The document provides an overview of financial aid, including what it is, how to get it, types of aid such as grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs. It discusses determining financial need through the FAFSA, the estimated family contribution, and important dates and resources for applying for financial aid.

1. Financial Aid:
An Overview
Joe Szejk, Vice President for Enrollment
Services & Marketing
College of Saint Mary
(402) 399-2355 or jszejk@csm.edu

2. What is Financial Aid?
 Resources (other than the family’s personal funds) that are used
to pay for education. Financial aid consists of grants (usually
based on financial need), scholarships (usually based on
academic performance or other merits), loans, and on-campus
employment (for example, the Federal Work-Study Program). In
some cases, financial aid is on a first-come, first-served basis.

3. How to Get Financial Aid
 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): This form will be completed
no earlier than January 1, 2011. It is required to be completed if you wish to be
considered eligible for any federal or state financial aid (including loans). Many
colleges require a FAFSA on file to be eligible for some institutional awards.
 Institutional: Many colleges and universities have scholarships, endowments and
grants available to students who plan on attending that institution. Review college
web sites and contact college personnel for any pertinent information.
 Outside Scholarships: These can be obtained by scholarship searches on numerous
web sites, including www.finaid.org, www.fastweb.com,
http://www.scholarships.com/, etc. Contact local guidance counselor and
community organizations (Lion’s Club, Sons of Italy, for example.) for local
scholarships. These are often overlooked.

4. Types of Financial Aid
 Gift Aid: A short definition, “free money.” This can be a grant,
scholarship or endowment that does not require repayment. As
such, it can be either merit-based (academic scholarships) or
need-based (state grants.) Sources can vary from government to
institutions to outside organizations.
 Self-Help: In most instances, these are student loans. The main
federal loan programs are the Stafford Loan and the Perkins
Loan. These are need-based and eligibility is determined by your
FAFSA results. Work study is also considered financial aid if
family need is still not filled after other options.

5. Affordability
 Do not allow sticker price to discourage you from considering a
college.
 Total Cost for a private institution does not determine bottom
line for most families. Cost is generally determined by:
 Student Academics
 Family Need (as determined by FAFSA results)
 Special Talent or Merit

6. What is “Family Need?”
 Family Need is determined by the completion of the FAFSA.
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid.)
 The Department of Education compiles various student and family information
and assigns an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).
 EFC is generated by looking at student and parent income, assets and household
information. Think of it like an index that reveals the family’s ability to access
funds to finance the student’s education.
 EFC is more than just income. Number in household, number in college and age
of older parent play large role in determining EFC.
 Your need is then determined by comparing your EFC against the college costs.
 Your EFC is the same for every college, but your need is
different because no two colleges cost exactly the same.

7. Two Families:
A Case Study
 Family One  Family Two
 Two Parents, One Child  Two Parents, three
 One in College Children
 Older Parent is 40  Two in College
 One wage-earner, making  Older Parent is 50
$75k  Two wage-earners,
making $75k
 EFC is $13,201  EFC is $4443

8. Dates to Remember!
 Financial Aid is often tied to a deadline, be it institutional, state,
federal.
 Institutional monies are most readily available at the beginning of
the financial aid season. Most colleges advise to have the FAFSA
completed by March 1st to receive priority.

9. Senior Year Timeline
September—November December—March April—May
1) College Visits 1) College Visits 1) Review award letters
2) Scholarship Search 2) Pin Number 2) Meet with college
3) Apply to top schools 3) Complete Taxes to discuss options
4) FAFSA on-line 3) Accept award package
4) Send in deposit

10. Outside Scholarships
 Contact local guidance counselor and community organizations (Lion’s Club,
Sons of Italy, for example.) for local scholarships. These are often overlooked
and you often have a much better chance of winning one of these than a
national scholarship.
 These can be obtained by scholarship searches on numerous web sites,
including www.finaid.org, www.fastweb.com, http://www.scholarships.com/,
etc.
 Never pay for a scholarship search. All scholarship searches should be free
and accessible through search engines (see above), guidance counselors or
prospective colleges.
 Check with prospective colleges if outside scholarships can be stacked on top
of other institutional award monies.

11. Important Websites
 Free Application for Federal Student Aid: www.fafsa.ed.gov
 Pin Number: www.pin.ed.gov
 Scholarship Search: www.finaid.org, www.fastweb.com,
www.scholarships.com
 EducationQuest: http://www.educationquest.org/

12. Numbers to Remember
 CSM Office of Enrollment Services: 402-399-2355
 CSM Office of Financial Aid: 402-399-2362
 EducationQuest (Omaha): 888-357-6300
 US Department of Education: 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-
3243)
 The Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary
Education: 402-471-2847
 CSM FAFSA Code: 002540

13. Important Reminders
 Apply for aid early
 Keep all financial aid related materials.
 Don’t be afraid to ask questions
 Be aware of deadlines.