Major sources of financial aid for college: the colleges themselves; the federal government; the CSS Profile; Florida Bright Futures and independent scholarships.
In order to file for financial aid at any college, students and families should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA), which is your application for money from the government, and the initial step to applying for aid from the colleges as well. Final award determinations will be based on your Federal Tax Forms, and federal and institutional deadlines may appear very generous.
You should complete the FAFSA as early as possible when it opens October 1st of senior year, and submit it not long after your applications. The earlier these forms are submitted to the Financial Aid offices of your schools, the more money there will be available to you while your candidacy is considered. Also, many individual colleges have earlier deadlines than the government for FAFSA submission. We can not emphasize enough that it’s critical to file the FAFSA in early October.
CSS PROFILE – College Scholarship Service Profile. Opens October 1, 2022. This is an online application offered by the College Board for non federal financial aid. The CSS Profile will go into more detail of a family’s finances than FAFSA. Not all schools use the CSS Profile.
Most Recent List of Colleges that require the CSS Profile.
Florida Bright Futures https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPBFMAIN/SAPBFMAIN
Our office will meet with the senior class in September/October to create an account and explain how FLBF works. Each counselor will then work with each student on their account. It is important each student continues to put their volunteer hours into SCOIR.
Outside Scholarship Opportunities
Please use This Link to get an early look into scholarship opportunities, not provided from the colleges you apply for.
*Students and family members are responsible for receiving and handling communication between themselves and their college’s financial aid office. Look for those emails and call the college’s financial aid office if you have questions.