Financial Aid
Although College can be overwhelmingly expensive, there are many ways to cover some of the costs. Financial aid can be broken up into four divisions. Monies are distributed through the federal government, through the State, through the institutions, or through scholarships.
The money accrued from different forms of Financial Aid will help calculate your "Gap Number". Your gap number is what you'd have to pay out of pocket after subtracting your financial aid package from the Cost of Attendance (COA) for your particular institution.
FAFSA Applications open annually on October 1st. These are federal funds and are distributed on a first come, first served basis. We host a FAFSA night with assistance from Miami Dade College's Financial Aid office, to help guide parents complete the application process. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to filling out FAFSA independently and the items required to complete the application. The FAFSA will determine how much your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is towards tuition.
Florida Financial Aid Applications (FFAA) is money granted by the state. This is the application that must be filled out to receive the Bright Futures Scholarship. Students can meet all the requirements for Bright Futures but if the application is not completed by the deadline, they will not earn the scholarship money. The FFAA also distributes additional funds (other than Bright Futures) such as the Jose Marti Scholarship Grant. All Seniors are recommended to complete the FFAA. Please see instructions to apply below. Applications are CASE SENSITIVE. All information must be entered as listed in our district school system.
Although the CSS Profile may seem similar to FAFSA, these are funds granted by the individual institutions. The institutions will look at the money being granted by the federal government (FAFSA) and take family financials into account. This will help them determine how much to grant in additional financial aid. There is an application fee that can be waived if the family income is under $100,000. Not all schools require the CSS profile. A list of participating schools can be found on the CSS Profile homepage. See below for more information on how to create both a student and parent account with CSS.
How much will college cost me?
Several factors play into what your "Gap Number" will amount to. This includes but it is not limited to in-state vs. out-of-state tuition, room & board, financial aid packages. Each university will provide their own net cost calculator on their website to give you an idea of how much initial fees are. Once accepted into the university, students can request their financial award package from the institution. This will help determine what you will pay out of pocket, also known as your gap number.
Cost of Attendance (COA) - Financial Award Monies (EFC, Scholarships, etc.) = Gap Number