spfhs_history.htm

Useful Websites for
Financial Aid Applicants

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http://www.fastweb - A free online scholarship search service with over 600,000 different scholarships in their database. Multiple profiles or accounts can be established for one student, and they will send information on new awards as they learn about them.

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http://www.finaid.org - The Smart Student's Guide to Financial Aid. A very large site that explains a lot of the ins and outs of the financial aid process, including such features as cost calculators, "scholarship scam" alerts, a free e-mail newsletter service, and some free information about how to potentially maximize aid eligibility...the same information that "financial aid consultants" will charge families $1000 or more for. But be careful, many of these "tricks" either don't apply to most families or often have little or no impact on eligibility.

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http://www.hesaa.org - Website for the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Learn more about grants available to New Jersey residents (living here at least 12 months by the time the school year begins) attending a New Jersey college. The site also contains links to all New Jersey colleges' websites and information about loan programs.

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http://www.studentaid.ed.gov - The US Department of Education's financial aid website, with detailed information about the programs available from the Federal Government. Students and families can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. This application is also available in the Counseling Office.

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http://www.ftc.gov/scholarship scams - The Federal Trade Commission has set up a website warning consumers about scholarship scams. Don't pay money for information you can find yourself for free (see http://www.fastweb) or get fooled by bogus guarantees. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

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http://www.collegeboard.com - The College Board's website, including information about how the college admission and financial aid processes work. Students applying to schools requiring the CSS PROFILE can complete it online from this site. Another section of the site shows students and families how to compare aid offers from different schools.

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http://www.savingforcollege.com - Learn more about tax-free 529 plans and other education investments that can help a family cover the costs that financial aid can't.

Almost all colleges and universities have their own websites, usually the name of the college or some truncated version thereof, followed by the ".edu" suffix used by higher education. Examples would include http://www.stevens.edu, http://www.princeton.edu, and http://www.nyu.edu. Colleges' websites are a good way to learn about individual schools' aid programs, policies, processes, and deadlines.

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•	http://www.fastweb - A free online scholarship search service with over 600,000 different scholarships in their database. Multiple profiles or accounts can be established for one student, and they will send information on new awards as they learn about them.
•	http://www.finaid.org - The Smart Student's Guide to Financial Aid. A very large site that explains a lot of the ins and outs of the financial aid process, including such features as cost calculators, "scholarship scam" alerts, a free e-mail newsletter service, and some free information about how to potentially maximize aid eligibility...the same information that "financial aid consultants" will charge families $1000 or more for. But be careful, many of these "tricks" either don't apply to most families or often have little or no impact on eligibility.
•	http://www.hesaa.org - Website for the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Learn more about grants available to New Jersey residents (living here at least 12 months by the time the school year begins) attending a New Jersey college. The site also contains links to all New Jersey colleges' websites and information about loan programs.
•	http://www.studentaid.ed.gov - The US Department of Education's financial aid website, with detailed information about the programs available from the Federal Government. Students and families can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. This application is also available in the Counseling Office.
•	http://www.ftc.gov/scholarship scams - The Federal Trade Commission has set up a website warning consumers about scholarship scams. Don't pay money for information you can find yourself for free (see http://www.fastweb) or get fooled by bogus guarantees. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
•	http://www.collegeboard.com - The College Board's website, including information about how the college admission and financial aid processes work. Students applying to schools requiring the CSS PROFILE can complete it online from this site. Another section of the site shows students and families how to compare aid offers from different schools.
•	http://www.savingforcollege.com - Learn more about tax-free 529 plans and other education investments that can help a family cover the costs that financial aid can't.
Almost all colleges and universities have their own websites, usually the name of the college or some truncated version thereof, followed by the ".edu" suffix used by higher education. Examples would include http://www.stevens.edu, http://www.princeton.edu, and http://www.nyu.edu. Colleges' websites are a good way to learn about individual schools' aid programs, policies, processes, and deadlines.