Financial Aid Information

Financial Aid is any form of funding that helps students and their families pay for college and vocational training. It provides opportunities and access to college and career programs, and helps cover the gap between family income and the price of post-secondary education.

Grants, Scholarships, Work-Study, and Student Loans are different types of Financial Aid. We will briefly review each type of financial assistance below.

• Grants: money that does not have to be repaid

• Scholarships: money that does not have to be repaid

• Work-Study: money that you work for

• Student Loans: money that you will need to pay back later

• Federal Grants

• Pell Grant (Max $7,395 a year)

• FSEOG Grant (Up to $4,000) Priority to Pell eligible students

• Work Study (Varies by school) On and off campus employment

• Fill out the FAFSA

• State Grants

• Cal Grant A ($6,084 (CSU) & $12,570 and up (UC), Income based, High School GPA 3.0)

• Cal Grant A $9,358 (Private Non-Profit)

• Cal Grant B ($1,648, Income based, High School GPA 2.0) up to 2 years

• Cal Grant C ($1,094, Income based, Vocational, Technical Programs)

• Fill out the FAFSA or CADAA (DREAM ACT) Note: There is not a special application for Cal Grants.

• Promise Grant ($46/unit), NOT Income based, 1st yr college student, Full Time Note: There IS a separate application. See below for the most popular two local colleges for PHS.

• Student Success Grant

• Money available to colleges in California only

TIP! Students can help families pay for college by getting good grades and

doing well in school.

• California Community Colleges offer up to 2 years of free tuition, book assistance
• First-time college student
• Must take a minimum of 12 units per semester, maintain a 2.0 GPA, must be a California resident
• No income requirement
• Signing the Palomar Promise Grant application is required in addition to the college application and FAFSA.
• It is a first-come, first-serve program and funds will run out!
• For more information, click here

Scholarships are available to students based on GPA, ethnic background, gender, athletic, artistic, or creative abilities. Be sure to check with each college for institutional and merit scholarships. Poway High School has the scholarship deadline log with local scholarship opportunities, and the list below include a few trusted scholarship websites (just to name a few):

• Fastweb.com

• Collegeboard.com

• Studentscholarships.org
  

• Sdfoundation.org

• GoingMerry.com

• Raise.me

Also, be sure to check out our PHS Financial Aid & Scholarship List on our school website for a complete listing of scholarship websites.

Remember, scholarships are free money that does not have to be repaid!

Scholarship Information for Undocumented Students: There is a lot of great information on ImmigrantsRising.org and Maldef.org. 10000degrees.org and Scholarships.com has many scholarship that do not require a social security number and are therefore open to undocumented students. Please make sure you connect with a Dreamer Resource Center at any local college or university.

Remember, work study is money you work for!

• Work study allow students to earn a paycheck to help pay for college expenses

• Federal program - FAFSA application

• Part-time job while enrolled in college

• Jobs are on-campus

• Flexible hours

• Accommodates class schedule changes

• Easy for travel

• Lots of different job opportunities

• When you apply for financial aid, you might be offered loans as part of your school’s financial aid offer.

• A loan is money you borrow and must pay back with interest.

• Student loans can come from the federal government, from private sources such as a bank or financial institution, or from other organizations. Federal student loans usually have more benefits than private loans.

• Reasons for Taking Out Federal Student Loans and Considerations When Taking Out Federal Student Loans is available here.

The FAFSA is called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application is FREE. If you are asked to pay for the FAFSA, then it's probably a SCAM.

The FAFSA application is sent to the colleges you are applying to. You will have an opportunity in the application to list up to 10 colleges. List your top colleges first. With this information, colleges will determine your financial need and email you a financial aid reward letter. A reward letter is mostly likely sent out in the spring.

Complete your FAFSA or DREAM ACT application! The application usually open October 1st. This year the application should open December 1st.

Cal Grant Priority funding deadline is March 2nd. Don't wait until the last minute! Apply at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

The Dream Act Application is an alternative application to the FAFSA for applicants without a social security number or DACA. The application is available October 1st. Apply at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/landing.

To begin the FAFSA, you will need to create an FSA ID.

An FSA ID is your electronic signature to sign the FAFSA. You will need one parent FSA ID and one student FSA ID. Once you create an FSA ID, you will always have it. Parents with older children in college can use their FSA ID again this year. Seniors will need to create a new one. Create an FSA ID now before starting the FAFSA application.

Please remember to do the following when creating your FSA ID:

• Write your name as it appears on your Social Security Card
• Make sure your birthday is correct
• Make sure your social security number is correct
• Write down your username and password and keep it in a safe place
• Write down your challenge question answers and keep them in a safe place

Tip! You may want to think about creating a separate email account for your college and financial aid information. Inboxes today are loaded SPAM and hard to manage.

If you plan to start college Fall 2025, then complete the 2025-2026 Aid Year: Report 2023 Income. If you plan to take class during the Summer 2025, then you will need to fill out the 2024-25 and 2025-26 applications.

Students can create a WebGrants 4 Students account after their FAFSA or CADAA application is submitted. Students can check the status of their GPA and manage or check the status of their state financial aid awards.

After a student’s FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application (CADAA) is processed, they will receive an email from CSAC letting them know it's time to create their WebGrants 4 Students account. WebGrants 4 Students (WG4S) will let students check the status of their state grants, and take necessary steps to secure their aid.

All students must ensure CSAC has their GPA on file by the March 2 deadline.

More info at https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/

• StudentAid.gov/completefafsa - answers to commonly asked questions
• Call for help with your application - 800-433-3243 (800-4FED-AID)
• YouTube.com/FederalStudentAid - lots of great videos explaining the process
• Twitter.com/FAFSA
• Facebook.com/FederalStudentAid

Website: powayhigh.powayusd.com
Location: 15500 Espola Road, Poway, CA, USA
Phone: (858)748-0245
Twitter: @counseling_phs