Financial Aid

What is Financial Aid?

Types of Financial Aid

  1. gift aid (grants and scholarships)

    • grants come from the federal government or Massachusetts government. You must complete FAFSA to get these.

    • some grants also come from the college. You must complete FAFSA and CSS Profile (depends on the college)

  2. loans (money you borrow and must pay back + interest when you leave college)

    • the best loans are from the federal government - Federal Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized

  3. work study (this is money the government gives to colleges to make jobs on campus. You can work 10-20 hours per week. Use this money to help pay for books, supplies, or pay off your subsidized loan interest.)

    • work study is not guaranteed. You must complete FAFSA. You must apply for these jobs are your college. Work study money does NOT come off your bill. It is how much money you could earn in one year.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

1. Complete FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

2. Complete CSS Profile (Collegeboard.org) for some private colleges

How to Complete FAFSA

1. Make an appointment with Mr. Murphy in A-7

Get the documents you need. See the list here:

2. Make an FSA ID (this is how you log into and electronically sign your FAFSA): FSAID.ED.GOV

  • use your personal email address

  • you definitely want to verify your phone number and p

3. Make an FSA ID for a parent (if you have a brother or sister in college now or who went to college, your parent might already have made one)

4. Go to FAFSA.ED.GOV. Log in as the student. Start the 2023-2024 FAFSA

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