California College Guide : Guide to Financial Aid

You don’t have to be from a low-income family to qualify for student aid, but for most forms of aid you must have “financial need.” The “need” is the difference between the cost of attending a particular college and what you and your family are expected to contribute.

For the most current information on applying for aid, talk to the financial aid officer at the school you are thinking of attending. Other sources are the “Financial Aid for Students” workbook by the California Student Aid Commission, available in public libraries, and your high school counselor.

A cautionary note: Because of state budgetary delays, some information cited below may change in the 1993-94 school year. Also, officials expect the top ranges of federal aid cited below to be somewhat higher by this July, thanks to new legislation.

Listed below are some major sources of financial aid:

AID PROGRAMS

Federal: Government programs include Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Stafford loans, Perkins loans, Parent PLUS loans (available to parents of graduate as well as undergraduate students) and Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS), as well as college work-study programs. Money available to undergraduates can vary from $200 to $4,000 per year, depending on the program. Graduate students may be loaned up to $7,500 per year via Stafford loans and as much as $11,500 annually through supplemental loans for students.

California: State government offers several aid programs through the Student Aid Commission in Sacramento. These include Cal Grants for undergraduates, the work-study program, special aid for students pursuing teaching careers and other scholarship and student loans.

The Cal Grants apply to both academic and trade schools. They cover costs such as tuition and fees, an education-related living allowance and training supplies for vocational or trade school students. Applications for Cal Grants must be filed between Jan. 1 and March 2. Details on the forms to file may be obtained in November from a school counselor, financial aid official or library. Results are announced in May or June.

The average Cal Grant award proposed in Gov. Pete Wilson’s final 1992-93 budget was: $2,360 for Cal Grant A (for low- and middle-income students with tuition/fee costs); $1,713 for Cal Grant B (living allowance and sometimes tuition and fee help for very-low-income students); and $980 for Cal Grant C (vocational school tuition and training costs).

Campus-based: Schools provide aid in the form of scholarships, grants, employment and loans.

Community-based or private: Scholarships are offered through community organizations, foundations and business and service organizations, such as the local Rotary club or sometimes a parent’s place of employment.

Outside aid: These programs include military aid, veterans benefits, vocational rehabilitation assistance and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).

HELPFUL PHONE NUMBERS

Federal Student Financial Aid Information Center: (800) 433-3243

* Information provided includes where to find federal financial aid as well as loans and scholarships geared for specific professions. Also available free by mail is the center’s pamphlet, “The Student Guide.”

Federal Application Information Center: (301) 722-9200

* This Maryland agency will do a free status check on a federal Pell Grant application. Processing an application takes from four to six weeks. Student Aid Commission Central Inquiry Unit (California Financial Aid): (916) 445-0880

* The center answers questions about Cal Grants, student loans and other state financial aid. “Financial Aid for Students” workbook, available from your school counselor, can be mailed.

HELPFUL BOOKS

The College Cost Book 1993. The College Board, $15

Barron’s Complete College Financing Guide. Marguerite Dennis, $12.95 in paperback.

Winning Money for College: The High School Student’s Guide to Scholarship Contests. By Alan Deutschman, Peterson’s Guides, $8.95 in paperback.

Financial Aids for Higher Education: A Catalog for Undergraduates. William C. Brown, $45.

Peterson’s College Money Handbook 1992. Peterson’s Guides, $19.95 in paperback.

Directory of Financial Aids for Minorities. Gail Ann Schlacter and Sandra E. Goldstein, Reference Service Press, $45.

Directory of Financial Aids for Women. Gail Ann Schlacter, Reference Service Press, $45.

SOURCES: California Student Aid Commission, Sacramento; Books in Print, 1991-92.