Financial Aid
Seniors! Schedule your financial aid award review appointment!
Seniors: as you check your college emails and portals to view your financial aid awards, book an appointment with Ms. Kawamoto to help you understand and compare your awards. If you’ve been selected for verification, get support with the documents you must submit. Use the link below to schedule time before school, during lunch or advisory, or after school.
What You Need to Apply for Financial Aid
How To Create Your FSA ID Before October 1, 2020
Seniors! Start Preparing Your Information NOW! FAFSA Fall 2021 Opens Oct. 1st!
Students and Parents with a social security number create an FSA ID!
Driver's license, if you have one
Social Security Card or number, if you have one
Alien registration number, if you have one
Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) - yours or your parents'
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) number, if you have one
List of colleges you are interested in attending
Parents' 2019 Federal Income Tax Return form
Parents' 2019 W2s and other records of money earned
Student's 2019 Federal Income Tax Return form, if filed
Student's 2019 W2s and other records of money earned
Current bank statements, records of investments, and assets
Date of births for parents
Date of marriage, divorce, separation for parents
What is Financial Aid?
"Financial Aid is any grant or scholarship, loan, or paid employment offered to help a student meet his/her college expenses. Such aid is usually provided by various sources such as federal and state agencies, colleges, high schools, foundations, and corporations. The amount of financial aid that a student receives is determined through federal, state and institutional guidelines. Grants include aid the student receives that need not be repaid; loans must be repaid. Interest rates and repayment terms vary by program. Employment is aid based on an hourly rate for work performed."
The most common forms of financial aid are:
- Grants
- Scholarships
- Loans
- Work Study (employment programs)
"What is Financial Aid?" The New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association, Inc. 2014. NYSFAAA & ATAC Corporation. Web. 9 Oct 2014. http://www.nysfaaa.org/docs/student_family/what_is_finaid.html
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
This application is required to be eligible for financial aid and should be completed during the student's senior year. There are different deadlines, but the California deadline is MARCH 2nd.
It should be completed online using: FAFSA
The FAFSA will ask you questions about your family's finances and college plans. You should list all of the colleges to which you are applying, so that they will receive your information.
Cal Grant Verification
LAUSD automatically submits GPAs to the Student Aid Commission. Cal Grants are free money provided by the state of California and you can receive up to $9,700 for college or up to $3,000 for a technical program.
CSS Profile
The CSS Profile is a separate financial aid application that is required for many out-of-state and private universities. You can go to CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE to see which universities require the PROFILE and what the deadlines are.
Seniors
When you completed a financial aid application, you also applied for the Cal Grant. After you receive your SAR (student aid report), create your Web Grants account to manage your Cal Grant. You will need your SSN to create your account. Record your user name and password in a secure location. In spring, you will change your school of attendance to the school you will attend (currently your school of attendance in Web Grants is the first school you listed on your financial aid application).
Tax Return Transcript
Reminders for students who did not link FAFSA to IRS using Data Retrieval Tool:
Order a parent tax return transcript for verification purposes TODAY. Please also order a non-filer verification letter for yourself because you didn't submit taxes.
Order a Parent Tax Return Transcript From the IRS
If you are unable to order online, fill out Form 4506-T below. Samples are attached to the update in the Class of 2021 Schoology Group and in that group’s resources folder (Financial Aid Application) showing you how to complete. Email the form to [email protected] if you need help mailing in the form.