Student Financial Aid
February on a high school campus is a special time of year. Seniors are getting accepted to their dream college and their parents are working diligently to make sure they can afford it. We all know that navigating the college money maze is not an easy task. It is probably one of the most stressful things students and their families will go through in their lifetime. The cost of four years of tuition, room, board, books, and fees can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) wants to ensure that you get the help you need to make your child’s college dream a reality by holding multiple financial aid events throughout the year. From October through January, parents and students had the opportunity to attend one of eight Financial Aid Information Nights. District and community experts presented our parents and students with vital information such as federal grants, student loans and scholarships, and how to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Speaking of the FAFSA, it is not a secret that many students and parents are fearful of this online application for federal student aid. The biggest misconception is that parents do not think they will qualify based on their income. Our school counselors say there is only one way to find out, apply anyway! The 108-question, 10-page form requires information from your last tax return, bank statements, records of investments, and statements of untaxed income. However, the application is getting easier than ever by allowing you to skip unnecessary and irrelevant questions. Plus, you can now import your tax return information from the IRS into your online FAFSA form using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Starting next year, students will be able to fill out their FAFSA application in October instead of January. This is a major change that will save time and allow you to use your 2015 tax return instead of waiting for 2016 numbers. The bottom line is that the application is well worth the effort to see if you are eligible for free money for college.
Coming up in February, CCPS is partnering with several other organizations for College Goal Sunday, a free program that helps students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There will be several locations and times available during the last two weekends of February.
- Sunday, February 21, 1-4 pm at Golden Gate High School (2925 Titan Way)
- Saturday, February 27, 9 am-12 pm at Palmetto Ridge High School (1655 Victory Lane)
- Saturday, February 27, 1-4 pm at Immokalee High School (701 Immokalee Drive)
I highly recommend you attend one of these sessions during your child’s junior year. This way you know the deadlines and expectations heading into their senior year.
CCPS will also be holding a very important Virtual Town Hall Meeting on March 1, 2016, that addresses funding your child’s educational future. The meeting will take place at 6 pm in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Administrative Center (5775 Osceola Trail, Naples) with telecast locations at Immokalee Technical Center (508 North 9th Street, Immokalee) Everglades City School (415 School Drive, Everglades City) and the Naples Daily News Community Room (1100 Immokalee Road). You can also watch it live on The Education Channel (Comcast channel 99) or streaming live at www.collierschools.com.
Now when it comes to getting scholarships, students should be prepared to work hard. Scholarships take time and effort. You do not want to wait until your senior year to get started. There are some awards (mostly competitions) that begin as early as ninth grade. I would encourage everyone to check out the fantastic scholarship database on the Collier County Public Schools website at www.collierschools.com. The database has numerous search options to make it easy for you to find a scholarship opportunity for your child. New scholarships are continuously being added. During the 2014-2015 school year, $29.7 million was awarded to Collier County Public Schools students. That’s up from $28 and $22 million the prior two school years.
A final note for parents of college-bound students, it does not pay to procrastinate. Federal student aid is on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply as soon as possible. The same goes for scholarships, especially those coming directly from the college you plan to attend.
CCPS wants all students to have a pathway to success after graduation. The first steps along the pathway need to start in middle school. Success is a partnership between parents, students, and our fantastic educators. This is how today’s learners become tomorrow’s leaders!
JULIE SPRAGUE is the Chairwoman of the Collier County School Board and can be reached at SpraguJu@collierschools.com.