Mayor Menino and Executive Director Bob Giannino-Racine

ACCESS Honors

Mayor Menino

At our annual Gala, ACCESS honored Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the City’s leading champion for access to higher education for Boston’s youth.

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Applying for Financial Aid

The Financial Aid Process
The main component of the financial aid process is filling out relevant financial aid forms. All students planning on attending higher education institutions should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Some institutions also require the CSS/Profile or institutional forms. The process begins in fall of senior year, when students begin to determine what schools they will apply to and check on financial aid deadlines and requirements. It comes to a close in the spring, when students receive their financial aid award letters, which set forth the amount of financial aid offered by each college, and consider their options.

 

 

Forms To Complete
FAFSA4caster prepares students to fill out the FAFSA and may be completed in junior or senior year of high school. The CSS/Profile, required by some colleges, may be filled out as soon as November. All students should fill out the FAFSA as soon after January 1st as possible. Read the specifics on each form below.


FAFSA4caster

  • What: A form that helps students gather information required for the FAFSA. When you are ready to apply for aid, you can easily transition from FAFSA4caster to FAFSA on the web. Much of the information that entered in the FAFSA4caster will be used for the online FAFSA application.
  • When: Junior year or fall of senior year
  • How: Online at www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov
  • Cost: Free


CSS/Profile

  • What: A form required by some private colleges to request financial aid from the college itself. You will need to have your tax information as well as your parents' tax information in order to complete this form, and other personal information may be required by the college.
  • When: As soon as November; complete the form by the earliest college financial aid deadline
  • How: Online at www.collegeboard.com
  • Cost: $25.00 for the first school that requires it and then $16.00 for each additional school; fee waivers are determined when you apply online-- only the College Board can grant fee waivers-- and up to six schools may be covered


FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):

  • What: The application for financial aid from the government. This form is required by all colleges. Like the CSS/Profile and SAT, you only have to complete one form and your information will be sent to the colleges you specify. You will need to have your own tax information as well as your parents' tax information to complete this form.
  • When: Immediately after January 1st.
  • How: Paper application or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov (complete online if possible); if you need any assistance completing the FAFSA, contact either ACCESS (617-778-7195) or FAFSA (1-800-4FEDAID)
  • Cost: Free -  you never should have to pay to complete this form. 


Getting The Financial Aid Award
After submitting the FAFSA, students will receive the Student Aid Report or SAR, a summary of the information on the FAFSA. Students must make corrections or update tax information, if necessary, and send the SAR back to the federal Department of Education. If the form was filled out online or an email address was provided on the paper application, the SAR will be sent via email and corrections may be made online. If there are no corrections to be made, no response is necessary--but be sure to keep the SAR for your records.

In a process called verification, colleges will randomly select students to submit copies of their tax and their parents' tax forms to verify the information given to them on the FAFSA. Students who have suspicious or inconsistent information may be selected for verification as well. Verification can happen before or after an award letter is given out and after this process award letters may be changed.

Some colleges will require institutional financial aid forms. Colleges will send applicants the forms to be completed and the forms are to be sent directly back to the colleges.

After colleges process the corrections made on the SAR, they will send the financial aid award letter. The award letter informs you of the amount of financial aid you will receive to attend the colleges where you have been accepted. Each college you are accepted to will send you its own award letter. When you receive it, carefully consider the financial aid you have been offered. Discuss your options by meeting with your in-school ACCESS advisor or by making an appointment with an advisor at the ACCESS downtown office.

A sample financial aid award letter can be viewed by clicking here.

 


Timeline for Seniors
The basic timeline for seniors applying for financial aid is as follows. ACCESS advisors can provide more information and assist with filling out the required forms.

September/October

  • Check and record admissions and financial aid deadlines
  • Determine if any of prospective colleges require the CSS/Profile
  • Research scholarships, record deadlines and requirements, and request applications
  • Fill out the FAFSA4caster to prepare for the FAFSA.


November/December

  • Register and complete CSS/Profile, if necessary
  • Attend ACCESS Financial Aid workshops and meet with your ACCESS advisor to plan out your year


January/February

  • Complete the FAFSA, which is required by all colleges
  • Complete tax returns


March/April

  • Review and make corrections to your Student Aid Report
  • Complete the Verification process, if you were selected.
  • Complete Institutional Forms, if required by the colleges.
  • Follow-up with financial aid offices to make sure they have all the documents needed to process your financial aid
  • Apply for the ACCESS Last Dollar Scholarship
  • Receive financial aid award letters. Do not a deposit for a particular college until you have received that college's financial aid award package. If possible, speak with an ACCESS advisor before making any deposits for college.


May/June

  • Don't miss the common reply date by which you must make tuition and room & board deposits; keep in mind that you can request to extend your reply and deposit dates.
  • Look for a summer job to help pay for your college textbooks and other course materials


July/August

  • Enjoy your last summer before college!


For an in-depth guide to all of the steps in the financial aid process, consult the ACCESS Financial Aid Companion by clicking here.