Financial Aid and Scholarships
Helpful links are available for you to utilize on the LEFT side of the Naviance Family Connection home page (e.g., FAFSA, Cal Grant, etc.). In the Colleges section, scroll to the bottom and you will find links to the scholarships that are currently available. The Scholarship List will be updated weekly.Financial Aid is money that is supplied by outside sources to help pay for the cost of an education beyond high school. Financial Aid comes from Four Sources: The Federal Government, our State Government, the school that you attend after high school, and private companies and organizations.
There are two basic categories of financial aid: Need-Based and Non-Need Based.
- Merit-Based Aid is given to students in recognition of special skills, talents or academic ability and is often competitive in nature.
- Need-Based Aid is the largest portion of Financial Aid. When a family does not have sufficient resources to pay for an education beyond high school, they are considered to have financial need. Approximately 80% of full-time students will receive some form of Need- Based Financial Aid. Student received need-based aid upon completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The deadline to complete FAFSA application is open October 1-June 30; however you may need to submit the form earlier to meet a college’s financial aid deadline. Federal work-study dollars and many state and institutional grants and scholarships are awarded to students who apply the earliest.
- Grants: provided by both the Federal and State Government. This is free money, and does not need to be paid back.
- Loans: provided mostly from private banks and even though you will most likely receive a low interest loan, it is still a loan and must be paid back with interest.
- Work Study Program: offered through your college of choice. If you are able to get involved with the Work Study Program, you will receive a job either on or off campus and your pay will be used towards your tuition and college fees. This is a great way to pay as you go…Some advice, as soon as you have been accepted, contact the Financial Aid Office and get your name on the list for the Work Study Program.
- Scholarships: available from various sources. Some will be based on need, others on achievement or special talents like academic success, athletic skills and music or community service involvement. Web sites, parent’s work place, and here at Dougherty Valley High School are just a few places in which you can find scholarships and/or scholarship information.
calgrants.org (must complete FAFSA to be considered)
bigfuture.collegeboard.org (offers a free, national scholarship search)
fafsa.ed.gov (for completing the financial aid application)
fastweb.com (free, national, and secure scholarship service)
finaid.org (source of student financial aid information, advice and tools on or off the web)
Scholarships for Minority Students:
Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
American Indian College Fund, Native American Scholarships
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund
United Negro College Fund
Indian-American Scholarships Foundation
Scholarships are free money, but they do require a lot of research, time, patience, and persistence. The scholarships will not come search for YOU. Students who have been most successful in the process are those who have tirelessly search the free services to the sites above, checked by Naviance Family Connection regularly and applied consistently, and just continued to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!