Financial Aid and Scholarship Opportunities

Financial Aid is money for educational expenses for college or career school, and is a critical piece of the college application process. 

 

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

Every student applying for college should plan on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. By completing this application, colleges are able to provide you aid in order to make college affordable.  For students graduating in June 2024, the FAFSA will open December 2023. We encourage families to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible to ensure you are meeting the priority deadlines of your schools, allowing you access to as many grants and scholarships as possible.
 

New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP):

The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State. An annual TAP award can be up to $5,665. Because TAP is a grant, it does not have to be paid back. Any student applying to colleges in New York should also apply for TAP.  More information on eligibility and award amounts can be found at the site linked above.

Types of Aid:

  • Scholarships – Free money that students qualify for based on either need or merit, or a combination of the two. While they are typically based on academic merit, there are scholarships available based on interests, hobbies, religion, ethnicity, etc.  All scholarships that the counseling department is aware of will be posted in the scholarship list in Naviance.

  • Grants – Often referred to as “gift aid,” grants do not have to be repaid.

  • Loans – All loans taken out must be repaid with interest.

  • Work Study – Money earned by a student at their work study job, often on campus, helps the student pay their educational expenses. This money does not have to be repaid.

Scholarships:

We highly encourage any student who plans on attending college to apply for as many scholarships as possible.

The counseling office complies a list of local scholarship applications we receive. In addition, scholarships can be found by searching the following:

The counseling department compiles a list of scholarship applications we receive.