Skip navigation
Select a School
Binghamton City School District
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
Calvin Coolidge Elementary School
Horace Mann Elementary School
MacArthur Elementary School
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School
East Middle School
West Middle School
Binghamton High School
Language
View Original
Spanish
Cantonese
French
German
Italian
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Korean
Russian
Hindi
Login
Guest
Admin
Binghamton
High School
Educate Empower Challenge
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##
MENU
Home
Announcements
Academics
BHS Curriculum Guide
Fine Arts
Athletics
For Students
College and Career
Naviance
Guidance Staff
Taking Required Tests
Choosing a College
Paying for College
FAFSA
Financial Aid Tips
Mary Thayer Educational Fund
Scholarships
Dollars for Scholars
Excelsior Scholarship
College Checklists
Guidance Calendar
College and Military Visits
FAQs
Clubs and Groups
PBIS Information
Report Bullying
Code of Conduct
Student Dress Code
Social Media Guidelines
Library Media Center
Public Library
Local Libraries
Text Set Resources
Reference Resources
Search Engines
How to Cite Sources
Magazines, Newspapers & Media
Copyright Free Resources
Podcasting Resources
Free Technology for Teachers
Useful Links
Avatars
eBooks
Economics Resources
English Resources
Fine Arts Resources
Foreign Language Resources
General Resources
Math Resources
New York State Resoruces
Quotations
Reading Lists
Science Resources
Social Studies Resources
Video Resources
Website Evaluation
Web 2.0 Resources
Forms
Homework Help
Test Preparation
Colleges and Careers
Symbaloo Resources
For Parents
Parent Resource Guide
PTSA
Reflections
Literature
Visual Arts
Photography
Music
Special Artist
Dance Choreography
Film Production
Registration
Student Health Information
Transportation
Student Dress Code
Code of Conduct
Food Services
Learning Letters
Covid-19 Plans
Staff Directory
BHS Daily Bell Schedule
Home
Announcements
Academics
BHS Curriculum Guide
Fine Arts
Athletics
For Students
College and Career
Naviance
Guidance Staff
Taking Required Tests
Choosing a College
Paying for College
FAFSA
Financial Aid Tips
Mary Thayer Educational Fund
Scholarships
Dollars for Scholars
Excelsior Scholarship
College Checklists
Guidance Calendar
College and Military Visits
FAQs
Clubs and Groups
PBIS Information
Report Bullying
Code of Conduct
Student Dress Code
Social Media Guidelines
Library Media Center
Public Library
Local Libraries
Text Set Resources
Reference Resources
Search Engines
How to Cite Sources
Magazines, Newspapers & Media
Copyright Free Resources
Podcasting Resources
Free Technology for Teachers
Useful Links
Avatars
eBooks
Economics Resources
English Resources
Fine Arts Resources
Foreign Language Resources
General Resources
Math Resources
New York State Resoruces
Quotations
Reading Lists
Science Resources
Social Studies Resources
Video Resources
Website Evaluation
Web 2.0 Resources
Forms
Homework Help
Test Preparation
Colleges and Careers
Symbaloo Resources
For Parents
Parent Resource Guide
PTSA
Reflections
Literature
Visual Arts
Photography
Music
Special Artist
Dance Choreography
Film Production
Registration
Student Health Information
Transportation
Student Dress Code
Code of Conduct
Food Services
Learning Letters
Covid-19 Plans
Staff Directory
BHS Daily Bell Schedule
Financial Aid Tips
FAFSA
Financial Aid Tips
Mary Thayer Educational Fund
Financial Aid Tips
Binghamton High School
»
College and Career
»
Paying for College
»
Financial Aid Tips
FINANCIAL AID TIPS
To qualify for any form of financial aid, whether it is a loan, grant, scholarship, or work study, students
MUST COMPLETE THE FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA) FORM
.The sooner you send this form in, the better, but accuracy on this form is very important! As time goes on, colleges have less money to give to students, so the earlier you apply for financial aid, the more money you may qualify for.
LOANS
REMEMBER: When you receive your aid letter, if it indicates you have qualified for Federal Direct Loans, or any other Loans, they are just that, LOANS, which means you MUST pay them back when you finish college. Ostensibly, if you choose to accept any loans offered on a given year, the total number of loans you take out will be CUMULATIVE. In other words, if you accept three types of Federal Direct or Sallie Mae (private lender loans) in year 1, and in year 2, you then accept four loans, then for year 3, you decline all loans, and finally decide to take four loans in year 5, you will have taken a TOTAL NUMBER OF 11 LOANS! Each loan will have it's own individual interest rate, and could possibly have different loan servicers to which you would send your repayments to.
Before you take out any loans, please go to
https://studentaid.ed.gov
and click the "How do I manage my loans" button to learn about loans, repayment, and the implications of taking on loan debt to help finance your college education!
Check out the FAFSA4caster at fafsa.gov. FAFSA4caster is a financial aid estimator that you can use before officially applying for financial aid. It will provide you with an estimate of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is an index that colleges use to determine what types of aid you may receive. Using your EFC, FAFSA4caster will then determine what types of federal grants, loans, and work study you may qualify for and will provide you with an estimated form amount for each.
*The FAFSA form contains a question and a small-sized link, that asks the student if they would like to be considered for New York State aid (if they are going to an in-state school). If the student indicates that they would like to be considered, an additional TAP application will be sent to the student automatically.
The CSS Profile Form:
*Some colleges also require the CSS Profile form (in addition to the FAFSA), which is available at
https://profileonline.collegeboard.com
Mostly private, selective colleges require the Profile- check the list on their website to find out if the schools you are applying to require this form.
*Some colleges (again, usually the private selective schools) require that their own financial aid form be filled out in addition to the FAFSA.
After you fill out the FAFSA form and mail it in/or fill it out on-line, you will receive a letter or an email from each school you applied to. This letter/email will show the “package” that each school is able to offer you.
Check to see if the scholarships have conditions such as…does the recipient need to maintain a certain GPA for renewal?…does the recipient need to be enrolled in a certain academic program?
Don’t let the sticker price of a school prevent you from applying. Many times, the private schools end up giving enough grants and scholarships to make the school economically feasible. This is not to say that you should not apply to less expensive schools; you should always have back-up schools because you can’t count on getting “free money”. Look for the “bottom line”- your “net cost”. Don’t be dazzled by the amount a particular college offers you- focus on how the awards affect the costs you will still have to pay. $40,000 in award money sounds great unless it’s all loans which you have to pay back.