New Students
This is the most important year for financial aid applications for your student. Although schools will update their financial aid awards each year based upon changes in the family's income and assets, the first year generally sets the stage for future year awards. This is why it is so very important that your paperwork be filed correctly and on time.
Complete financial aid applications can consist of several different forms. Every school will require a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which cannot be filed before January 1, 2012. Some schools (generally private colleges) will also ask you to complete an Institutional Aid Form which range from a one-page form to a six page booklet. The elite private schools may also require the filing of a CSS/PROFILE. (You can view a list of schools participating on the PROFILE program.) The PROFILE is a very detailed financial aid application that asks questions about your income over a three year period and may include questions related to your retirement account balances, the cars you own and detailed information about any businesses you own. Every form except the PROFILE can be filed for free - the College Board, which administers the PROFILE, charges a $16 registration fee and a $9 fee for every college where you wish to send your application. Some schools require a PROFILE prior to the end of this year, so it is important you check the deadlines for your school or contact us for more information.
To make the process as easy as possible, we've created some helpful forms that collect most of the information we'll need to complete your financial aid applications. Please click on the links at the right to access the forms, which can be completed using Adobe Acrobat. You can even submit your data electronically. If you like you can set up an appointment to complete your paperwork with one of our staff members at our Hershey Office. If you select this option, you won't need to complete these data sheets - we'll just have you bring along recent wage and account statements and we'll take care of the rest. You should expect the meeting to take about 90 minutes.
Prior to submitting any financial aid application we require the student and parent(s)'s signed authorization. These authorization forms are available by clicking the link at the right-hand side of the screen. These forms should be included with your datasheets (if you're mailing them in) or brought with you to your appointment if you wish to complete the paperwork in person.