Bendle High School Guidance Department

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Paying for College-Student Resource Guide

Financial Aid

What are you going to do with your life? And how are you going to get there? Our Web sites can help you decide on a career, find a school to prepare you for that career, and get funding to pay for that school.

Student Aid on the Web: www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov
Information about federal student aid and preparing for college:

• Fill out a questionnaire to find out what careers might be right for you.
• Input your preferences (size of school, location, etc.) to search for the college or career school that fits your needs.
• Look for scholarships using a free search service.
• Learn about the SAT and the ACT Assessment.
• Calculate student loan repayments.

PIN Web site: www.pin.ed.gov
Apply for a US Department of Education PIN to help your financial aid application move faster.

FAFSA on the Web: www.fafsa.ed.gov
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - apply on the Web and/or look up federal school codes. This is a FREE site! If you're asked for bank account or credit card information, you're not dealing with the US Department of Education.

State of Michigan Financial Aid Programs

The financial aid programs described below are offered through the State of Michigan. They are only a small representation of what is available. For comprehensive information, please refer to the following website: http://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/

Michigan Promise Scholarship

The Michigan Promise Scholarship (Public Act 479 of 2006) signed in law by Governor Granholm on December 21, 2006, provides up to $4,000 to high school graduates for successfully completing two years of postsecondary education beginning with the high school graduating class of 2007.

Eligibility criteria:

• Must be a Michigan resident.
• Take the Michigan Merit Exam (MME)
• Enroll at an approved postsecondary institution in Michigan or a military service academy within two years of becoming a high school graduate (two-year period would be extended for service in armed forces or Peace Corps).
• Complete the postsecondary education requirements (associate's degree, etc.) within four years of initial enrollment at the postsecondary institution.
• Achieve a cumulative college grade point average of 2.5 (except for students completing vocational education programs that do not record grades).
• Be a high school graduate or have passed the GED.
• Certify his or her eligibility for a scholarship.
• Meets all other eligibility criteria.

Scholarship amounts

• Students who receive qualifying scores on the MME may receive up to $1,000 per academic year for each of their first two years of college enrollment and up to $2,000 after the successful completion of two years of postsecondary education with at least a 2.5 GPA (associate's degree, two-year certificate, vocational education program or 50 percent of the academic requirements for a bachelor's degree).
• Students who do not receive qualifying scores on the MME may receive up to $4,000 after the successful completion of two years of postsecondary education with at least a 2.5 GPA (associate's degree, two-year certificate, vocational education program or 50 percent of the academic requirements for a bachelor's degree).
• Students completing a vocational training program requiring less than two years to complete may be eligible for a prorated scholarship amount.

Michigan Tuition Incentive Program (TIP)

TIP is a high school completion program that offers to pay for the first two years of college and beyond for students who graduate from high school or complete their GED before age 20. To meet the financial eligibility requirement, a student must have (or have had) Medicaid coverage for 24 months within a 36 consecutive month period as identified by the Family Independence Agency (FIA). This can happen as early as the sixth grade. The Michigan Department of Treasury will send an application form to the home of each of these identified students. The student must then complete that application form and return it to the Treasury before graduation from high school (or GED completion) and before their 20th birthday to activate the financial eligibility for the program. Only then will the student receive a "confirmation letter". To inquire about TIP eligibility, call the State of Michigan at 1-888-447-2687.

Don't Get Scammed on Your Way to College

Financial aid scams are a hot topic these days. You should be aware of the tactics companies use to convince students to buy their services. Here are some of the most common claims students are hearing.

• If you use our services, you're guaranteed to get at least $2,000 in student aid for college, or we'll give you your money back.
  
  This claim doesn't mean anything. Most students are eligible for at least $2,625 in unsubsidized student loans anyway - and because a student loan is considering student aid, you won't be able to ask for a refund if that's all you're offered. No one can guarantee to get you a grant or scholarship. Remember, too, that refund guarantees often have conditions or strings attached. Get refund policies in writing.
• Applying for aid is complicated. We're the only ones who can help you through the process and find all the aid for which you're eligible.
  
  Unlikely. There are many places to get free help applying for student aid. Check with your school counselor or college financial aid office for help filing out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Your school or college also can help you find scholarships. And be sure to try the free scholarship search at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.
• I'd like to offer you a scholarship (or grant). All I need is your bank account information so the money can be deposited and a processing fee charged.
  
  Watch out! It's extremely rare for a legitimate organization to charge a processing fee for a scholarship. Some criminals imitate legitimate foundations, federal agencies, and corporations. They might even have official-sounding names to fool students. Don't give anyone your bank account or credit card information or your Social Security number (SSN) unless you initiated the contact and trust the company. Such personal identification information could be sued to commit identity theft. If you've been contacted by someone claiming to be from the US Department of Education (ED) and asking for your SSN or bank account information, do not provide it. ED does not make such calls. Instead, immediately contact the agencies listed below:

To find out how to prevent or report a financial aid scam, visit or call:

• Federal Trade Commission
  www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams
  1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)
  TTY for the hearing impaired: 1-866-653-4261
• US Department of Education
  Office of Inspector General Fraud Hotline
  www.ed.gov/misused
  1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733)

For more ideas about where to find free information on student aid, visit Looking for Student Aid at www.studentaid.ed.gov/LSA.

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