WHAT IS FINANCIAL AID?*
Student financial aid refers to funding intended to help students pay educational expenses including tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies for education at a college, university or private school. Below is information to help you in financial aid search.

Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA): This is the mandatory form that all students—U.S. citizens or resident aliens only—must complete to qualify for state and federal aid to pay for college. The completed FAFSA forms are not received until after Jan. 1. Parents need to have W-2 income tax information and completed income tax returns to complete the FAFSA.
Important: This form is used by millions of students across the U.S. The longer you wait to file, the less money is available. Submitting the FAFSA qualifies students for all federal financial aid programs. File as early as possible!
Go to FAFSA website

What’s the easiest, fastest and safest way to submit your FAFSA? Online! With easy, step-by-step instructions, students receive award information in days, not weeks. In order to sign the online document, both student and parent must register for a free PIN (personal identification number). It takes two weeks to receive the PIN, so do it early. The PIN is valid for life and is useful to check future financial aid information once the student is in college.

Click here to register for your PIN number.

U.S. Department of Education: federal agency that provides college funding in the form of grants, scholarships, and educational loans.
Go to Student Aid website

Parents Beware!
There is plenty of FREE information and advice available from your high school, college or state education offices about college programs, financial aid and scholarships. Some fee based services offer nothing more than information that is already available to you for free.