Financial Aid: 101

Paying for Postsecondary Education

John M. Szentesy, M.Ed.Associate Director of Financial Planning-Mansfield University

Agenda

Session I– Types and Sources of Financial Aid– Application Process– Eligibility

Session II– Federal, State and College Financial Aid Programs

Session III– Next Steps—Determining Affordability– Resources

Financial Aid: 101

Session: I

Types and Sources

Application Process

Eligibility

What is Financial Aid?

Financial aid consists of funds provided to students and families to help pay for postsecondary education expenses

Types of Financial Aid

Gift Aid – Free money– Grants and Scholarships

Self-Help– Loans and work programs

Merit-based aid based on academic ability, special talent or achievement, program of study, family or ethnic background

Need-based grants, loans and employment based on income, assets, other factors

Where does the money come from?

Federal Government State Government Colleges and Universities Private Scholarship Sources:

– HS Counselors– Clubs & Organizations– Employers– Internet scholarship Searches

Basic Principles

Joint responsibility of the student and parent(s) to pay, to the extent possible, unless the student is independent per federal determination

Need-based financial aid is determined by a federal calculation based on the FAFSA

Not all families qualify for need-based financial aid.– There is no guarantee you will get any need-based financial

aid to pay for higher education

Application Process

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a federal form used to determine student eligibility for the following:

– Federal programs, such as Pell Grants, work programs, and student loans

– State programs, such as Pennsylvania State Grant, state work programs, and other special programs

– Campus based aid such as need based grants and scholarships

When to apply

The FAFSA may be filed beginning on January 1st of the upcoming award year– Must be completed each year

For the 2014-15 award year this would be January 1st, 2014

Ways to apply

Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st of the year for which the student is seeking financial aid– On-line at www.fafsa.gov

Safe, secure, skip logic, built in edits Complete the FAFSA on the Web worksheet Print the confirmation page when complete

www.fafsa.gov

Apply for PA Grant from FAFSA confirmation page

Signing the FAFSA on-line

Student and parent sign electronically with a Personal Identification Number (PIN)

Apply for the PIN at www.pin.ed.gov Don’t lose it, write it down Can use for future FAFSA filing, corrections,

parents can use for other children’s FAFSA Use to sign federal loan applications

IRS Data Retrieval Tool

Real time request to the IRS for tax data IRS will authenticate tax payer’s identity

– Match found, results to applicant in a new window– Applicant chooses whether or not to transfer data

to the FAFSA Available early February 2014 FAFSA correction to select IRS Data

Retrieval Tool

Whose information goes on the FAFSA?

Divorced or separated parents (the parent that provides more that 50% of support)

Step-parents – YES Adoptive parents – YES Foster parents – NO Legal Guardians – NO Anyone else the student is living with – NO

Who is Independent?

24 years of age or older Veteran (includes active duty personnel) Working on a graduate degree Emancipated minor in legal guardianship Orphan, in foster care, or ward of the court at

anytime when the student was age 13 or older Have legal dependents other than a spouse Student deemed homeless by proper authority

Other Financial Aid Forms

Know what financial aid forms each school requires– FAFSA required by all schools, PHEAA, and some

scholarship organizations– State Grant Form (SGF) required for 1st year students

(maybe required for subsequent years)– CSS (College Scholarship Service) profile required by

schools and scholarship organizations (Privates) www.collegeboard.com

– Institutional Financial Aid Forms

KNOW YOUR DEADLINES!

School Deadlines ???– Date and necessary forms

PA State Grant Deadline– May 1st, 2014-first time and renewal applicants

Federal Deadline– June 30th, 2014 - end of award year for 2014-15

How is financial aid determine?

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Parent’s income & assets– Excludes primary home value

Student’s income & assets Size of the family Age of older parent Number of children in college

How is financial aid determine?

Cost of Attendance (COA)

Determined by the school Tuition and fees Room and board Books and supplies (allowance)

Personal expenses & transportation (allowance)

How is financial aid determined?

Cost of Attendance – Expected Family Contribution = NEED

Cost of Attendance (COA) is determined by the school

FAFSA process calculates the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

The school attempts to fulfill NEED with financial aid programs

– Gift aid or free money first– Self-help: loans and work programs

Eligibility Examples

Low Medium HighCOA $17,000 $27,000 $47,000EFC $15,000 $15,000 $15,000

Need $2,000 $12,000 $32,000

Financial Aid Office notifies student by an Award Letter, which indicates the types and amounts of aid provided to the student.

Reviewing Financial Aid Award Letters

After reviewing the award letters, students should be sure to know and understand the following:

– How much of their financial aid is gift aid and how much is not?

– Which awards are based on need and which on merit?– Are there any conditions on the gift aid; in particular, is

there a GPA requirement?– Will their awards change from year to year?– Will institutional awards increase as tuition increases?

