• Identifying how you will finance your education after high school is one of the most common concerns for students and families. Costs are associated with every type of postsecondary education, whether you are pursuing technical/trade school or college. Here is some insight on how you can start planning to fund your future right now!  

    Understanding Financial Aid 

    Technical schools, trade schools, and colleges all offer financial aid opportunities to help offset the cost of education. Understanding the types of financial aid available is of the utmost importance so that you have the information you need to make the best decision for both you and your family. 

    If you're applying to 4-year colleges, you do want to make sure you apply by the financial aid priority deadline to be considered for school-specific financial aid. For many 4-year colleges, this can be as early as November 1st of your senior year. 

    Types of financial aid

    Considering a 2- or 4-year college? Here are questions to ask financial aid counselors when you meet with the schools.     

    Colleges will send you a financial aid award letter after you've been admitted. Bring this to your College & Career Counselor to explore what that means for how much you'll be expected to pay for college. 

    Finding Scholarships    

    Scholarships range in amounts and can be found through many sources. Students can start applying to scholarships at any time!

    Freshmen: Use scholarship search engines like... 

    Sophomores: Use resources listed for freshmen, and...     

    Juniors: Use resources listed for freshmen and sophomores, and...   

    • Xello - Click on Xello on your ClassLink. Click the College Planning link, then click Search local scholarships to view opportunities to earn money for school!

    Seniors: Use resources listed for freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and...  

    Additional Scholarships

    RaiseMe Micro-Scholarships

    RaiseMe is a free platform that offers college planning and scholarship resources to both high school students and academic advisors.

    For scholarships & details: https://www.raise.me/how-it-works
    Earn micro-scholarships as early as 9th grade and discover your path to the best college for you.

    Florida Realtors Education Foundation Scholarships

    College Scholarships Offered by Florida Realtors Education Foundation
    Here to help deserving Florida students offset the costs of college or graduate school.
    https://www.floridarealtors.org/about/scholarships

    Scholarships for Undergraduate STEM Majors

    Undergraduate means that you are pursuing an associates (two-year) degree or a bachelor's degree (4-year) degree.
    Check out this website for a STEM Scholarships for Undergraduates:
    https://thescholarshipsystem.com/blog-for-students-families/34-stem-scholarships-to-apply-for-now/

    Financial Aid for Hispanic Students

    Check out this website for a short list of scholarships for Latino, first-generation, migrant, and undocumented students:
    https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/financial-aid-scholarships-for-hispanic-students/

    Valencia College Scholarship Bulletin Board

    For a review of Valencia College's programs & scholarships, check out their websites: https://valenciacollege.edu/finaid/programs/scholarships.php

    Scholarships for Immigrants & Refugees 

    Scholarships for immigrants and refugees in the USA: Scholarships for Immigrants and Refugees | USAHello  

    Scholarships for Undocumented Students  

    TheDream.US scholarships are for highly motivated undocumented students who want nothing more than to get a college education but are unable to afford the cost. They have no access to federal aid, limited access to state aid, and they sometimes face paying out-of-state tuition.

    FAFSA

    FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA opens each year on October 1st and tells students and their families how much federal financial aid a student is eligible for based on family income alone. The FAFSA cannot be completed until October 1st of senior year. It is the one thing in your college-readiness journey that you cannot get an early jump on.  

    Most trade schools, technical schools, and colleges will require a FAFSA on file before awarding any additional financial aid, and schools do have financial aid priority deadlines. Because of this, students are strongly encouraged to complete the FAFSA in October of their senior year, even if they are not sure of their postsecondary plans. Completing FAFSA early (between October and December of senior year) can help increase your chance of receiving financial aid from your future institution. 

    There is no penalty for filing the FAFSA and choosing not to pursue secondary education or training. A completed FAFSA can only help. 

    Even if you know you are not eligible for federal funding, it is still advantageous to fill out the FAFSA. Schools could decide to offer you more aid if they see you completed FAFSA and were not deemed eligible for any need-based aid. 

    Video Resources:

    Step 1: Create Your FSA ID 

    A parent/guardian and student both need to create an FSA ID in order to complete the FAFSA. This can be completed at any time. (Parents/guardians - if you've made one for yourself or older sibling previously, do not request a second FSA ID.) Click here for information on creating the FSA ID (Spanish). Be sure you save this in a safe place, as you will use this information to complete FAFSA each year you are enrolled in a technical school, trade school, or college.

    The FSA can take up to 3 days to be processed. So, plan ahead!  

    Step 2: Complete the FAFSA 

    • Seniors planning to start trade school or college in the summer of 2023 will need to complete both the 22-23 FAFSA and the 23-24 FAFSA 
    • Seniors planning to start trade school or college in the fall of 2023 will need to complete the 23-24 FAFSA 

    Click here for a complete list of the materials you will need to complete FAFSA during school with a FAFSA expert. Click here to learn more about filing the FAFSA.   

    Trained FAFSA experts will be in the College & Career Center (276) from 9:30 am through 12:30 pm on the following dates to help you complete your FAFSA. Schedule an appointment on the FAFSA clipboard in the College & Career Center. Parents/guardians are not required to attend the appointment, but are welcome to. Students need to bring both FSA IDs and all tax information from the list to be able to complete the FAFSA during their appointment. 

    Past dates: 
    October 4 - cancelled due to hurricane recovery 
    October 11 
    October: 18 
    Octobrer 25   
    November 1st 
    November 8th 
    November: 15, 29            
    December: 6, 13      
    January: 10, 17, 24, 31  
    February: 7, 14, 21  
    February: 28
    March: 7, 14, 21, 28  
    April: 4, 11, 18, 25
    May: 2, 9, 16  

    Students are asked to forward their FAFSA confirmation email to their College & Career Counselor. (The email subject line reads We Received Your FAFSA Form. Take Steps to Prepare to Pay for School.)