Scholarships and Financial Aid
The FAFSA is a FREE application. You never have to pay to complete the form.
*** NEW for the graduation class of 2023, seniors are required per Senate Act 167-2023 to file the FAFSA or affirmatively opt out of filing by April 15, 2024.
Scholarships, grants and loans. Oh My?!
Scholarships - awards of money that you get for college that you do not have to pay back
Grants - awards you get from Federal and State funding that you do you not have to pay back and are usually based on income
Loans - money given to you temporarily to help pay for college that you have to pay back with interest
Make a plan and plan to earn money. Set a goal to complete so many scholarships applications a week/month. The best way to avoid taking loans in college is to apply for as many scholarships as possible. Pro-tip: Save all of your essays. Many times you can reuse your essays by making small changes to fit a new application.
FAFSA
- FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
- The only form needed to qualify students for state and federal aid, grant and work study money.
- Filing the FAFSA is a new graduation requirement: Governor Eric Holcomb signed S.B. 167 into law on April 25, requiring high school seniors to complete the FAFSA, or opt out of doing so by April 15, 2024. If the student is not going to college and would like to Opt Out of completing the FAFSA the form is in the following link. Return to Mrs. Yoder in Student Services. FAFSA Opt Out Form.pdf
- Many merit-based scholarships require this information and family circumstances may change due to unforeseen events
FAFSA Night - January 24th @ 6 p.m. in the high school library
Scholarships
Scholarships are updated and listed on Naviance as they become available. The bulletin board in the main hallway displays available scholarships as well.
Additional Scholarships can be found at:
Elkhart Community Foundation
