Paying For College

Check Out College Cost Google Slide Here

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH TOOLS

All Local Scholarships are listed in Naviance.  If you don’t have access to a Naviance Account, please see your Guidance Counselor.

• Great resource for scholarships connected to community service!: https://hscw-collegeexplore.blogspot.com/2020/01/community-service-pays-big-dividends.html
• Student can log into their Naviance account, click on the college tab, then scroll down and click on scholarship list: https://connection.naviance.com/family-connection
• The Collegeboard scholarship database contains more than 2,300 scholarship opportunities, totaling nearly $3 billion dollars!: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
• CollegeNET  operates a scholarship search engine and social network where students create topics, participate in discussions, and vote on scholarship winners.: http://collegenet.com/elect/app/app
• Fastweb’s site indicates they currently have roughly 1.5 million scholarships worth $3.4 billion in their database.: http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships
• Scholarships.com states that they are the largest free and independent scholarship search resource on the Internet, with more than 2.7 million scholarships worth a total of $19 billion in their database.: http://www.scholarships.com/scholarship-search.aspx
• CollegeXpress list thousand of scholarships with $7 billion. http://www.collegexpress.com/scholarships/search
• Scholarship opportunities for undocumented students: http://www.letsgetready.org/Resources/Undocumented  
• Offers scholarships to be used at Massachusetts state colleges or universities for students who score at the Advanced level on the Grade 10 MCAS.  See website for details. : http://www.doe.mass.edu/FamComm?Student?mastery.html 

Looking for additional scholarships? Check out our Scholarship Opportunities page.

State Scholarships based on Exam Scores

John & Abigail Adams Scholarship– Students who qualify for the scholarship will receive award letters and further information in the fall of their senior year. They do not need to apply for this award. For more information please see this link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/adams.html

Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery– If a student did not qualify for the John & Abigail Adams Scholarship, they may qualify for the Koplik Scholarship. An application is required by the student, and must be submitted to the High School Guidance Office no later than April 15th. 

Initial qualification for the Certificate of Mastery, requires that a student score “Advanced” on at least one grade 10 MCAS test subject, and score “Proficient” on the remaining sections of the grade 10 MCAS.

To Receive the Certificate of Mastery, students must fulfill additional requirements through one of the combinations listed below:

• 2 AP exams with scores of 3 or better;
• 2 SAT II exams (Minimum score dependent upon subject area. Scores are listed on the Koplik application);
• 1 SAT II exam and 1 AP exam; or
• 1 SAT II exam and 1 other achievement; or
• 1 AP exam and 1 other achievement.

Please Note: Test scores and/or academic achievements May Not be in the same Content area.Please see this link for more information and to obtain the application: http://www.doe.mass.edu/FamComm/Student/mastery.html

FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION:

Navigating the financial aid process can be daunting, but well-worth it! Please use the following resources to learn more about the application process.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  Apply for a pin here to use all four years.  Students and parent must sign electronically with a pin: www.fafsa.edu.gov

Net Price Calculators provide an estimated net price (cost minus gift aid) for attendance at an institution for one year.  Please note: they are also located on each school’s website, and are an estimate: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/

Some Keys to Success:

-Check with your school’s financial aid office to ensure that all necessary forms have been received.
-Estimate information if necessary – don’t just skip the application if you don’t know an answer!
-Applications must be completed every year.

Other Important links:

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority; Click here for MEFA’s : www.mefa.org

Attend a MEFA Seminar! Dates and locations of local MEFA Seminars can be found on their website at www.mefa.org/collegebound/attend_seminar.aspx . 

Topics covered at the Seminar include:

• Payment options and ways to minimize college loan debt
• Reading/understanding award letters and the billing process
• Working with the financial aid office at the college you’re planning on attending

Financial Aid information and time-line for Seniors provided by MEFA. : www.mefa.org/seniors: 

Free assistance to students and families in completing the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. : http://www.fafsaday.org: 

Not required by all schools. The CCS profile, short for the College Scholarship Service Profile, is an application distributed by the College Board allowing college students to apply for financial aid at private member institutions.  It is primarily designed to give private member institutions of the College Board a closer look into the finances of a student and family.: http://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile:

This is an online tool that allows students and parents to find and  compare lenders and student loans that match your needs. ELMSelect provides a truly neutral lender and product comparison tool you can trust.:http://www.elmselect.com/#/