Scholarships & Financial Aid

This document was created to be a one-stop shop for all information related to scholarships & financial aid for CHS students and families.

Scholarships & grants are the most desirable form of financial aid - these are free money and don't have to be paid back by a student.

Loans are forms of financial aid that can be used to pay for higher education, but they do have to be paid back.

Typically, students can start applying for scholarships, grants & other forms of financial aid during their senior year of high school (along with college applications); however, some scholarships can be applied for earlier in their high school career.

We recommend that students create a profile on at least one of the websites below and use their resources to search for scholarships that they can apply for. Creating a profile on a scholarship search engine enables that program to search for scholarships that match a student so that they are eligible to apply. The websites listed below are FREE to use. Students in any grade level can create an account.

· Appily (formerly Cappex) – www.appily.com

· Fast Web – www.fastweb.com

· Student Scholarships – www.studentscholarships.org

· Scholarships.com– www.scholarships.com

· Going Merry – www.goingmerry.com

· Bold – www.bold.org

· Scholly – www.myscholly.com

• Be weary of scholarship programs that require an application fee.
• Apply for all scholarships, regardless of dollar amount. Small scholarships can add up to big amounts!
• Set aside time each week to apply for scholarships. The more scholarship applications you submit, the more success you will have!
• Scholarships may require you to submit essays, letters of recommendation, transcripts and other components as part of your application. Take the time to get organized and gather what you need. You may even be able to use the same components to apply for multiple scholarships.
• It's essential to focus on due dates and deadlines. You will be required to gather several pieces of information to submit, and it's important that you gather all information in time to meet your deadline.
• Be prepared to put in the work - it will be worth it in the end!

Students may also be eligible to receive scholarships from the specific college or university that they plan to attend. This scholarship money can be awarded as a part of the admissions process, where the student's application (including their transcript, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores) is what is used. Colleges or universities may also have specific application processes and requirements to apply for scholarships. It's important to review each college/university's process to find more information.

Calvert County Public Schools receives information on local scholarships to share with students. To view the latest list, visit https://bit.ly/ccpsscholarships.

This is a local scholarship (only for Calvert County seniors) program that allows students to apply to over 90 scholarships with a single application. The application typically opens each year in January and is due in March. This is a must-do for all seniors! For more information on CLSA, visit www.clsap.org.

• In 2019, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan introduced legislation that put scholarship programs in place for Maryland Community College students - this is the Maryland Promise Scholarship.
• This program is available to seniors who meet the following criteria:
• Have a minimum high school GPA of 2.3 (unweighted)
• Meet income eligibility requirements ($100,000 if the student lives in a single-parent household; $150,000 if the student lives in a two-parent household)
• Plan to enroll full-time at a Maryland community college (12 credit hours)
• Submit FAFSA by April 15; must include a Maryland community college as one of the colleges on FAFSA
• After a student submits their FAFSA, if they are eligible, they will receive communication via email from MHEC with instructions on how to apply for the MD Promise Scholarship through MDCAPS.
• For more information, visit www.csmd.edu/promise or Community College Promise Scholarship (maryland.gov)

• The CSM Scholarship Finder is just for students who are attending (or who plan to attend) CSM.
• CSM Scholarship Finder is a website that allows students to search for scholarships that are available to CSM students and complete the application process in one place.
• In order to use the CSM Scholarship Finder, students must be accepted to CSM and have completed their FAFSA (seniors only).
• For more information or to use the CSM Scholarship Finder, visit www.csmd.edu/scholarshipfinder.

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is a federal form that includes student and parent tax information. It is used by colleges/universities and state/federal programs to determine your eligibility for financial aid. There is no cost associated with completing the FAFSA.

When a student completes the FAFSA, they can send their FAFSA results to up to 10 colleges/universities. Students should be sure to send their FAFSA to all colleges/universities to which they are applying so that this information can be used by the institution to determine their eligibility for financial aid.

