Cedarburg High School

Financial Aid

Many families are understandably concerned about meeting rising college costs. Any candidate for admission to college should apply for financial aid if his or her family feels that they may not be able to pay the entire cost. Early in the senior year students should be sure to check the financial aid deadlines and the forms which are required by each college they are considering. Students should pursue all possible sources of financial aid. Please keep in mind, however, that "financial need" can differ greatly from "financial want."

In January of the student's senior year, seniors and their parents are encouraged to attend a financial aid workshop that is sponsored by the Cedarburg High School counseling department. Parents will be notified with information regarding this meeting.

A Word of Caution
Beware of services that charge money to find scholarships and financial aid. Often they have official sounding names. Too often they charge huge sums of money to find resources that are available for free from the federal government, state government, and post-secondary schools. We strongly urge you to contact the Better Business Bureau or the Wisconsin State Attorney General's office before you contract for any of these "services."

FAFSA
FAFSA is the acronym for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is required for anyone wishing to be considered for federal-based loans and other monies at post-secondary schools. Applying for financial aid may done by completing a mail-in paper version or an on-line version. We strongly encourage the use of the on-line version because the process is quicker, and the turnaround time is cut in half. It normally takes two weeks to receive a response when filing on-line as opposed to the mail-in paper version, which takes four to five weeks. The on-line version has a downloadable preliminary worksheet to help estimate the amount of financial aid for which the student would qualify.

Before beginning the process of applying on-line for federal aid, it is necessary for students and parents to obtain PIN numbers, which will also serve as electronic signatures. Apply for your PIN numbers early. This can be done well in advance of filing your tax returns.

 www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

 The next step is to file an application with FAFSA. Use the banner below to link to this government site. (WARNING !!! The site "FAFSA.com" is a commercial site run by unscrupulous people who charge lots of money for what is free through the government site. Don't use it by mistake!)

FAFSA Application - www.fafsa.gov

FAFSA4caster (instantly calculate eligibility for federal student aid) - www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/F4CApp/index/index.jsf

FAFSA WEBINARS ARE NOW AVAILABLE.  Everything you need to know about completing the FAFSA. Register today at: mygreatlakes.org/fafsa

Financial Aid Websites

http://www.collegegoalwi.org

This even held throughout Wisconsin assists students and parents on how to complete the FAFSA.

FinAid: The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid
Information about loans, scholarships, military aid, financial aid calculators, etc.

Sallie Mae
Sallie Mae is a source for educational loans.

Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB)
The HEAB is responsible for the management and supervision of the state's student financial aid system for Wisconsin residents attending institutions of higher learning.

Student Aid on the Web
This site has federal, state, and other sources of information. It also contains links to the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission's fraud information.

FastAID
This site contains a private sector college scholarship database.

FASTWEB - The Internet's largest free scholarship search service.

529s
This site contains private sector financial aid information.

SmartMoney Article - The most affordable colleges in America.

School Grants, College Scholarships and More - Another helpful resource for exploring how to get money for college.