A financial aid package from MSWSPN may consist of many types of financial aid depending on your financial need (as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and enrollment status. When a student is packaged by the Financial Aid Counselor, eligibility for all sources of aid is evaluated. The following are sources of aid which may be included on your financial aid award letter:
Federal Financial Aid Programs
The federal government offers a number of financial aid programs including Grants and Loans. Eligibility for these aid programs is determined by the financial aid administrators at the college where a student chooses to attend and the student’s FAFSA.
Eligibility for some aid programs will vary from school to school and is not transferable. Students must have a determination of eligibility done at each school that they are interested in attending
New York State Aid
New York State offers many Grants and scholarships. Eligibility is determined by the Higher Education Services Corporation in Albany, not the school a student attends. The school does verify that the student is making satisfactory academic progress toward their degree and is enrolled for the required number of credit hours. Students must apply for NYS aid directly through the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) at www.hesc.ny.gov.
Other states also have grant programs. Some states allow their students to use the grants to attend colleges that are out of state.
Financial Aid Not Awarded by the Financial Aid Office
The Financial Aid Office can award both grant and loan funds through federal and state programs, however, there are many other sources of aid available to students.
Private Aid
Private organizations offer Scholarships and sometimes forgivable loans. The pool of applicants can be quite limited as it might be for a local church or civic organization or very large organization such as with the Gates Scholarship available to minority students nationwide. It’s best to look for scholarships locally first as the competition is less and then to investigate national scholarship programs.
Employer Tuition Assistance
Employer tuition assistance includes a variety of employer sponsored programs to help employees and their dependents pay for college. Your employer may require you to attain a particular grade or to complete a program in order to obtain reimbursement. Your employer may also require that you remain employed for a period of time after completing the course of study. For more information on Employer Tuition Assistance, please contact your employer directly.
Veterans Benefits
Student veterans and dependents of veterans may be eligible to use their education benefits at MSWSPN. In many instances, veterans benefits may cover all of tuition. However, students are still encouraged to apply for federal and state financial aid as they may qualify for additional grant funding under federal or state programs.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a Financial Aid Counselor at (315) 787-4614 or you may email: finaid@flhcon.edu