Northland International UniversityNorthland International University

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Step One: Planning Ahead

College is very expensive. There is no doubt about it. With each year becoming more expensive, students and parents must educate themselves on the best ways to plan ahead. Here are a few highlights taken from www.studentaid.ed.gov.

Academic Preparation

  • Advise students to take the right junior high and high school courses based on the type of school they wish to enroll in after high school.
  • Encourage them to maintain good grades throughout their high school experience.
  • Assist students in choosing the right school by researching the school’s curriculum, size, type of school, and affordability.
  • Encourage campus visits.
  • Help students obtain and complete admissions applications
  • Assist students with essays and preparing for admissions interviews

Home Schooling

The first important thing is to have your homeschooled child contact the admissions office at the college. The admissions office will be interested in the level and intensity of the course work your child has completed. Be sure to find out whether the college requires a transcript of completed courses. Sometimes, a college will request a list of books used and any completed course materials. Your child’s GPA will probably not matter as much as factors such as college entrance exam scores, personal essays, and interviews.

Many colleges find it useful to have a portfolio of the homeschooled student’s work. In addition to information such as grades and test scores, the portfolio might include writing samples, computer programming projects, awards, lists of books read, newspaper clippings about volunteer work, etc.

In addition, your child might want to consider enrolling at a local community college. Some homeschoolers find community college a good way to “try out” a college environment and to build a record of courses and grades beyond the home transcript.

Available Sources of Financial Aid

Pell Grants and scholarships are the first resource for all college students. Pell Grants currently offer students a maximum of $5,550 each year. This is based on student financial eligibility. Those with the greatest financial need will receive the maximum award. The Pell Grant is awarded to the student through an electronic transfer from the U.S. Department of Education to Northland each semester. It is then applied to the student’s account.

Another grant is the FSEOG (Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant). This grant is sponsored by the United States Department of Education. It currently offers Northland students a maximum of $1,000 per year. This is based on a student’s financial need. Those students receiving full Pell award will be eligible to receive the maximum FSEOG. These are limited funds. The FSEOG funds are disbursed the same as Pell Grants.

Federal Work Study (FWS) is also awarded based on a student’s financial need. This is an opportunity for a student to work on Northland's campus and receive the Wisconsin minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour. Once a student reaches their maximum award amount, they can continue to work, but will earn the Northland minimum wage, currently $5.80 per hour.

 

Qualifications

U.S. citizen – All Federal financial aid is based on U.S. citizenship, or a student must be an eligible non-citizen

Enrollment Status – A student must be at least half-time enrolled in an approved program of study to be eligible for federal aid. If a student is enrolled half-time, aid will be half of the maximum award amount. A full-time enrolled student will receive full award amounts if they represent a great financial need.

Financial Need – Students must demonstrate a financial need to receive any federal financial aid. Need will be determined using the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This formula developed by the U.S. Department of Education uses parents' and students' taxes and bank records to determine financial need. The formula contains many allowances for income protection such as social security allowance based on age, state cost of living percentages, and number of dependents claimed on taxes. The Department of Education recently launched the FAFSA4caster for parents and students to determine what aid would be available to them. Go to www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov to determine your eligibility.

Students must have a high school diploma, or its equivalent, to be eligible for any federal aid.

Students must have a valid social security number.

Male students must have registered for Selective Service.

Each student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. If a student fails to achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress they will be placed on probation. During probation a student may still receive their financial aid for the current year. If a student fails to improve their GPA, they will be placed on Academic Suspension, and they will not be eligible for federal financial aid until their grades improve. Please see Northland's Undergraduate Catalog for a detailed explanation of the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.

What can I do ahead of time to prepare?

Pay off debt. With college expenses on the rise, more and more students are applying for loans. Get rid of credit card debt by paying it off. The EFC (Expected Family Contribution) calculation is based on a family’s resources to contribute towards the student’s education. By using current resources to pay off debt, this decreases the available money to pay for college. The EFC does not take into account family debt for credit cards, car payments, mortgages, etc.

Invest in educational IRAs. Again, the U.S. Department of Education provides many resources at www.studentaid.ed.gov. Research the many educational savings programs.   One example is the Coverdell Education Savings Account.

Research and apply for all scholarships available. One of the best resources for scholarship information is found at www.finaid.org 

 

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