Financial Aid
All seniors and families should complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC) applications as soon as possible during the student senior year. If you haven't gone to the FAFSA website to request a pin number; which will allow you to electronically sign the FAFSA, you should do that today. Go to www.pin.ed.gov the student and one parent must have pin numbers in order to submit the FAFSA.
The number one reason students do not get financial aid: They Didn't File!
The most common reasons given for not filing:
"I won't qualify for financial aid because_____". Fill in the blank with "My parents make too much money.", "My grades aren't good enough." or "I want to go to a vocational or trade school not a 4-year university."
- "I can't afford to go to college."
- "I can't afford to send my son/daughter to college."
Scholarships and grants are awarded to all kinds of students for all kinds of reasons, by both traditional and vocational schools. Aid is awarded for: good grades, athletics, being the 1st in the family to go to college, majoring in a field that needs more students, membership in a special society/organization/nationality, etc. You'll never know if you qualify for any of this "free" money unless you submit an application. The schools will never know you need money if you don't ask for it!
Money is awarded on a first come, first served basis so you apply now!
What is OSAC and why should I complete an application?
OSAC stands for "Oregon Student Assistance Commission”. It is a partnership of private funds and public administration that is unique in the U.S.
OSAC
- Administers or helps administer more than 320 privately funded scholarships.
- Has well-established relationships with financial aid administrators and business offices in all Oregon post secondary institutions and in many other schools throughout the nation.
- Provides federal need analysis data for all Oregon resident applications received and processed - at no cost
- Has a streamlined, application (paper and online) that allows students to apply for scholarships in up to 20 programs
- Publicizes awards, processes applications, selects recipients, and makes disbursements from funds provided by sponsors
- Provides technical assistance in ranking applicants according to financial need and academic potential;
- Manages funds, disbursements, and selection of recipients.
- Partners with the Ford Family Foundation of Roseburg, Oregon. Founded by Kenneth & Hallie Ford the Ford Foundation comprises five scholarship programs that reflect the Foundation's mission "to help individuals, through organized learning opportunities, to be contributing and successful citizens."
- Partners with the Oregon Community Foundation - established in 1973; which currently administers 900 charitable funds totaling more than $380 million. (OCF and OSAC are partners in administering 150 scholarships for the benefit of Oregon students.)
The number of scholarships increasing steadily
- More 320 programs in 2004-05
- For 2003-05 biennium: 65 new programs added totaling more than $20 million
- For 2005-07 biennium: anticipate scholarships totaling $22.5 million
To learn more about the Scholarships Services programs go to: www.getcollegefunds.org
Checklist for OSAC Scholarship Success
· Note the Early Bird and Final deadlines for submitting OSAC application and where to send updates to address and school choice if needed.
· Review the 2009-10 Oregon Scholarship eApp Workbook or the OSAC Scholarship Catalog of programs:
Section One — Scholarships for graduates of Oregon high schools, regardless of the year of graduation.
Section Two — Scholarships listed by academic interest, career choice, and for specific groups (foster youth, student parents, part-time, GED and home-schooled students, etc.)
Section Three — Scholarships sponsored by employers or membership organizations
Section Four — List of scholarships by donor or honor name.
· List the scholarships to follow-up on that had more requirements online.
· Complete the worksheet before entering information in eApp.
· Complete the electronic application (eApp) online. (A paper application can be ordered by calling OSAC at 800-452-8807.)
· Complete the required Activities Chart as part. See instructions in the Scholarship Workbook, page 36, item #14, or online.
