The information you provide on your application helps to determine a financial aid package that best suits your needs as a student.
The FAFSA is required for a student to be considered for a need-based scholarship.
Merit scholarships are based on a student’s Grade Point Average. The FAFSA is also necessary for a student to be considered for the Pell Grant.
The FAFSA form does play an important and crucial role in almost every financial aid matter.
The Financial Aid Office at Palo Alto helps students with issues such as work-study, loans and the Frank M. Tejeda Memorial Scholarship. Their mission is to “help eligible students obtain financial assistance to meet their college-related expenses,” said Lamar Duarte, the Student Financial Services Director.
Work-study is an employment opportunity available for both on- and off-campus locations and requires approval by the Student Financial Services Office, where openings are posted.
The Frank M. Tejeda Memorial Scholarship requires an ACCD scholarship application. This scholarship is for all majors and for any student with academic merit or financial need.
The Financial Aid Office of the District deals with the Pell Grant and any scholarships offered by the four colleges in the district. The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant program and requires completion of the FAFSA.
The colleges of the ACCD award scholarships based on the availability of institutional and private funds. On average, the District receives between 1,500 to 2,000 applications. With the four schools combined, about 1,200 students are awarded a scholarship.
“Last year, almost $1 million was given to students,” according to Barbara Grewe, the Scholarship Adviser of the District. The odds of receiving a scholarship are very encouraging.
“I applied for a scholarship because I wanted to work part-time and concentrate on my studies,” said Isaac DeLong, a sophomore Biology major. “I was also able to pay for other expenses with no worry because the scholarship paid for my tuition, fees and books.”
The selection of merit scholarships is based on the student’s overall academic progress, financial need, extracurricular activities, leadership skills and participation in community activities.
A committee of three to four people, composed of professionals, faculty and administration, review the applications. The reviewing process takes about four to six weeks and is then sent to the school that the student is attending to begin a process of verification.
Federal regulations require colleges to check the accuracy of the information on the FAFSA. The student is then selected, and he or she will receive a letter of award or denial. The scholarships may range from $300 to $1500 per academic year (September-May) and $375 to $750 when awarded by semester.
“The goal of the reviewing committee and the District is to award the student, if eligible, before the deadline for tuition and fees is up,” says Grewe.
Scholarships may be renewed on an academic year or semester basis, contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and availability of funds. Students must renew by the deadline for the next academic year or semester for a continuation of the scholarship. The student must attach a separate sheet describing how the scholarship benefited him or her and why it should be renewed.
If you have not received an award or denial letter by the school’s registration date, be prepared to pay your own tuition and fees. If a student has any concern about his or her application, the District administration would be glad to assist him or her in any way possible.
The Office of Student Financial Services reserves the right to cancel any scholarship or aid awarded at any time if the applicant fails to meet the standards of academic progress, defaults on any scholarship requirements or falsifies information reported.
Another source of financial assistance is Veterans Affairs, which deals strictly with veterans and their dependents. The Veterans Affairs Office at Palo Alto assists any student in applying for and receiving V.A. educational benefits.
In order to receive benefits, one must be eligible based on any of the V.A. Educational Assistance Programs. Eligibility requirements are demanding. The student must have an approved degree program on file and a green class schedule marked paid to submit to the Veterans Affairs Office. This document is needed to confirm enrollment for the current semester.
“My family and I were unprepared to pay up front, because we assumed that everything was taken care of,” said Marcela Collins, a freshman at Palo Alto.
The Veterans Affairs Office at Palo Alto offers the Montgomery G.I. Bill and the Hazlewood Act. Chapter 30 is the Montgomery G.I. Bill and has limited benefits of 36 months.
This bill is something you must apply for and “the dependent or veteran must pay the tuition and fees up front,” said Liz Martinez, Student Services Assistant II at Palo Alto.
“The Hazlewood Act is for Texas Veterans who have exhausted the Montgomery G.I. Bill or never qualified,” said Martinez. In order to qualify for the Hazlewood Act, the veteran or dependent has to be denied the Pell Grant and the Montgomery G.I. Bill. As of Fall of 1995, the Hazlewood Act limits student benefits to 150 hours.
Unlike scholarships, you must apply for V.A. benefits every semester during the school year.
If you have any questions regarding any financial aid matter, contact the following: Lamar Duarte, Student Financial Services Director, 921-5320; Barbara Grewe, Scholarship Adviser for the District, 220-1636; and Robert J. Ramirez, Coordinator of Veteran Affairs, 921-5315 or 921-5317.