college selection month

◦Apply to Safety Colleges if you haven't been accepted anywhere (e.g. community colleges - UDC, PGCC, Montgomery College, Northern Virginia College).

◦Collect all of your College Acceptances and Financial Aid Award Letters

◦Compare Each of your College Options using these Tips

◦Complete FAFSA (if you haven't already done so) – https://studentaid.gov/ -- This video will walk you through how to complete the 2022-2023 FAFSA.

◦Complete DCTAG – www.DConeapp.dc.gov

◦Review Financial Aid Award Letters to figure out which college requires the least money out of pocket.

◦Select a College by April 30^th , May 1^st is typically College Signing Day (Sunday this year)

◦Pay Enrollment Deposit ($200 - $800) – This is how your final college knows that you want to commit to that school..

◦Pay Housing Deposit ($75 - $500)

How to pick a SMART FINANCIAL COLLEGE CHOICE

Analyze your Financial Aid Award Letters

1. 1. What is the total cost of attendance (tuition + Fees + Room + Board + Books + Supplies + Transportation + Loan Fees)

   2. Subtract how much financial aid you received (scholarships, grants, and loans).

      1. Use the College Cost Calculator to help you with your calculations.

   3. Estimate how much you have to pay out of pocket.

   4. Apply to tons of scholarships so that you can cover the difference.

Things to consider when comparing your college acceptances and making a final college decision

• How much do I have to pay out of pocket? What's the cost of attendance at the college? How much scholarship dollars are they giving me? How much of my financial aid award letter is loans? Can I afford to go to this college. Use the DCPS Financial Aid Award Letter Calculator to compare your financial award letters that you receive from each of the colleges. You should receive your financial aid award letter starting 3 weeks from the day that you submit your FAFSA. Watch the videos below to make sure you know about about your financial aid options and requirements before deciding on a final college.

• Location - How far away from my home is this college? Do I want to be that far? How will I get to and from campus at the beginning of the school year, during Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring break? Is this campus in the city, suburbs, or a rural area

• Do they offer my major? What degrees do they offer? (2 year Associate degree, 4 year Bachelor degree, etc.)

• Do they have any Student Activities, Sports, Student Organizations, or Student Clubs that I can join?

• Do they offer additional scholarships that I can apply to?

• What is the demographic breakdown on the school? % women, % men, % white, % black, % Hispanic

• If it's a PWI Predominately White Institution, do they have diversity clubs like a Black Student Union, Black Student Association, Latino Student Association, or a Multicultural Student Center where I can meet with and bond with students who look like me?

• Is it a public college or an HBCU that will accept by DCTAG scholarship. Click here for a list of DCTAG participating colleges.

• What percentage of their students graduate in 4-6 years (aka college graduation rate)?

• What percentage of their students like their college enough after freshman year to stay at the college for the next year (aka retention rate)?

• Do they have a career center where they can help me find an internship during college or a job after I graduate from college?

• What is the average class size? Are there classes big or small?

• What percentage of financial need will the college meet? What percentage of the students who get accepted receive some sort of scholarship?

• What is the weather going to be like throughout the school year? Does it get really cold, does it stay warm?

• Are there things to do off-campus? Shopping Malls, Farmer Markets, Restaurants, Museums, Other colleges, Business organizations where you can intern/work, Beaches/Lakes. Movie theaters, Parks/Hiking, Art Galleries, Historic Sites, Concert venues, Amusement Parks, etc.

• What does there housing look like on-campus and off campus?

• What are other student's experiences like at the campus? (search Student Vlogs on YouTube, TikTok, IG, Facebook Groups, etc.)

• Is there reliable transportation around the campus? (buses, metro, trolleys, shuttles, etc.)

There's no right or wrong answer. It's really about finding the college that works for you!

Please watch each of the videos below.

analyzing my financial aid award letters

To analyze and compare your financial aid award letters so to the UAspire College Calculator link. Follow the steps below:

1. Go to UAspire College Calculator Link

2. Click Create an Account

3. Login to your Account

4. Add Financial Aid Offer

5. Select the Academic Year ad the college you want to add. Click Save and Continue

6. Add in all of the information from your financial aid award letter.

7. Don't forget to add in your DCTAG scholarship by looking at the list of DCTAG eligible colleges.

   1. 1. Here is the list of DCTAG eligible colleges;

      2. Please see the below scholarship information

         1. Public Colleges on this list = Students who complete and are approved for DCTAG will receive up to $10,000 towards the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition

         2. Private Colleges on the list - Students who complete and are approved for DCTAG will receive a $2,500 scholarship

8. Once you have added all of your information, click Save and Continue. This will take you to your Financial Aid Offer Summary page.

   1. Take note of the following things:

      1. Estimated Bill Before Loans

      2. Student Loans on Financial Aid Offer

      3. Estimated Bill After Loans

      4. Costs Beyond the Estimated Bill

What it I don't have enough money for college?

Safety Schools​

- colleges that are easy to get accepted to (e.g. 2 year Community Colleges)​

​

Financial Safety Schools​

colleges that are affordable for all students: ​

University of the District of Columbia - $10,000 annual tuition (Free after getting $4 Mayors Scholar + $8k DC Futures)​

​

Prince George's Community College ~$10,000 annual tuition ​

- $4k from DCTAG - $4k Mayors - $6,495 FAFSA Pell Grant​

​

Montgomery College ~$14,000 annual tuition - $4k from DCTAG - $4k Mayors - $6,495 FAFSA Pell Grant​

​

NOVA CC ~ $12,000 annual tuition - $6k from DCTAG - $4k Mayors - $6,495 FAFSA Pell Grant​

Have you explored these financial aid opportunities yet? Do you qualify?

FAFSA can qualify you for ​

- $6,495 Pell Grant​

- $5,500 Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans​

​

DMV Area Colleges Scholarships

- DC Mayor's Scholarship $4,000​

- DC Futures Scholarship $8,000 (UDC, Trinity, or Catholic)​

​

DCTAG​ Scholarship - up to $10,000

What if I don't have a college decision by May 1st?

Since the May 1st deadline is widely known, many colleges don't accept late decisions. Some universities may give an extension beyond this date. If you’ve missed the May 1st deadline, you need to contact the college admissions officers at your intended university’s admissions office immediately.

Make sure you tell them about any extenuating circumstances that may have prevented you from getting your paperwork and deposit in on time. It’s also a good idea to follow up with an email to the person you spoke with to recap the conversation and thank them for their time.

While this is an incredibly exciting time in your life, it is important that you remain diligent with your deadlines so you can start your college career off on the right foot.

Your next steps after Decision Day

There's a lot of work that goes on during the last few months of your senior year of high school. And most of it is done by the time you make your final choice on a college and send your deposit to enroll. Most of it — but not all of it. Fortunately, the tasks left to do once you're college-bound are generally less stressful and more fun.

For starters, make sure you keep up with your extracurricular activities: any sports of clubs you belong to, prom, graduation, and all those other end-of-senior-year rituals. You'll cherish these moments more than you might think.

As you wrap up your high school activities, you'll need to also spend some time thinking about college. First and foremost, where you're going to live. College housing options can be quite varied. Depending on the options and preferences you have, you may need to give some thought to choosing a dorm or apartment, finding a roommate (or a few), or deciding if commuting to school and living at home is feasible.

Once you've graduated, you'll want to enjoy your summer — as you should! — but you'll also have to spend some time thinking about what you need to bring to college and, what, if anything you need to buy before you go. Nitro's Ultimate College Packing List can help you break down this rather large task into something more manageable.

Resource: Nitro Article