Ruben S Ayala High

Student Checklist

TO DO: ALL YEAR

• Work hard all the way to graduation—second-semester grades can affect scholarship eligibility.

• Stay involved in after-school activities, and seek leadership roles if possible.

TO DO: FALL

• As soon as possible after its release, complete and submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form, along with any other financial aid applications your chosen college or career/trade school may require. You should submit your FAFSA form by the earliest financial aid deadline of the schools to which you are applying, usually by early February.

• After your FAFSA form is submitted and processed, you can view your online FAFSA Submission Summary in your account Dashboard. This document lists your answers to the questions on your FAFSA form and give you some basic information about your aid eligibility. Review the documents, make any necessary corrections, and submit the corrections.

• If you haven’t done so already, register for and take the standardized tests required for college or career school admission. Check with the schools you are interested in to see what tests they require.

• Apply to the colleges and career schools you have chosen. Prepare your applications carefully. Follow the instructions, and PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DEADLINES!

• Well before your college or career school application deadlines, ask your counselor and teachers to submit the required documents (e.g., transcript, letters of recommendation) to the schools to which you’re applying.

• Complete any last scholarship applications.

• Understand the FAFSA process better by watching the videos at YouTube.com Federal Aid video.

• Follow or like the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid at X.com/fafsa  and Facebook Federal Aid to get regular financial aid tips.

REMEMBER: Register for all tests in advance and be sure to give yourself time to prepare appropriately! If you have difficulty paying a registration fee, ask your school counselor about getting the fee waived.

TO DO: SPRING

• Visit colleges or career schools where you have been accepted for admission.

• Review your college or career school acceptances and compare the schools’ financial aid offers.

• Contact a school’s financial aid office if you have questions about the aid that school has offered you. In fact, getting to know your financial aid staff early is a good idea no matter what—they can tell you about deadlines, other aid for which you might wish to apply, and important paperwork you might need to submit.

• When you decide which school you want to attend, notify that school of your commitment and submit any required financial deposit. Many schools require this notification and deposit by May 1.

• Make informed decisions about student loans. “Loans” and “Federal Versus Private Loans” are important resources at this point.

Parent Checklist

TO DO:

• Work with your child on filling out the FAFSA form.

• Make sure your child’s personal information is safe when they apply for financial aid.

• Create your own StudentAid.gov account.

• Use the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s financial path to graduation tool to determine each school’s net price—your child’s actual out-of-pocket cost.

• Read IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education to see how you might benefit from federal income tax credits for education expenses.

• Make informed decisions about student loans. “Loans” and “Federal Versus Private Loans” are important resources at this point.

• Help your child learn about the responsibilities involved in accepting a student loan by reviewing “Considerations When Taking Out Federal Student Loans” with them.

• With your child, look at communications from schools to which your child sent FAFSA information.

Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to estimate your eligibility for loans, grants, and work-study.

FAFSA Website

Filling out the FAFSA

FAFSA Videos on YouTube

Cal Grant

CSS Profile