in the Lone Star State. Students can get applications at their college or university financial aid office.
Federal loans
Financial aid officials urge parents and students to seek federally backed loans before seeking private loans. To apply, students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or by calling 1-800-433-3243. Here are the federal loan programs:
Perkins Loans. Undergraduates can receive up to $5,500 a year if they demonstrate financial need. The interest rate is 5 percent. Students have up to 10 years to repay the loan and typically begin paying six to nine months after graduation.
FFEL Stafford Loans. Awards vary and are open regardless of need. But if students show financial need, the federal government will pay the interest while students are in school. Students have 10 to 25 years to repay this loan and can defer payments to six months after they graduate. The interest rate for 2009-10 will be 6 percent for the government subsidized loans and 6.8 percent for the unsubsidized loans.
Direct Stafford Loans. The conditions are the same as above, except students would repay the U.S. Education Department over 10 to 25 years instead of a private lender.
FFEL PLUS Loans. Parents who don’t have a negative credit history can take out these loans, and they can be as much as the cost of attendance. The interest rate would be 8.5 percent, and borrowers have 10 to 25 years to repay the loans.
Direct PLUS Loans. Conditions are the same as above, except that the interest rate is 7.9 percent.
Applying for financial aid
Filling out financial aid applications is akin to filling out income tax forms.
Though it can be worse.
Federal officials estimate that completing their form takes one to two hours for first-time applicants. Sheila Fletcher of Arlington, whose daughter is heading to college in the fall, said it took her family two days because of all the documents needed.
"It was craziness," she said. "It’s a lot of information."
Some forms require even more documentation, including information on home values, retirement accounts, expected pay raises and the value of various assets.
To apply for federal and other forms of financial aid, students need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form is available by visiting www.studentaid.ed.gov or calling 1-800-433-3243.
Students need the following to fill out the form: Social Security number; driver’s license number; 2008 W-2 income tax forms; a 2008 income tax return; a spouse’s 2008 income tax return if applicable; their parents’ 2008 income tax return; untaxed 2008 income records, such as child support; current bank statements; investment information; and alien registration or permanent-resident cards for non-U.S. citizens.
Some colleges require the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE (https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp) from the College Board, the group that administers the SAT.
Students are typically informed about their financial aid packages through their colleges or universities.