Financial aid is any money that helps a student pay for postsecondary expenses, 比如学费和杂费, 食宿, 书籍及用品, 和运输. It makes up the difference between college costs and what a family can afford to pay. There are four main sources for financial aid: the federal government, 州政府, 高等教育机构, 还有私人组织.
经济援助主要有三种类型:
助学金及奖学金 金钱礼物是不需要偿还的吗. The U.S. Department of Education offers a variety of federal grants to students attending four or two-year colleges or universities, 社区学院, 职业学校. 它们包括 佩尔助学金, 联邦补充教育机会补助金(FSEOG), the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH), and the 伊拉克和阿富汗服务补助金.
马里兰州高等威尼斯人在线官网 also offers a variety of grants and scholarship programs to Maryland residents to use at Maryland state schools. Institutional grants and scholarships are awarded directly from colleges or universities and can be based on financial need, 学术价值, or both.
奖学金 钱可以有很多其他来源, 包括社区团体, schools, 非营利组织, 宗教团体, employers, 个人, 以及专业和社会组织. Each scholarship has its own set of qualifying procedures, rules, and deadlines.
Loans must be repaid, usually with interest, after the student graduates or stops going to school. Federal student loans are fixed-interest-rate loans and include benefits not typically offered with private loans offered by banks, 信用合作社, 以及州级组织. Students may be eligible to receive federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans based on their financial need. 有关更多信息，请参见 联邦学生贷款:学生基本指南.
勤工助学 programs enable students to earn money by working part-time while attending school. The federal work-student program emphasizes employment in civic education and work related to the student's major.
Financial aid can be further broken down into two categories: 助学金，这是基于学生的经济需求 merit aid, which is based on a student's academic, extracurricular, athletic, musical, or artistic talents.
所有学生都应该申请经济援助. There is a broad variety of financial aid available for all kinds of students. Many students mistakenly think they may not qualify for aid based on their family income and assets. 当学生选择不申请经济援助时, they may be preemptively limiting potential opportunities to help pay for college. 通过提交FAFSA, students have access to federal student loans and other resources to help cover costs if needed in the future.
Students can get an early estimate of their eligibility for student financial aid from these two tools: the FAFSA4caster and net price calculators. The FAFSA4caster is a planning tool from the office of 联邦学生资助 to help students estimate their eligibility for federal financial aid, such as 佩尔助学金s, work-study and direct loans. This tool helps students understand how much financial aid they might receive and the financial options available to them. 净价计算器是另一个财务规划工具. The calculator estimates what a student will pay to attend a selected college for one-year after subtracting the estimated grants and scholarships the college 有可能奖励学生吗. 联邦政府 now requires most colleges and universities to have a net price calculator on their websites.
Students may also find it helpful to look at the net price statistics available on the U.S. 教育部 CollegeNavigator. The College Navigator provides information about college costs, 所有学院的助学金和净学费. It uses the same methodology for calculating each college’s net price, yielding comparable figures. It also shows how the college’s average net price has changed over a three-year period and provides the average net price for five typical family income ranges.
The first step to applying for financial aid is to complete the 免费申请联邦学生资助 (FAFSA). FAFSA网站也可在 Spanish. 联邦政府, 马里兰州政府, and the majority of colleges use the FAFSA to determine the student’s eligibility for financial aid. 许多私人奖学金项目也需要FAFSA.
每年的10月1日，FAFSA开始发放. 学生必须每学年提交FAFSA以获得资格. 为计划秋季入学的学生准备的, the deadline to submit the FAFSA is June 30 to apply for federal financial aid and March 1 for Maryland financial aid programs. Many colleges have their own deadlines and many grants and scholarships have separate applications and deadlines. Students are encouraged to file the FAFSA early in order to meet earlier deadlines of other financial aid sources that use the form to determine eligibility. 另外, most colleges require that you complete supplemental financial aid applications, 比如 CSS/财政援助简介 申请非联邦财政援助资格. Students should check with each institution for their specific requirements. In all cases, it is best to apply early in order to maximize the amount of aid awarded. 有关如何计算援助的更多信息，请访问 联邦学生资助.
有几种方法可以提交FAFSA表格. The easiest and fastest way to complete the application is to visit FAFSA.gov 然后在网上提交. 该表格也可以在新的 myStudentAid IOS和Android手机应用程序. Alternatively, a mail-in application is available in English or Spanish. 学生可下载 FAFSA PDF格式 or a paper copy can be requested by calling 800-433-3243 or 334-523-2691 (TTY: 800-730-8913). 邮寄申请的处理时间较长.
The FAFSA information is processed by the office of 联邦学生资助 and the is shared with the colleges or career schools listed on the form, as well as the state educational agencies where the schools are located. The financial aid department at each school uses the information to calculate the amount and type of financial aid a student is eligible to receive.
了解更多, listen to the "After the FAFSA: What Happens Next" video published by the office of 联邦学生资助