Financial aid is a form of monetary assistance that is given or lent to students or their parents to pay for the customary expenses of attending a postsecondary institution. It can help pay for tuition costs, associated fees, text books, and living expenses including meals and housing. When completing FAFSA, students are applying for the different financial aid funds available.
Gift Aid: Grants and Scholarships
- Federal Pell Grant
- Tribal Higher Education Grants
- Arizona/Federal/Institution – Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership (LEAP)
- Arizona Private Postsecondary Education Student Financial Assistance (PFAP) - visit www.azhighered.gov
- Scholarships
- Athletic Scholarships
- Postsecondary Education Grant (PEG) Program - visit www.azhighered.gov
- Early Graduation Scholarship Grant (EGSG) Program - visit www.azhighered.gov
Self Help Aid: Work Study and Educational Loans
- Federal College Work Study
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Federal Stafford Loans, Subsidized
- Federal Stafford Loans, Unsubsidized
- Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (Plus) Loans
There is no deadline for FAFSA - you can complete and submit the FAFSA forms anytime. However, early decision dates for the Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University is March 1st so you will need to complete and submit FAFSA before then to be eligible for these universities in the Fall. College Goal Sunday will help to ensure that the form is complete and ready to be processed.
For more information on FAFSA, visit the website www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Scholarships, grants and state aid make college possible for NAU student
Josh Barreda made a decision during his senior year of high school that is paying big dividends now. He decided to forgo the Westwood High football team and instead use his time to apply for scholarships for college. Each day after lunch, Barreda went to the career center at the Mesa, Ariz., high school for an hour. “I dedicated an hour to applying for scholarships every day. I looked at it as a class,” he says. He worked on his personal statement, resume and references and received help from the counselors staffing the center. Many days an adviser would hand him a scholarship application and suggest he apply. He applied for 15 scholarships and received six. As a result of his hard work, he received enough financial aid to cover his costs at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. A combination of scholarships, a federal Pell Grant and state merit-based aid are funding his tuition and living expenses. “If I didn’t have financial aid, I would not be going to college,” he says. “I’d be working in a restaurant, saving money and attending community college when I could. It definitely would have postponed my graduation by several years.” Barreda and his family moved to Arizona from California when he was in the 8th grade. His father had lost his job, and they came to the state to live with an aunt. Although his dad found work soon after arriving, with four children in the family, bills and rent, Barreda says there’s no money for college. He and his older sister share an apartment in Flagstaff, and both receive financial aid to attend NAU. Barreda is working toward a degree in hotel-and-restaurant management and hopes one day to open his own hotel and restaurant. A straight-A student in high school, Barreda says freshman year is going well so far. Does he think he made the right choice in high school? Absolutely. “Applying for scholarships instead of playing football definitely helped me in the long run,” he says. —Courtesy of USA Funds
Josh Barreda made a decision during his senior year of high school that is paying big dividends now. He decided to forgo the Westwood High football team and instead use his time to apply for scholarships for college. Each day after lunch, Barreda went to the career center at the Mesa, Ariz., high school for an hour. “I dedicated an hour to applying for scholarships every day. I looked at it as a class,” he says. He worked on his personal statement, resume and references and received help from the counselors staffing the center. Many days an adviser would hand him a scholarship application and suggest he apply. He applied for 15 scholarships and received six. As a result of his hard work, he received enough financial aid to cover his costs at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. A combination of scholarships, a federal Pell Grant and state merit-based aid are funding his tuition and living expenses. “If I didn’t have financial aid, I would not be going to college,” he says. “I’d be working in a restaurant, saving money and attending community college when I could. It definitely would have postponed my graduation by several years.” Barreda and his family moved to Arizona from California when he was in the 8th grade. His father had lost his job, and they came to the state to live with an aunt. Although his dad found work soon after arriving, with four children in the family, bills and rent, Barreda says there’s no money for college. He and his older sister share an apartment in Flagstaff, and both receive financial aid to attend NAU. Barreda is working toward a degree in hotel-and-restaurant management and hopes one day to open his own hotel and restaurant. A straight-A student in high school, Barreda says freshman year is going well so far. Does he think he made the right choice in high school? Absolutely. “Applying for scholarships instead of playing football definitely helped me in the long run,” he says. —Courtesy of USA Funds
