
Financial Aid
Summer Jobs and Financial Aid: What You Need to Know
Find out how your summer job income might affect financial aid. Learn this and more about financial aid.
Start your search for grants and scholarships to reduce the amount you may need to borrow.
File your taxes early and complete your FAFSA® online to improve your chances for receiving more financial aid. Double-check your SAR and make any updates to your FAFSA, if needed. Also be sure to check with your school for additional requirements, and start reviewing your financial award letters.
Begin to compare your financial aid packages and determine if you still need to borrow. Research and apply for private student loans, and look for a part-time summer job to help pay for college.
FAFSA is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Education.
There’s still time to uncover new scholarships. Try the scholarship search tool.
It’s not too late to apply for scholarships. Keep searching. Any scholarship you get is free money to help pay for college.
You should see your acceptances and award letters start to come in. Begin comparing offers to figure out what each school will cost.
A summer job is a great way to help pay for college. It’s important to understand how summer jobs can affect Financial Aid.
Before you accept a scholarship, make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully.
If your financial circumstances changed, try appealing your financial aid package.
Once you’ve selected a college, send the deposit before the deadline, which is typically due May 1 or shortly after.
Keep looking for scholarships to see what you can get. Your college may have one that you didn’t know about. Ask!
You’ve made the big choice, now come the smaller ones. It’s time to decide on housing, meal plans and roommates.
Sign up for summer jobs or summer internships. The earlier you build out your résumé, the better off you’ll be come college graduation. Plus, any money you earn over the summer can help with college expenses.
Some jobs offer part-time employees access to scholarships or tuition assistance. Ask to see if your summer job can help pay your tuition bill.
Double check to make sure you have your FAFSA acknowledgement, and accept your financial aid package online in your student portal.
If you need help covering your remaining school-certified college costs, now’s the time to apply for your private student loans.
Keep looking for scholarships to see what you can get. Your college might have one that you didn’t know about. Ask!
If you still need money to cover school-certified college costs, make sure to apply for private student loans before tuition is due.
This is the last step before going to college if you are paying tuition out of pocket.
Not every scholarship has a fall deadline. Research summer scholarships. The slow season might even make it easier to win.
If you still need money to cover school-certified college costs, make sure to apply for private student loans before tuition is due.
It’s never too soon to start researching scholarships so you can get free money for college.
Sign up for any college admissions planning or financial aid workshops your school offers. Bring a parent if you can.
Research as many scholarships as you can, and start keeping track of deadlines in a spreadsheet.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available October 1. Begin gathering tax information, asset records, Social Security numbers and federal school codes.
The FAFSA is available October 1. No matter what your financial situation, you should fill out the FAFSA.
After you complete your FAFSA, you’ll receive your Student Aid Report (SAR). Review carefully to make sure all the information from your FAFSA is correct.
In addition to the FAFSA, you may be required to complete the CSS Profile. Nearly 400 colleges use the CSS to determine eligibility for non-federal financial aid, so check with the schools on your list.
Keep researching. Start with what you’re good at and look for scholarships that speak to your talents.
If you haven’t already, fill out the FAFSA, so you don’t miss out on scholarships, grants or federal loans.
It’s National Scholarship Month! If you need help finding available scholarships, try the Discover Student Loans free scholarship search tool.
Found some scholarships that seem like a good fit? Send in your applications, and keep the scholarship search going. If you need help finding available scholarships, try the free Discover Student Loans scholarship search tool.