- Riverside High School
- Financial Aid Checklist
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Financial Aid Checklist
- FAFSA: Beginning December 1st, fill out your FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This will qualify you to receive a PELL grant of up to $6395/year, depending on your family income. It also qualifies you to receive low-interest student loans.
- Before filling out your FAFSA, create two FSA IDs. You must create one FSA ID for yourself and one for ONE parent (unless your parents are undocumented).
- You may complete your FAFSA at fafsa.ed.gov, then at the end of the FAFSA go straight into TAP by clicking on the blue “start your state application button,
- You must have all these documents to complete your FAFSA
- Make sure you have added every school to which you are applying onto your FAFSA. You can add up to 10 schools at a time, hit Submit, then wait 3 days, remove those schools and start again. You can do this as many times as you like, for free. Instructions here.
- TAP: After you apply for FAFSA, you can apply for this NYS grant, the Tuition Assistance Program, for up to $5165/year, depending on family income. The link to do so is on the completion page of your FAFSA. Click on “Start your State Application” If you need to complete TAP at a later time, you can do so here.
- CSS Profile (for grants from some--not all--private colleges): You may need to also complete the CSS Profile for colleges that give larger financial aid awards. Check each college’s web site to see if it’s required and note the deadline. Look here for a complete list of colleges requiring the CSS Profile and to complete the application.
- Excelsior Scholarship: If your annual family income is less than $125,000 and your PELL and TAP don’t cover the full cost of tuition at a SUNY/CUNY, you can apply for Excelsior to cover the cost of tuition only (not dorming). Applications for the fall semester are typically available in the spring. Sign up here to receive updates.
- Enhanced Tuition Awards: If your annual family income is less than $125,000, you may receive a tuition award towards a participating private college. Applications for the fall semester are typically available in the spring. Click here for information.
- Senator Jose Peralta New York State DREAM Act: Gives undocumented and other students access to New York State administered financial aid. Applications for the fall semester are typically available in the spring. Click here for information