· Complete 150-word essay answers to the four required short essay questions
· Submit transcript: by scanning and uploading to eApp (preferred), or by having school transmit directly to OSAC. (See transcript transmittal and scanning options)
· Paper applicants only: Attach any additional documents required by specific scholarships, sign, date and assemble application packet, blacken the first five digits of your Social Security Number on all packet documents (except for the application form), print or save a copy of complete application packet
· Submit eApp and required documents online or mail/deliver paper application packet in advance to ensure it arrives at OSAC by the FINAL deadline or mail/deliver by Monday, February 16, 2009, to be entered in the Early Bird review and drawing for a $500 scholarship. March 2, 2009
The three main reasons OSAC applications are rejected:
- Missing or incomplete transcripts
- Missing signature on the paper application
- Late application packet
Your eApp or paper application and required documents must arrive at OSAC by the appropriate deadline:
Monday, February 16: EARLY BIRD Review
Monday, March 2: FINAL Deadline. No Exceptions
- eApp users submit ALL documents online
- Paper applicants can deliver or mail (postmarks are no longer considered):
Oregon Student Assistance Commission
1500 Valley River Drive, Suite 100
Eugene, OR 97401-2148
Scholarships
A scholarship is a grant of financial aid awarded to a student for the purpose of attending an institution of higher education.
Students are encouraged to apply for as many scholarships as they qualify for. The majority of scholarships must be applied for during their senior year of high school. Deadline dates vary, starting in August and running until late June.
Scholarships can be broken into six main categories local, state, national, international, minority and college.
Local scholarships are available to students in Newberg, Yamhill County or the surrounding metro area. The majority of these scholarship applications become available in February with deadlines in April and May. Each year the Newberg High graduating class receives a million dollars or more just from the local scholarships. Locals can be found by visiting the NHS website, CIS, or by obtaining a list from your counselor or the career center.
State scholarships are open for all high school graduates in the state of Oregon. Students must simply meet the qualifying criteria. Application deadlines vary. These can be found through the NHS website, or CIS.
National scholarships have the largest applicant pool since these scholarships are available to graduating students across the nation. These scholarships also have qualifying criteria and the largest range of due dates.
College-specific scholarships are available only to those enrolling in that specific institution. Each college will have these scholarships available. The very best way to find these is by looking at the financial aide website for the schools in which you are applying.
Resources
These links may be helpful in your scholarship search:
Oregon Financial Aid Site
This is the official site for Oregon financial aid, helping students since 1959.
Get College Funds
On this site, sponsored by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, you'll learn how to plan for college, pay for college, and manage your debt. To learn more about OSAC programs, check out the links on the left.
College Is Possible (CIP) is the American Council on Education's K–16 youth development program that motivates middle and high school students from underserved communities to seek a college education.
Scholarships.com
Helping students of all ages find free money for college since 1998. Our college scholarship database is updated constantly, offering the most relevant and accurate college scholarship search results.
FastWeb
It is the largest and most inclusive source of scholarships available. Complete with a data base that offers a personalized matching of scholarships to fit your unique profile.
FAFSA
Be sure to also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) . This program qualifies students for work-study, federal grants, and government student loans.
Scholarship-Monkey
An easy comprehensive way to look up scholarships complete with a talking monkey!
E-Notes
A simple to the point list of Oregon based scholarships with no loops to jump through. Click on the scholarship and you have your information.
FinAid
Known as the smart student guide to financial aid, FinAid which is in association with FastWeb, will help you be more successful and more organized with your scholarship applications.
Scholarship Help
The goal of scholarshiphelp.org is to educate students about scholarship access and the necessary requirements for achieving maximum financial aid. In addition, they provide their information free of charge to help students.
Financial Aid Tips
This site offers the student helpful tips, guidance, and descriptions for everything you will encounter on your path to college.
International Student Loan Center
Each year over 200,000 Americans study abroad and nearly 600,000 international students come to the USA to study. However, studying abroad often requires financial assistance for extra expenses such as travel, accommodations and materials, which can make it a greater financial commitment. InternationalStudentLoan.com is here to help, by offering a range of international student loans and study abroad loans to international students and Canadian students in the USA and for US Students studying around the world.
International Scholarships
The International Scholarship Search is the premier financial aid, college scholarship and international scholarship resource for students wishing to study abroad.
