FAFSA Information - Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools



FAFSA Information

It’s time to start filling out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)! Everyone planning to attend a 2-year or 4-year college next year should complete the FAFSA. Here are some things to remember:

• Where to find the FAFSA: Go to fafsa. to complete your FAFSA beginning Jan 1st. Do not use any other website to complete your FAFSA and do not pay anyone to help you with the FAFSA.

• Create a PIN number: Before beginning the FAFSA each student and one parent must create a PIN so you can electronically sign your FAFSA. If your parent is in college or has another child in college they can use the PIN number they used on their previous FAFSA. Go to pin. to create your PIN.

• When to complete the FAFSA: Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after Jan 1st. Government financial aid is limited; some aid may not be available if you wait too late to file the FAFSA. However, in order for your FAFSA to be accurate, you need to have your 2010 tax information ready first.

• What do you need to complete the FAFSA: A list of documents needed can be found at .

• If you need help with your FAFSA: Assistance will be available at Forsyth Tech and Winston-Salem State on February 19th and at Parkland on February 26th. On both of these dates students and parents can bring the necessary documents and experts will help you complete the FAFSA online.

• After you file your FAFSA: The FAFSA determines your EFC (Expected Family Contribution). This means that the FAFSA tells colleges how much your family can afford to pay towards college. This information then gets sent to each college you indicate on the FAFSA and the colleges will send you a financial aid package based on your SAR (Student Aid Report).

• The Financial Aid Package: The Financial Aid Package you receive from each college will tell you how much financial aid you will receive to attend that particular college and will most likely include:

1. Scholarships and grants (neither of which has to be repayed). These can come from the college, the state or federal government. Scholarships students receive from businesses or community organizations need to be reported to the financial aid office at your college as well.

2. Work Study, which means you will be given a job on campus to earn money for college.

3. Loans which do have to be repayed upon graduation. Your loans may be divided into subsidized and unsubsidized loans. With subsidized loans, the government pays the interest on the loans while you are in college, so that when you graduate you will owe exactly what you borrowed (and interest will start adding up at that time). With unsubsidized loans, the interest begins adding up while you are in college, meaning that your debt will be growing while you are still in school. If you are offered more loans than you want to take, make sure to let the financial aid office know the amount of loans you will accept.

Remember that college is expensive and VERY few students will go to college without taking out any loans. This is when it becomes important to carefully compare financial aid packages as well as the opportunities available at each college. The school that comes out cheapest may not always be the right place for you. When looking at financial aid packages, you want to try and minimize your debt without compromising all of the other qualities you’re looking for in a college!

For more information on the FAFSA and Financial Aid you can visit studentaid.pubs where you can find several publications about funding your education.

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