December - April

Of Your Senior Year

• New York State residents should apply for the Excelsior Scholarship. For more information regarding application dates and deadlines, visit www.hesc.ny.gov/excelsior.
• If you qualify for state aid under the NYS DREAM Act, complete the DREAM Act application. For more information regarding application dates and deadlines, visit www.hesc.ny.gov/dream.
• After you receive your college acceptances, watch for financial aid award letters.
• Advise financial aid offices, at the colleges you have listed on the FAFSA, of any unusual circumstances that may affect your family’s ability to pay for college, such as unemployment or unusual medical expenses.
• Compare financial aid packages from different schools and choose your college.

May

Of Your Senior Year

By May 1, notify colleges of your enrollment decision. Accept both offers of admission and financial aid at your college of choice.

June - July

At the End of Your Senior Year

Apply for federal student loans, if applicable.

July

Before Your Senior Year

Use these online tools to estimate the cost of attending college:

• FAFSA4caster at fafsa.gov
• SUNY Net Price Calculator at suny.edu/howmuch

Begin to search for scholarships.
The best place to find scholarship information is at your colleges of interest, parents’ places of employment, local libraries, high schools, and the web.

• www.fastweb.com
• studentaid.gov
• www.scholarships.com
• bigfuture.org

Create a calendar of all deadlines:
admissions, scholarships, and financial aid applications.

August

Before Your Senior Year

Start applying to colleges.

September

Of Your Senior Year

Start a financial aid folder to keep all financial aid documents organized. Information you should collect for your financial aid folder:

• Your social security number
• Your parents’ social security numbers and dates of birth
• Your parents’ marital status
• Tax returns for you and your parents
• W2s for you and your parents
• Bank, stock, real estate, and business records for you and your parents
• Your driver’s license number
• Your alien registration number (for non-U.S. citizens)

Create an FSA ID for you and your parent at fafsa.gov.

October

Of Your Senior Year

• File the FAFSA now at fafsa.gov.
• If you need a paper application, call 1.800.4.FED.AID.
• New York State residents should apply for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Use the link on the FAFSA confirmation page to go to TAP on the Web. If you need more information, visit www.hesc.ny.gov.
• If you are a non-New York State resident or an undocumented student, visit www.hesc.ny.gov/dream to determine your eligibility for state aid under the NYS DREAM Act.

November

Of Your Senior Year

If you have completed the FAFSA:

• Watch your email for a notice from the U.S. Department of Education with a link to access your Student Aid Report (SAR).
• Call 1.800.4.FED.AID, if you have not received your SAR.
• If you have not completed the FAFSA, do so now at fafsa.gov.