Financial Aid: 101

Session II:Federal, State, and Campus based Financial Aid Programs

Federal Programs

Pell Grant (maximum award $5,645) must be high need

Campus based aid—determined by FAO– FSEOG max $4,000– Perkins Loan max $5,500– Federal Work-study variable by school

For most programs, student must be enrolled half-time

Goes to financially needy students first

Federal Programs—service based

www.studentaid.ed.gov TEACH Grant (must meet teaching commitment) Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant Aid for Military Families

www.americorps.gov

PA State Grant

Full-time in PA max $4,348 Part-time in PA max $2,174 Out of State up to $600

– CT, DE, MA, ME, OH, RI, VT, WV, and DC All other States up to $400

– NY, NJ, and MD - $0 Amount determined in part by COA Must be at least half-time to be eligible

Other State Programs

www.pheaa.org

State work-study-job related to major Educational Assistance Grant (EAP) National Guard Chafee Education and Training Grant – administered by the

Department of Welfare Blind and Deaf Beneficiary Grant Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program (PEGP) Partnerships for Higher Education (PATH) PA Targeted Initiative Program (PA TIP Program)

Federal Direct Loans

Effective July 1, 2010, all federal loans are made directly through the U.S. Department of Education

Web-based application– www.studentloans.gov– Federal Pin is used for authentication

Federal Direct Student Loans

Subsided Student Loan-no interest while in school– 3.86% fixed interest rate– 1% origination fee deducted from disbursements– 6 Month grace period

Unsubsidized Student Loan-interest accrues while in school and during grace

– 3.86% fixed interest rate– 1% origination fee deducted from disbursements– 6 Month grace period

Federal Direct Student Loans

Dependent

Student

Base Loan Amount

Subsidized/Unsubsidized

Additional Unsubsidized Loan Amount

Freshman $3,500 $2,000

Sophomore $4,500 $2,000

Juniors & Seniors

$5,500 $2,000

Additional Federal Direct Student Loan Eligibility

Independent Student AND students whose parents cannot borrow a PLUS Loan

Base Loan Amount

Subsidized/Unsubsidized

Additional Unsubsidized Loan Amount

Freshman $3,500 $6,000

Sophomore $4,500 $6,000

Juniors & Seniors $5,500 $7,000

Repayment Example

Loan Balance $23,000Interest rate 3.4%Loan Term 10 years

Monthly Payment $228.65

Number of payments 120

Total Payments $27,437.73Total Interest $4,437.73

It is estimated that you will need an annual salary of at least $27,438.00 to be able to afford to repay this loan. This estimate assumes that 10% of your gross monthly income will be devoted to repaying your student loans. This corresponds to a debt-to-income ratio of 0.8. If you use 15% of your gross monthly income to repay the loan, you will need an annual salary of only $18,292.00, but you may experience some financial difficulty. This corresponds to a debt-to-income ratio of 1.3.

Source: www.finaid.org

Federal Direct PLUS Loan

For parents of dependent students Credit Check is required, yet no debt-to-income No borrowing limit Annual loan maximum is the COA – other financial aid 4% Origination fee will be deducted from the disbursement Principal amount can be deferred while student is in school

(interest will accrue) 10 year repayment period 6.41% Fixed Interest Rate $10,000 Loan amount = ~$118.00 monthly payment

Private/Alternative Education Loans

Student borrows in their name Co-signers usually required. Some loans offer a co-

signer release option Based on credit scoring & debt-to-income Repayment may be deferred while in-school Fees, interest rates, loan amounts, and repayment

provisions vary by lender and are generally more costly than federal loans

Compare loans before making choices and read the fine print!

Borrowing for Higher Education

Always consider Federal loans first. They have the best interest rates and repayment provisions

Borrow in the following order:– Federal Perkins Loan– Federal Direct Student Loan– Federal Direct PLUS Loan– Private/Alternative Loan

Financial Aid: 101

Session: III

Next Steps

Resources

Determining Affordability

Approach this as though you are not buying a school, you are buying an Education

Look at the sticker price. Tuition costs range from $2,500 to $40,000 plus Room & Board

Understand that in Higher Education there is no direct correlation between cost and quality

Be open minded and diverse in college searches Think in terms of yesterday’s money, today’s money, and

tomorrow’s money Determine how much you can afford to borrow Set some parameters right up front

What you can be doing now!

Gather personal financial records for parents & student

Determine your financial resources to pay for college File your tax return early and utilize the IRS Data

Retrieval Tool Request your pin for parent and student

– www.pin.ed.gov– Required to apply for Federal Student Aid

What you can be doing now!

Perform Scholarship Searches– www.fastweb.com– www.finaid.org

Estimate your federal aid eligibility– www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov

PA residents review the State Grant Website– www.pheaa.org

What you can be doing now!

Review the Federal Loan Programs– www.studentloans.gov

Review Private/Alternative Loan Programs– www.elmselect.com

Utilize college planning websites– www.studentaid.ed.gov– www.collegeboard.org

Tips

Know and understand key dates Ask questions Review all loan terms and conditions Avoid using retirement funds Avoid high interest rate products like credit cards Provide a valid email address Keep all copies of your paperwork Make a sound investment—choose a college you

can afford

Other Resources

Federal Student Aid Information Center– 800-443-3243

PHEAA: 800-692-7392 Youcandealwithit.com Myfedloan.org Educationplanner.org

QUESTIONS