College Financial Aid
FAFSA Information
What is federal student aid?
Federal student aid is financial help made available to eligible students to pay for educational expenses at an eligible postsecondary school (e.g. college, vocational school, graduate school).
The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid programs are the largest source of student aid in America. If you’re interested in financial aid for college these programs provide more than $60 billion a year in grants (Pell Grants), loans (Stafford, PLUS), and work-study assistance (Federal Work Study).
If you have questions regarding the financial aid process please call 1-800-4-FED-AID to speak to a Customer Service Representative. Local assistance is available at the Financial Aid Offices of Binghamton University and Broome Community College.
Remember to check with each college to which you applied to see if there are any other institutional financial aid forms that are necessary.
The FAFSA (FREE Application for Federal Student Aid) form is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The online application will be processed much more quickly than the paper copy and is recommended. This form is free. If you are seeking any aid at all, it is very important to complete this form.
The FAFSA becomes available on October 1.
*Information on filling out the FAFSA, including a downloadable worksheet, can be found at https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out.
The CSS Profile
The CSS Profile is an online application that collects information used by nearly 400 colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal aid. Only certain colleges require that students complete the CSS Profile. Additional information is available at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/.
Financial Aid Websites
StudentAid.gov
Information, forms, FAQs, and publications about federal student financial aid financial aid and students loan opportunities from elementary school through graduate school.
FAFSA Application
Go to this part of the StudentAid.gov site to fill out the actual application for the Federal Student Financial Assistance Program. FAFSA Twitter feed: @FAFSA
FSA ID
The FSA ID allows users to electronically access personal information on Federal Student Aid Web sites as well as electronically sign a FAFSA.
Federal Student Aid Estimator
This tool “…can help you understand your options … by providing an early estimate of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and eligibility for federal student aid.” (Formerly known as the FAFSA Forecaster.)
Federal Student Aid Resources
Fact sheets, videos, and other resources to help with the Federal Student Aid process.
The FAFSA Process
The Financial Aid Toolkit from the U.S. Department of Education takes you through the application process and offers a downloadable document (PowerPoint or PDF format) with step-by-step screenshots and explanations.
10 Common FAFSA Mistakes To Avoid
What NOT to do when preparing your FAFSA.
CollegeBoard.com – Pay for College
Advice from the College Board about financial aid, scholarships, loans, and so on.
College Financial Aid Advice
“An informational website about scholarships and grants, FAFSA, student loans, and ways to save money for college.”
Discover Scholarship Search Tool
Free Scholarship Search Site
FastWeb: Scholarships, Financial Aid and Colleges
“The most complete source of local, national, and college-specific scholarships… Search and compare detailed college profiles including tailored scholarship matches.” Requires free registration.
FinAid: The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid
This is a comprehensive site on financial aid.
Financial Aid Glossary
“Discover the meaning behind famous financial aid terms, like FAFSA, EFC and COA.”
Going Merry: Scholarship Search and Financial Aid Information
An independent scholarship search site that also has additional information on the financial aid process.
NerdWallet: How to Pay for College: 8 Expert-Approved Tips
“To pay for college, always submit the FAFSA first. Accept grants, scholarships, and work-study before student loans.”
NYS Higher Education Services Corporation
“The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is the state agency that helps people pay for college by administering the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), guaranteeing student loans, offering guidance, and administering a highly successful College Savings program for students and families.” A must-see site for New York students seeking loans or scholarships. Twitter feed: @NY HESC.
New York State Tuition Assistance Program
“The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State. An annual TAP award can be up to $5,665. Because TAP is a grant, it does not have to be paid back.”
Sallie Mae – Scholarship Search
“Scholarship Search is the free way to get access to more than 6 million college scholarships worth up to $30 billion.”
Scholarship America
“Scholarship America works directly with students, parents, colleges, businesses and communities to help students fulfill their college dreams. Since it was founded in 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $4.9 billion to 2.9 million students … and counting.”
Scholarships.com
As well as information about financial aid, loans, and grants, this site allows you to set up a personalized profile that can be compared to the site’s database of over 600,000 college scholarships.
SUNY Scholarships
Links to pages for the overall NY State Excelsior and Carey Gabey scholarships, and links to the scholarships pages for all SUNY schools.
Avoiding Scholarship Scams
Federal Student Aid: Avoiding Student Aid Scams
You never have to pay for help with your federal student aid (including federal student loans). Make sure you understand which companies and claims are legitimate.
Finaid.org: Scholarship ScamsThis section provides advice on how to identify such scholarship scams, how to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent organizations, how to protect yourself from scholarship scams; and what to do if you are scammed.
FTC: How to Avoid Scholarship and Financial Aid ScamsCompanies like to promote seminars where you can learn about how to get scholarships and financial aid. Some are legit, but some are scams…. high-pressure sales pitches where they tell you to pay immediately or risk losing out on the so-called “opportunity.” If you go to a financial aid or scholarship seminar, follow these steps:
U.S. News: How to Avoid Scholarship ScamsExperts say it’s imperative that students and families use discernment when vetting scholarships and providing personal information. Scholarship scams are often a ploy to gain someone’s personal information and relentlessly market to them or potentially sell their information to other companies. … Here are ways to spot and avoid potential scholarship scams.
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