Georgia Student Finance Commission

1. Georgia Student Finance Commission

2. Who Are You?

3. What Do You Want To Be?

4. How Are You Going To Get There?

5. Creating an Account

6. Creating an Account

8. Your Portfolio – Get Started Here!

9. Your Profile

10. Career Planning

11. High School Planning

12. High School Planning Timeline

13. College Planning

14. School Profile

15. SAT Prep

16. Financial Aid Planning

17. Scholarships 4 Types of Scholarships & Examples: • Academic ability – Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship • Artistic ability – music scholarship • Athletic ability – football scholarship • Affiliation with groups - Rotary Club Scholarship

18. Search For Scholarships

19. Stafford Loan Limits 2009 – 2010 Academic Year

25. Georgia HOPE Scholarship Program Largest Non-Need Based Program in the Nation Students must meet: • Academic Requirement of a 3.0 GPA in core classes for College Prep or 3.2 for Technical Career Prep • Citizenship • Residency • Enroll in a HOPE eligible school in Georgia

26. HOPE Scholarship Award Amounts At a Georgia public college, university or technical college: • Award will cover tuition, HOPE-approved mandatory fees, and a book allowance At a Georgia private college: • Award will be $3,500 per academic year for full-time study

27. Maintaining the HOPE Scholarship • HOPE Eligibility Checkpoints • 30 attempted semester hours • 60 attempted semester hours • 90 attempted semester hours • And at the end of every Spring Semester • Students have a maximum of 127 attempted semester hours (190 quarter hours) to be awarded HOPE Scholarship Funds.

30. HOPE Grant Program • For students enrolling in a certificate or a diploma program • Does not consider grade point average • Covers tuition, HOPE approved mandatory fees, and a book allowance of up to $100 per quarter or $150 per semester • Covers up to 63 semester hours or 95 quarter hours

31. How To View Hope GPA On GAcollege411 1. Go to Shortcutsand click on Your HOPE GPA 2. Log in or create a GAcollege411 Account, be sure to include your social security number 3. Enter your last name, date of birth, and social security number 4. Select the first letter of your high school 5. Select high school name • You will be able to view any information we have available on your high school HOPE GPA. • Your information will only be available once your high school has reported your transcript data and verified your GPA calculation.

32. Financial Aid 101

33. How Much Does College Cost? Costs to Consider • Tuition and mandatory fees • Room and board • Books and supplies • Transportation • Personal expenses (clothing, laundry, entertainment, medicine and healthcare, cell phone)

34. What is Financial Aid? Sources of Financial Aid • Federal government • State government • Colleges and universities • Community groups (religious organizations, civic organizations, corporations, professional organizations, etc.)

35. Types of Financial Aid • Merit Based Scholarship • Need Based Grant • Student or Parent Loans • Service Cancelable Loans for Critical Field Service • Employment Opportunities, Work Study • Military Aid and Grants • Savings Plans

36. Financial Aid Based on Need Federal Pell Grant Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grant (LEAP) Academic Competiveness Grant (ACG) National Science and Math Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant Perkins Loan

37. Other Scholarship & Grant Programs Administered by GSFC • Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant Program • HERO Scholarship • Program • Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents Grant • Public Safety Memorial Grant • North Georgia College ROTC Grant • HOPE GED Voucher

38. Stafford Loan Program • Subsidized Stafford Loans – interest is paid by the government while enrolled (at least half-time) • Unsubsidized Stafford Loans – student is responsible for paying the interest on the loan • Repayment begins 6 months after graduation or ceasing to be enrolled half-time

39. Federal Loan Programs • Subsidized Stafford Loans for students – Current Interest Rate is 5.6% • Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for students – Current Interest Rate is 6.8% • PLUS Loan for parents – Current Interest Rate is 8.5% We estimate that the actual average student loan debt level for the class of 2007 is nearly $21,900: $19,400 for borrowers at public universities and nearly $25,700 for borrowers at private colleges.

40. How Do I Apply? Apply electronically at: • www.GAcollege411.org • or www.fafsa.ed.gov • Apply for your PIN online at: pin.ed.gov • Check with the college Financial Aid Office for other applications that may need to be completed

41. How Do I Apply?

42. What Does the FAFSA Require? To complete the FAFSA, you will need: • Completed Tax Returns • Information on untaxed income, such as child support • Household Information To Receive a Paper FAFSA: • Call 1-800-4-FED-AID • Download the paper application at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov

43. What Does the FAFSA Do? • The FAFSA will determine the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). • The EFC estimates the family’s ability to contribute toward educational costs. • The EFC formula includes financial information collected on the FAFSA, family size and number of dependents.

44. What Does the FAFSA Do? College Cost of Attendance (Determined by the School) Minus the Expected Family Contribution Equals the Amount of Need Based Aid Student May Qualify For

45. Need Additional Information? • Visit www.GAcollege411.org • Review GSFC’s “Financial Aid In Georgia”

46. Contact Us • Call GSFC at 1-800-505-4732 • www.GAcollege411.org • Email clientservices@gsfc.org

47. Questions? Thank you!