Five Helpful Tips for the Financial Aid Process

Apply for as many scholarships as possible in order to receive the maximum amount of free financial help. Below are some of the resources you can explore for educational funding opportunities:

• Baker College Website and the Internet
• Church and/or religious organizations
• High School counselors
• Employer benefits for students
• Library (local, city, and state)
• Veteran’s benefits
• Associations (i.e. Kiwanis, Rotary, Native American)
• Michigan Department for Career Development
• Michigan programs www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid
• Web Searches
  5. Fastweb
  5. Zinch
  5. Scholarships

Beware of scholarship scams. To protect yourself, it is important to know how legitimate scholarship programs work. You should never have to pay an application or processing fee to apply for a scholarship. We recommend that if there is a fee attached to this service that you avoid them. You can access this website www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml to get additional information about scholarship scams and people/organizations that have been listed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as scam artists. In most cases, you can conduct your own scholarship search at no cost, and get the same results.

It is extremely important that you use the correct form(s).

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form to use when applying for federal and most state aid programs. You can complete the free financial aid application electronically at www.fafsa.gov. Remember, only one application per student and you must re-apply every year. Note: Do not apply for financial aid at fafsa.com, this web site will charge you a fee to complete your FAFSA application.
• The college may require you to complete and submit additional forms. Make sure you ask your admissions or financial aid office what forms are necessary to complete the financial aid process at the college you plan to attend.

As you are going through the financial aid process, there may be additional forms you have to complete (as we mentioned above). If the required forms are not completed correctly, the process may be delayed. We recommend that if you are having problems completing the requested forms, contact the Financial Aid Office (link to http://www.baker.edu/departments/finaid/campus-contact-information/) at the campus you plan to attend.

Making mistakes on your forms may result in a loss of financial aid funding you may have been eligible for.

Always consult your financial aid and/or admission offices at the college you plan to attend about deadlines.

• Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1^st and no later than June 30^th every year.
• March 1 – to receive the Michigan Competitive Scholarship your FAFSA must be received by March 1^st (this scholarship is only available to students attending a Michigan college).
• June 30 – to receive the Michigan Tuition Grant your FAFSA must be received by June 30^th (this grant is only available to students attending a private college in Michigan).
• Scholarship Deadlines – the deadline dates will vary by scholarship. When applying for scholarships, consult the college/organization that you are applying through for this type of information, your financial aid and admission offices may not know about specific deadlines for outside scholarships.

Missing required deadlines may result in a loss of financial aid funding you may have been eligible for.

After you have submitted your financial aid application to the federal government, you may still need to follow up on certain requests. Your application is sent to the Federal and State Departments of Education, the college, and (in some cases) other organizations. As a result, these organizations may request additional information in order to complete the financial aid process and determine your eligibility for financial aid. Insure that you respond to these requests as soon as possible. If you do not understand the information they are requesting ask for help (i.e. financial or admissions offices).