Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid 2010-11
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Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid 2010-11
  • FEDERAL STUDENT AID AT A GLANCE
  • A WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU APPLY
  • REDUCING THE COST OF EDUCATION
  • AM I ELIGIBLE?
  • TYPES OF FEDERAL STUDENT AID
  • OTHER FINANCIAL AID SOURCES
  • IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE… BE CAREFUL
  • B HOW DO I APPLY?
  • GETTING YOUR FEDERAL STUDENT AID PIN
  • COMPLETING THE FAFSA
  • THE STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR)
  • C REPAYING YOUR STUDENT LOAN
  • BORROWER’S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • LOAN REPAYMENT
  • POSTPONING LOAN REPAYMENT
  • CONSOLIDATING YOUR LOANS
  • LOAN CANCELLATION
  • IMPORTANT TERMS
  • STATE HIGHER EDUCATION AGENCIES
  • OTHER FEDERAL STUDENT AID PUBLICATIONS


  • Site Map
       

    Our Mission


    A Message to Our Readers


    Federal Student Aid at a Glance

    What is federal student aid?


    Who gets federal student aid?


    How do I apply for federal student aid?


    Federal Student Aid Summary Chart


    Steps to Federal Student Aid


    Process Summary Chart




    A


    What You Should Know Before You Apply

    Why should I invest in an education? Can’t I get a job now?


    Earnings and Unemployment Rate for People 25 Years and Over


    What questions should I ask when considering a college or career school?


    Where can I find this information?


    Take the next steps.


    What additional information should I get from a school?


    Find out about financial aid at the school.


    Find out the school’s refund policy.


    Find out the school’s return-of-aid policy.


    Find out the school’s completion and transfer-out rates.



    My FSA


    What can I do with MyFSA account?



    FAFSA4caster


    What is FAFSA4caster?


    Who should use FAFSA4caster?


    How do I get started?


    What information does FAFSA4caster provide?



    Reducing the Cost of Education


    Lower-cost schools


    State Higher Education Agency


    Work or volunteer opportunities


    Federal income tax credits



    Tax breaks


    Am I Eligible?


    Basic requirements


    Financial need


    Education requirements


    Intellectual disabilities


    Children of military personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001


    Legal and other requirements


    Match requirements


    Financial need and Expected Family Contribution (EFC)


    Unusual family circumstances



    Types of Federal Student Aid


    There are three types of federal student aid



    Grants


    There are six types of federal student aid grants


    What is a Federal Pell Grant?


    What is a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)?


    What is an Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)?


    What is a National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant)?


    What is the difference between the ACG and the National SMART Grant?


    What is a TEACH Grant?


    Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant


    How much financial aid can I get?


    How will I be paid?


    How often will I receive funds?


    Can I receive a grant if I’m enrolled less than half-time?



    Work-Study


    What is the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program?


    What kinds of jobs are there?


    Are Federal Work-Study jobs on campus or off campus?


    How much can I earn?


    How will I be paid?


    Can I work as many hours as I want?



    Loans


    Types of loans


    William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program


    Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program


    What’s the interest rate on these loans?


    Interest Rate Reductions for Subsidized Stafford Loans Made to Undergraduates


    No interest accrual for borrowers in the military


    What are the differences in these loan programs?


    How do I apply for a Perkins or Stafford Loan?


    Student Loan Comparison Chart


    How much can I borrow?


    Other than interest, are there any fees or charges required to get these loans?


    How will I be paid?


    Maximum Annual Loan Limits Chart—Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct and FFEL Stafford Loans


    Can I cancel a loan?



    PLUS Loans


    How do parents and graduate and professional degree students apply for a PLUS Loan?


    What are the eligibility requirements for PLUS Loans?


    Are there any other requirements?


    Do we need to find a lender?


    How much can a parent or graduate and professional degree student borrow?


    Who receives the loan money—the parent or the student?


    Can a borrower cancel a PLUS Loan?


