Financial Aid

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

I probably don't qualify for aid. Should I apply anyway?
Yes! All students should apply for financial aid even if they think they probably won't be eligible. Not all types of financial aid are based on need.

When should I complete the FAFSA?
Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
[Cottey's priority deadline for completing the FAFSA is March 1.]

What happens after I file the FAFSA?
You'll get either a paper Student Aid Report (SAR) or an e-mail with a link to your SAR on the Web. If you listed Cottey's federal school code (002458), the financial aid office will receive an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) which will be used to determine your eligibility for aid. Once we have determined your eligibility for aid we will send a financial aid award letter to you.

What types of financial aid are available?
There are grants, scholarships, student employment, and student loans. A financial aid package may consist of a combination of all of these sources.

How do I apply for a P.E.O. scholarship?
When you are accepted for admission we will notify your state P.E.O. scholarship chair. She will contact you and advise you of the procedure to follow to be considered for a scholarship. Be sure to apply for admission before December of your senior year in high school. State P.E.O. scholarships have application deadlines ranging from January 15 - April 1.

If my family has special financial circumstances, what should I do?
You may appeal for reevaluation of your financial aid eligibility because of changes in your family's financial situation. Examples of special circumstances might include loss of employment, disability, loss of untaxed income, death of a parent, or unusually high medical expenses. Call the financial aid office and request a Special Condition form.

Links

Scholarships:

• Search over 600,000 scholarships worth $1 billion at FastWeb.com
• Search for scholarships at www.scholarships.com
• Search a database of 2.4 million scholarships at www.scholarshipexperts.com/
• Search for scholarships at The College Board http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
• Search for scholarships for Hispanic students at www.hsf.net
• Search for scholarships by geography, heritage, extracurricular activities, etc. at http://www.collegetoolkit.com/Scholarship/Main.aspx
• The largest and oldest private sector scholarship search at http://www.fastaid.com/
• Access to over 800,000 awards at http://www.scholarships101.com/
• Free search of over 32 billion in scholarships at http://www.schoolsoup.com/

Loans:

• Do Stafford Loan entrance counseling (when borrowing first loan at Cottey) at http://mappingyourfuture.org/oslc/counseling/SchoolPages.cfm?SchoolPageID=5446&SchoolID=3017
• Do Stafford Loan exit counseling (when graduating or leaving Cottey) at http://mappingyourfuture.org/sx
• Check out our suggested lender list at www.elmselect.com/oll/SchoolLenderList/?schoolId=8027 and apply for your Stafford/Plus/Alternative loan.

Federal Aid:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.ed.gov
• Look for information about federal financial aid at studentaid.ed.gov
• Apply for a PIN at http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

General Financial Aid Information:

• Check out The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid at http://www.finaid.org/
• Check out www.students.gov
• Educational and financial aid information at http://www.petersons.com/