1602 Second Avenue
Zillah, Washington 98953-9682
Phone   (509) 829-5565
 
Financial Aid Information

 

The following are links to financial aid and scholarship information that we have found for ZHS students. If there is any change in locations or if you experience an expired site, please notify the webmaster. These links are in alphabetical order and do not indicated a preference by our staff.

 

It is recommended that all ZHS Seniors use the WashBoard service to find scholarship opportunities. www.thewashboard.org/login.aspx

 

 

G.E.T.:  The Guaranteed Education Tuition Program is Washington's 529 prepaid college tuition plan. With GET, you prepay for your child's college tuition today. Your account is guaranteed to keep pace with college tuition and you can use it at nearly any public or private college in the country.

 

First step in your search for financial aid is your college.  Your future college's financial aid office should be your primary resource for scholarships and financial aid information.

Go to links to Colleges & Schools and then take the Financial Aid link at their website.

 

Second step in your search for financial aid is FAFSA

All ZHS Seniors should apply for Financial Aid through the FAFSA

The FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid

 

FAFSA4caster: 

The FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process by:

Providing you with an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid.

Giving you an experience similar to FAFSA on the Web

Allowing you to transfer all of your FAFSA4caster data to FAFSA on the Web once you are ready to apply for aid.

Providing you the option to apply for your Federal Student Aid PIN.

Increasing your knowledge of the financial aid process, and providing information about other sources of aid

 
Both you and your parents each will need a FAFSA Personal Identification Number (PIN) in order to use FAFSA on the Web. We will examine the FAFSA process and securing a PIN  in the next chapter.

 

 

FAFSA On-Line Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid "FAFSA" on line in your senior year. Start January 1st but try to finish before February 15 of the senior year.

FAFSA Forecaster: Estimated Family Contribution Calculator:

NOTE TO 18 YEAR OLD MALES: In order to be eligible for Federal Financial Aid through FAFSA you must register with the Selective Service System.

 

Third step in your search for financial aid is to "Learn about pitfalls and scams in Financial Aid"

Federal Trade Commission and National Fraud Information Center: Read the warning information to avoid being scammed. If you need advice about a telephone solicitation or you want to report a possible scam, call the NFIC hotline at 1-800-876-7060

1. Determine whether it is a company offering a search service or a foundation offering a scholarship.

2. Beware of scholarship sponsors who claim to guarantee you a scholarship or who require a large upfront fee. Most scholarship sponsors do not charge upfront fees of more than $5. No legitimate scholarship sponsor guarantees that you will win an award.

3. Understand that scholarship search engines (services) do not award scholarships. These companies charge a fee to compare your profile with a database of scholarship opportunities and provide a list of awards for which you may qualify. They do not provide awards directly to applicants, nor do they help you apply for the awards. The information provided by scholarship search services is available at no cost in your local public library or school financial aid office. Crooks charge high fees and provide little scholarship information. The scholarship lists they send students often contain outdated or inapplicable information. A reputable search service or book will usually yield over 50 possible scholarships.

4. Beware of search services that guarantee you will win a scholarship or a certain amount of financial aid. No search service can control the decisions of the scholarship sponsors.

5. Make sure you fully understand the refund policy. If the service promises your money back, read the fine print. Often you will find that you need letters of rejection from all the scholarship listings sent to you to collect. If one of the listings is no longer in existence, it is impossible for you to get a refund. The company may also include all types of financial aid in its guarantee. If they guarantee you $5000 in financial aid or your money back, and you don't get any scholarships through them but you do get a $5000 loan from a bank, you might be disqualified from getting a refund, even though the service had nothing to do with the loan.

6. Get the terms of service from the company in writing. Do not rely on verbal promises.

 

Fourth step in your search for financial aid is to use the ZHS Scholarship Pages.

ZHS Scholarship Board: a special page updated each month listing scholarships that Zillah High School Seniors may choose to apply for.  This is updated each month, so ZHS seniors should check back often.

Zillah Scholarship Forms Board: A special page for ZHS Seniors to download scholarships.  These are scholarships that ZHS seniors have actually won over the past several years.

ZHS Scholarship Board-Undergraduates: a special page updated each month listing scholarships that Zillah High School students in grades 9-11 may choose to apply for. Most are contests. This is updated each month, so ZHS seniors should check back often.

 

Fifth step in your search for financial aid is to use FREE scholarship search websites.

I recommend that ZHS students start here at The Washboard.Org: Washington Scholarship Coalition website.   They are a partnership of public and nonprofit agencies coming together to build an online scholarship marketplace and provide a trusted source of scholarships for Washington State seniors. The Washington Scholarship Coalition exists to create connections and ensure scholarship funds are reaching those in need.  Our Goals

 

These next links may be explored if you have additional time.  While they are all currently listed as free, they may not uncover new sources of scholarships or other Financial Aid.

"1079"  Student Scholarship List The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund provides this list of potential scholarships for students in the "1079" classification (Scholarships  for students regardless of residency status).  For further information contact MALDEF at www.maldef.org , 634 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 (213) 629-2512 Fax (213) 629-0830

American Indian College Fund: Search for special college funding programs for qualified American Indians.

Colleges and Scholarships Page: an online directory of college and university admissions office email addresses and telephone numbers, college scholarship and financial aid office email addresses and links to college scholarship, and financial aid pages.

College Board: Pay For College: From the folks who bring you the SAT and Advanced Placement services, information including a free search data base of scholarships.

College Planning Network On line: Free searches, financial aid calculations, lots of planning information to help students.  Includes the free Pacific Northwest Scholarship Search.

For additional scholarship and financial aid information, vist www.fastweb.com.

Federal Student Aid: Financial Aid information from the US Department of Education. 

Financial Aid and Scholarship Wizard - US Department of Education financial aid and scholarship wizard.

Fin-Aid: The Smart Guide to Financial Aid billed as the "smart' students guide. 

HECB Paying for College: Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board Financial Aid information for students and parents

Hispanic Scholarship Fund: Special opportunities for Hispanic students.

Hope Scholarship & Lifetime Tax Credit: A resource page with information and guidelines regarding these two programs from the IRS.

Mapping Your Future Information to help plan a career, select a school and pay for your education.  You can now also sign up on line for a free monthly newsletter on financial aid information.

Northwest Educational Loan Association: Helping Northwest families meet the costs of higher education with many different loan programs.  This includes their valuable resource "Paying For College" on line. and a Financial Aid Calculator.

US Department of Education Links to financial aid sources.

Washington Scholarship Coalition: Matches students with valid scholarship opportunities, increasing the odds they will find the financial support they need for higher education, provides donors with information to understand who is looking for help so they can align their giving to the real needs of today’s students and empowers policymakers with real time data to direct funding to Washington students who need the most financial aid Coordinates with other online tools promoting college readiness and planning.

Washington Financial Aid Association: WFAA is a professional, membership organization of individuals whose aim is to promote higher education through the availability, support and administration of student financial assistance programs. Watch this site for additional information and updates.

If you discover other free financial aid or scholarship pages or find dead links, please send the webmaster a message.

© Zillah School District #205