    Other than interest, are there any fees or charges to get a PLUS Loan?


    Is there a grace period?


    Stafford and PLUS Loan Summary



    More Federal Student Aid Information


    Other Financial Aid Sources


    Financial aid office


    State Higher Education Agency


    AmeriCorps


    Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program (Byrd Program)


    Public libraries and the Internet


    Businesses and labor organizations


    Organizations, foundations, etc


    U.S. Armed Forces


    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs


    Internal Revenue Service (IRS)


    College.gov


    Students.gov



    It’s a Jungle Out There … Be Careful


    Scholarship scams


    Identity Theft


    B


    How Do I Apply?

    Getting Your Federal Student Aid PIN


    What is a Federal Student Aid PIN and what is it used for?


    Should I get a PIN if I’m not applying for aid online?


    How and when should I get a PIN?


    How do I sign my application?


    Do I get a pin automatically?


    What if I have questions about the PIN?


    Can I get a PIN from the Federal Student Aid Information Center?



    Completing the FAFSA


    What information do I need to complete a FAFSA?


    Process for new applicants


    Can I apply for aid online?


    Why should I apply online?


    What if I decide I want a paper FAFSA?


    What happens after I mail the FAFSA for processing?


    Dependency Status


    What if I'm considered a dependent student but have no contact with my parents?


    What if I'm a dependent student but my parents are divorced or separated?


    Do I report stepparents’ information?


    Do I need to fill out a FAFSA every year I apply for aid?


    What if I need help filling out my FAFSA?


    How do the schools I’m interested in attending get my FAFSA information?


    What if I want to add or change schools later?



    The Student Aid Report (SAR) and Why It’s Important


    After you apply for federal student aid you’ll receive your FAFSA results in your SAR (the processed FAFSA results)


    Sample E-mail


    What do I do with my SAR?


    If you need to make corrections to your SAR


    How do I find out if I’m eligible for federal student aid and how much I’ll receive?


    Your SAR will look like this




    C


    Repaying Your Student Loan

    Borrower’s Responsibilities


    Think about how much you’re borrowing


    Signing a promissory note means you agree to repay the loan


    Make payments regardless of receiving billing notices


    Continue to pay while waiting for deferment or forbearance approval


    Notify your lender or loan servicing agency when you ...


    Receive entrance and exit counseling



    Borrower’s Rights


    What you need to know about your loan


    Before you leave school


    Grace period


    Loan repayment schedule


    Sale of loan



    Loan Repayment


    When do I start paying back my student loans?


    How much time do I have to repay my student loans?


    When do parents and graduate and professional degree students begin repaying a PLUS Loan?


    How much will I have to repay each month?


    What repayment plans are available for Stafford Loans?


    Examples of Typical Direct and FFEL Stafford Loan Repayments


    Examples of Typical Perkins Loan Repayments Chart


    How do parents or graduate and professional degree students repay their PLUS Loan?



    Postponing Loan Repayment (Deferment and Forbearance)


    What is deferment?


    How do I qualify for a deferment?


    Military service deferments?


    Can parents or graduate and professional degree students defer repayment of their PLUS Loan?


    Is there deferment for active military service?


    What is forbearance?


    Loan Deferment Summary Chart


    Applying for deferment or forbearance



    Consolidating Your Loans


    What is loan consolidation?


    What kinds of loans can be consolidated?


    When can I consolidate my loans?


    How do I get a consolidation loan and where can I get more information?


    What’s the interest rate on a consolidation loan?


    Are there any disadvantages to getting a consolidation loan?



    Loan Cancellation


    Is it ever possible to have my federal student loan canceled?


    How do I find out if I can get a loan discharge or cancellation?


    Perkins Loan Discharge and Cancellation Summary Chart


    Stafford and PLUS Loan Discharge and Cancellation Summary Chart



    Important Terms


    State Higher Education Agencies


    Other Federal Student Aid Publications





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