It may be overwhelming to think about going to college--how you’re going to keep your grades up, what opportunities to volunteer for, how to make your college essay stand out and the most difficult thing to think about: how you’re going to pay for college. When looking for colleges to apply to, the first thing you may have looked at is how much it was going to cost. Ranging from $26,493-$34,700 (In-state cost of tuition at California State University and University of California colleges), college seems to be so out of your reach--however, in reality it can be easily attainable with the help of a few things. Financial Aid
Being able to afford college can be largely attributed to the amount of financial aid that you’re able to get. Financial aid can be broken down to a few options: -Scholarships - Grants - Loans - Work Study Scholarships This type of financial aid provides you with free money that you don’t have to pay back. Each scholarship rewards on different requirements, this could include a variety of things: merit, house income, your cultural background, and many other factors! You can find a variety of scholarships through websites such as https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search. You can even find scholarships in your everyday life--drop by your college/career center, talk to a counselor, or ask your parents if there are any scholarships available at the company they work for! If after all the searches you are still struggling to find scholarships we have some options for you (provided by our FIERCE secretary Jarel): GAPA Foundation Scholarship The purpose of the GAPA Foundation Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to students who are interested in activism in the API and LGBTQ communities. HS seniors, undergraduate, graduate, and trade/vocational school students are encouraged to apply. Due: June 30, 2018 Award: $1000 - $5000 Eiligibility: Must be in the process of applying or currently attending a post-secondary institution in the U.S. https://gapafoundation.org/scholarships The Banatao Family Filipino American Education Fund The Banatao Family Filipino American Education Fund will award five scholarships of $5k to qualified incoming freshmen enrolled at four-year colleges or universities. Each Scholarship is renewable for a total of four years on the basis of satisfactory academic performance in a full-time undergraduate program. Due: February 23, 2019 Eligibility: Pursuing a career in engineering physical, computer, or environmental sciences. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/minority-scholarships/banatao-family-filipino-american-education-fund/ Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund Provides scholarships to Asian students that range in value from $2.5k - $5k. In order to be eligible, students must identify as Pacific Islander or Asian. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for the award. Students are required to complete the FAFSA application. Due: October 15, 2018 http://www.apiasf.org Philippine International Aid U.S. Scholarship Fund Seeks to provide financial aid to Filipinx students who exhibit academic excellence and have a background in community service in the Filipinx community. Applicants may receive $500 - $2000 and must be a permanent resident of California or a citizen of the U.S.Students must show financial need (max income of $77,700) http://asianpacificfund.org/what-we-do/scholarships/apply-for-scholarship/ More Asian/Pacific Islander scholarships available at: https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/minority-scholarships/asian-pacific-islander-scholarships/ Grants Grants are also free money that you don’t have to pay back, often times they are awarded through the federal and/or state government. This type of free money is awarded usually by financial need. Through the government, there are two grants available: Federal Pell Grant To apply you should start by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form (This application should be filled out regardless if you think you are eligible for grants!!) This application should be renewed every year that you’re in school. Visit https://fafsa.gov to start your application! The FAFSA application is usually due on March 2, but opens sometime in October--so get started when it becomes available, it is a long process because you have to retrieve information that might be difficult to get. Award amounts can vary yearly, last years maximum award amount was $5,920 this year will be $6,095. The amount you get depends on:
Cal Grant Similar to the Pell Grant, in order to apply for the Cal Grant, you must file your FAFSA application by March 2! The next thing to do is to file your certified grade point average (GPA) from school. Depending on your school, they may due this for you for free or you pay have to pay a fee. Be sure to talk to a advisor/counselor if you’re unsure! For more information visit: http://www.csac.ca.gov Loans Now loans are the opposite of scholarships and grants because it is money that you borrow, and eventually must pay back. There are loans based on need-based, non-need based, state loans, and private loans. Because I intend to give you guys the most accurate information, I pulled a section from the college boards website discussing loans: Need-Based Loans
Private LoansIn general, private loans are not subsidized or need-based. They also often require a cosigner — someone who promises to repay the money if the student fails to do so. The interest rates of private loans vary:
These loans can be provided through the colleges that you apply for and will become more easier to understand once you chose the college you want to go to. They may give you a financial aid package describing what kind of financial aid you could receive at their school. This could help you access if you can afford to go there or not! Work Study This type of financial aid provides a part-time job in order to help you pay for education expenses. It is the same as having a regular job because the money you work for goes to you in a form of a check. The difference between a regular part time job and work study is that the money you earn through a part time job may affect your financial aid eligibility, while work study is apart of your financial aid. However, through work study you may be restricted to a certain amount that you are able to work/earn each quarter so you can't work constantly. This is to help you prioritize school, while also being able to pay for your expenses. Work study jobs can be found on campus and off campus
- Pay attention to the things you are spending your money on. You may want to record your expenses because it will help you prioritize the things you should be buying and shouldn't. If you notice that you are constantly spending money on eating out, while you struggle to pay for big expenses for college like registration, applications and other fees--then it may be time to cut down the amount of times you go out to eat. - Once you have your expenses down, it may be a good idea to categorize these expenses into: necessities and luxuries. Through this categorizing, you may be able to separate your needs vs. wants and make a budget. Once this budget is created, you can start saving!
I hope this post has helped you realize that going to college is attainable, and that it isn't as far as you may think. There are several different options to afford college, so get started once you find out which one is best for you!
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