Financial Aid Resources for Students Presented by Janet McLaughlin, University of Pittsburgh

1. Financial Aid Resources for Students Presented by Janet McLaughlin, University of Pittsburgh Wendy Dunlap, PHEAA

2. Financial Aid Resources for Students Where are your students going?

3. Who Are We Directing? • Secondary students • Post-secondary students • Graduates/Borrowers • Parents

4. How Did I Get Here? • Just because it’s on the web doesn’t make it real! • Searching for items may be costly, take you to sites you aren’t looking for, or misdirect your search.

5. Internet Searches • Searching for “FAFSA” – which one is correct? • Search engine for “PLUS Loan - a big list of alt loans? • “How to apply for Financial Aid?” I found some consultants, companies, etc. • Why does this happen?

6. FAFSA • www.fafsa.com • www.fafsa.ed.gov • www.fafsa.eduationconnections.com • www.fafsaonline.com • www.studentlaonnetwork.com

7. PLUS • www.studentaid.ed.gov • www.parentplus.com • www.studentloannetwork.com • www.studentfinancedomain.com • www.student.loans.ed.gov

8. Stuff it, and Get First Place! • Search engines earn their money through advertising, therefore companies that wish to advertise “stuff their jargon.” • When you search a site, it picks up key words – be specific in your searches

9. Dirty Little Secrets….. • How do the search engines work? • Algorithms are built for placement of words, etc. in the search engines • Advertising dollars drive the positioning

10. Dirty Little Secrets….. • General rules of the algorithm • Location, location, location! • Frequency of key words • Positioning of keywords • Actual programming is a generally a well guarded trade secret

11. A Little Like Big-Brother • Consider this, when on Facebook, if you click you “like” Skittles, now look at they types of ads you see on your page….do you now see a lot of candy ads? Coincidence?? • It’s not really spying, as it is driving advertising your way • Some companies will “reverse engineer” or rewrite the webpage in hopes it will gain better placement in search engines

12. Rankings • Look at big three – Google, Yahoo, MSN - different ways to rank sites • Popularity contest • Actual content • Quality of information • They also monitor sites to avoid spam

13. Be Specific in Your Search • “Financial Aid Horror Stories” • Consultant websites • Blogs about certain schools • Specific student experience

14. Common Scams • Scholarships that cost – is it still free? • Scholarship prizes – some will ask for personal identification • Listen to me pitch it – seminars that are actually sales for other products • Application Fees • Everyone is eligible • Using your school logo…pretty tricky!

15. Sources of Information Twitter FB Web Sites Blogs Pinterest

16. Apps for your Smart Phone Scholarship Explorer (Student Loan Finance Corporation) College Bound (College Financial Aid Advisors)

17. Twitter • @mkant • Follow Mark KantrowitzPublisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.org

18. Pinterest

19. Pinterest

20. Blogs – US News

21. Blogs – NY Times

22. The Choice

23. Facebook • Even PHEAA is on FB

24. Scholarship Search Engines

25. College Prowler

27. EducationPlanner.org

28. Financial Literacy • Youcandealwithit.com • Mymoney.gov • www.fdic.gov • http://www.360financialliteracy.org/Life-Stages/College-Students • www.jumpstart.org/ • www.moneysbestfriend.com

29. PA Dept of Banking

30. Salary Calculators • www.salary.com • www.onetonline.org • www.salaryexpert.com

31. Search for jobs in a location by salary range

32. Should I go to Grad School • http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/managing/college/gradschool.html?si=1

33. Why Not Promote Your Own Site? • Attach the sites you are comfortable promoting • Warn families to use caution/ be a consumer • Help your families to avoid identity theft

34. College/University Site • Direct your students to your site for the specifics • Build in links so that the student can have a one-stop shop opposed to stumbling upon less than desirable sites

35. College / University Resources • Checklists for each type of student • Target your audience • New • Continuing • Transfer • Graduate

36. College / University Resources • Specific Deadlines • Institutional Applications • FAFSA/Profile • Specific forms can be downloaded • The concept may be the same but the process can differ from school to school

37. College / University Resources • Orientations / Freshman days recorded for future viewing • Keeping it updated can be tough for some schools • If you have handouts at programs, post them

38. College / University Resources • List the criteria / eligibility • List your tuition costs • Explain items students generally don’t understand like • Verification • SAP • Over awards • Special Conditions • Summer financial aid

39. What Do You Want to Promote? • How do you effectively promote the useful sites? • Do you promote or include other offices that overlap with yours? Billing, Registrar, Student Appeals? • Is your site cohesive with other offices?

40. What Do you Specifically Target? • Your specific site • www.pin.ed.gov • www.fafsa.ed.gov • www.irs.gov • www.studentloans.gov • www.nslds.ed.gov

41. Account Access - PHEAA • What can a student do with State Grant in Account Access? • Update School • Update e-mail address • Complete a Summer State Grant Application • View award notifications • Fix an Incomplete record/State Grant Form completion • View reject information

42. NSLDS • www.nslds.ed.gov • Book mark it! • Monitor it! • Use it! • Some schools are using this site as a default reduction tool

43. Consolidation • Department of Education • FinAid.org • Internet searches will yield an array of companies who specialize in just consolidation

44. IRS • IRS – Educational Tax Credits • Tax Transcripts • Return/Account

45. PHEAA Financial Aid Night • pheaa.org • EducationPlanner.org • Youcandealwithit.com • Myfedloan.org • www.fafsa.gov • www.studentaid.gov – general financial aid info • www.studentloans.gov – information on federal loans • www.americorps.gov