Scholarships and Financial Aid
There are a multitude of scholarship opportunities available and continually added to Naviance. Login to your Naviance account and click on "Colleges" at the top of the page. In the drop down box choose "College-Specific Scholarships", "National Scholarship Search" or "Scholarship Search".
Download the Uniform Application for Community Scholarships
INvestED - Financial Aid Night
Scholarships and financial aid can be obtained through three major components: Federal and State Aid (FAFSA), specific colleges/universities, and merit based competitive scholarships.
Federal and State Aid: To receive any Federal or State funding for post-secondary education parents/students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA. It can be filled out electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Specific Colleges and Universities: Just about every post-secondary institution that you apply to will offer scholarships and financial aid for incoming freshmen. These opportunities are not available through the high school guidance office but rather by contacting the college or universities’ Office of Financial aid. The webpage of the college or university that you are considering should have a link to incoming freshman scholarships and the steps needed to apply. These scholarships are going to be more competitive at the major state universities (IU, Purdue). Private colleges/universities tend to offer more opportunities for scholarships to help offset the much higher tuition costs. Bottom line: Contact the college or universities Office of Financial Aid.
Merit-based Competitive Scholarships: These scholarships are funded through numerous organizations, some local and some national. The number of scholarships out there are far too numerous to list here. The best way to find out which scholarships fit your resume best is to go to either www.fastweb.com or www.scholarships.com these two sites have over 800,000 different scholarships for high school seniors. Basically, these sites have you fill out a personal profile that will include your GPA, extra-curricular activities, community involvement, and everything else from gender to ethnicity. The database will catch the scholarships that you would be competitive with. Remember, these are open competitions, available to students throughout the country so just filling out the application does not mean you will win it. Scholarship searches can be a daunting task but very manageable if you get started early on during senior year. Never use a site or service that charges any fee to locate scholarships for you and never apply for a scholarship that charges a fee. If you are skeptical about any service or scholarship that you come across, always contact your counselor. Local businesses and organizations will have some opportunities as well and they will always be posted on the Naviance advising system.
Online Application (FAFSA) for Scholarships and Financial Aid *
Indiana College Cost Estimator– The new web site lets you compare the estimated net price of attendance of Indiana Colleges using a net calculator. It also contains great information about how the FAFSA is computed and what types of finances weigh heavier in the formula. It also is a very comprehensive site about coast and comparisons for Indiana Colleges.
Websites and External Resources
The links below are non-HSE websites that offer helpful information about financial aid.
http://www.collegeispossible.org
http://www.ed.gov
http://www.finaid.org
http://www.knowledgefirst.com
http://www.meritaid.com
http://www.state.in.us/ssaci
http://www.studentloanfunding.com
http://www.studentloanfunding.com/pages/products_intro.html
https://www.investedindiana.org/
INvestEd is a free resource for Hoosier students and parents looking for help with college planning and financial aid. At INvestEd, we help families understand how to fund college wisely to help minimize potential education debt.