Only high school seniors should be completing the FAFSA. The Maryland state deadline to complete the FAFSA is March 1, but colleges/career schools may have earlier deadlines. It's important to verify requirements.

If you need help with this or have questions, please reach out to your school counselor or the financial aid office at your prospective college or career school.

Learn more about the updated FAFSA form and how to complete it by visiting https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support.

A FSA ID is required to access the FAFSA. A FSA ID is basically a username and password that each party must use when completing the FAFSA. Every person completing the FAFSA, including the student and each individual parent (if applicable) must have their own FSA ID; it is linked to your social security number.

It's important to keep your FSA ID safe; you will need to use it each year that you are enrolled in college/university to complete your FAFSA and keep your eligibility for financial aid.

For more information on how to create a FSA ID, visit Creating and Using the FSA ID (studentaid.gov)

After you submit your FAFSA, you will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary. It contains important information relevant to your FAFSA and federal aid eligibility and basically serves as a summary of your FAFSA. Be sure to review your FAFSA Submission Summary; you may be required to submit your FAFSA Submission Summary as part of a scholarship application. You can access your FAFSA Submission Summary by logging in with your FSA ID.

For more information on FAFSA Submission Summary, visit Learn About the FAFSA Submission Summary | Federal Student Aid.

The CSS Profile is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid. This is in addition to the FAFSA, and not every college requires the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile is completed by seniors and has varying deadlines. It's important to check with the colleges/universities you are applying to so that you can see if the CSS Profile is required and what the deadline to complete it is. There is a cost associated with completing the CSS Profile.

For more information about the CSS Profile, visit About CSS Profile – CSS Profile | College Board

If scholarships & grants aren't enough to cover your entire tuition bill (and this is very common - not very many students receive enough free money!), you will need to look into other ways to pay your tuition. Here are some common options:

• Pay Out of Pocket
• If you are lucky enough to have the money to fully cover the rest of your tuition, this may be the best option for you!
• Loans
• Students (and parents) can take out loans to cover the cost of their tuition. A loan will have to be paid back (with interest), so it's important to take time to fully understand the terms of your loan and what your payments will be, once your loan enters repayment. All loan programs have different terms, so it's essential to do your research.
• In general, there are two types of loan programs:
• Federal Loans
• These are through the federal government (Direct Loans), and these loans generally have the most favorable terms (lowest, fixed interest rates and repayment that begins after the student graduates college or stops attending).
• Eligibility for federal loans, including Stafford (unsubsidized and subsidized) and Parent PLUS loans, comes from the FAFSA.
• For more information about federal loans, visit Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans | Federal Student Aid
• Private Loans
• Students can also choose to take out private student loans (through a private bank or other lender) to cover tuition.
• These loans are typically credit-based, and students may require a cosigner, especially if they have a limited credit history.
• Interest rates and repayment terms vary on private loans.
• For more information about private loans, visit your local or preferred bank.
• Payment Plans
• Students may also have the ability to use payment plans with their specific college or university to break a large payment into smaller, more manageable payments.
• For more information, contact the financial aid office at your college or university.

Chesapeake College Plan is a great resource for our juniors and seniors and their families. Our representative, Michelle Kidwell, is available to meet with students and their families to help with all the aspects of the journey to college, like applications, scholarships, and financial aid. She can even sit with families as they complete the FAFSA.

Mrs. Kidwell is at CHS every Monday and Tuesday and is available to meet with students and families by appointment request. Students can make appointment online at https://bit.ly/chsccp or by reaching out to Mrs. Kidwell via email at collegeplan.mk@gmail.com.

Mrs. Kidwell is also available to meet with parents/guardians.

Financial aid offices at colleges and universities are staffed with professionals who can help with any questions that you may have about anything related to financial aid or paying for college. These professionals will be very familiar with financial aid programs that are available to students at their college and can advise you through the process.