Financial Aid and Scholarships

Message from the Office of College and Career Readiness

As students plan for college, career, and beyond, it is essential that steps are taken before applying for financial aid. It is the District’s mission to help students and their parents complete an accurate FAFSA or DREAM Act application to receive financial aid on time.

Most FUSD students who plan to attend college or vocational school depend a great deal on financial aid to cover their educational expenses. The application process can be cumbersome for families and they may need guidance and/or advice. We encourage students and parents to take advantage of the resources offered to prevent possible delays or jeopardizing their financial aid.

We encourage families to contact their high school counselor or use CCR’s website for financial aid resources and events on various financial aid topics. Throughout the academic school year, high school counselors, financial aid partners, and CCR host financial literacy workshops to help students and their parents complete an accurate FAFSA, answer questions, and learn about the financial aid available to students such as grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.

If you need support with financial aid, please contact your high school counselor, or you can also email Yia Le at yia.le@fresnounified.org.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is money to help pay for college or career school. Grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships are all forms of financial aid to help make college or career school affordable.

What are grants?

A grant is a form of financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund, or you receive a TEACH Grant and don’t complete your service obligation). A variety of federal and state grants are available, including:

Federal Grants

CA State Grants

Cal Grant
Middle Class Scholarship
Golden State Teacher Grant Program
Chafee Grant for Foster Youth
Educational Opportunity Program Grant
California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant Program (DSIG) for Dream students
California College Promise Grant (Community Colleges)
California Military Department GI Bill Award Program

What is work study?

The Federal Work-Study Program allows you to earn money to pay for school by working part-time. You’ll earn at least the current federal minimum wage. However, you may earn more depending on the type of work you do and the skills required for the position. Your total work-study award depends on

when you apply,
your level of financial need, and
your school’s funding level

Please reach out to your college’s financial aid office for more information regarding work-study.

What is a loan?

A loan is money you borrow and must pay back with interest. If you apply for financial aid, you may be offered loans as part of your school’s financial aid offer. When you receive a student loan, you are borrowing money to attend a college or career school. You must repay the loan as well as interest that accrues. It is important to understand your repayment options so you can successfully repay your loan.

How is financial need determined?

To determine how much financial aid a student needs to attend a school, use the formula: Cost of Attendance (COA) – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Financial Need.

Cost of Attendance (COA)
Cost varies by school. Each college estimates the COA by adding together the costs of tuition, fees, room and board, transportation, books, supplies, and other miscellaneous living expenses. Most colleges publish the COA on their website.
Student Aid Index (SAI)
The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that a college’s or career school’s financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid the student would receive if the student attended the school. This number results from the information that the student provides in their FAFSA® form.
Financial Need
The difference between the COA at a school and your EFC. While COA varies from school to school, your EFC does not change based on the school you attend.

This tool from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) can help you:

Understand your financial aid offer
Plan to cover the remaining costs
Estimate how much you’ll owe and if you can afford that debt
Compare offers from different schools
Decide what to do next

How do I apply for financial aid?

In California, there are two financial aid applications: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act Application (CADAA). Students only need to fill out ONE of these applications, depending on their status. All students should apply regardless of their income as most scholarships may require students to have a FAFSA or CADAA on file.

Both applications collect student and parent(s) financial information (income & current assets) to determine a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI). Colleges use the SAI, along with other factors, to determine a student’s financial aid package.

If a student is unsure of which application to complete, please reach out to the student’s assigned counselor or to Yia Le in the College Readiness department.

Steps to apply for FAFSA

You are eligible to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid if you are a U.S. Citizen, permanent resident, eligible non-citizen, or T-Visa holder. If you are unsure about your status, please reach out to your high school counselor.

Step	Details	Resources to Help	Timeline
1. Create your FSA ID	Create your FSA ID Student and required parent contributor(s) create their own studentaid.gov accounts (FSA ID) System takes 1-3 days to verify/match identity. Recommend that all contributors accounts are verified/matched before completing and submitting application.	Meet with your school counselor Attend school financial aid workshop Recovering your FSA ID Account	August – September
2. Complete and Submit FAFSA Application	FAFSA Application Student use verified studentaid.gov account (FSA ID) to log in and apply by completing student section, invite parent contributor(s), and sign (this is not a submission). Parent contributor(s) gets the invite through email and use the link to take parent to studentaid.gov account to log in with parent’s verified FSA ID and complete parent section and sign and submit. (parent may have different experiences based on marital or tax filing status) The application usually takes 1-5 days to process. Student will need to monitor emails from Federal Student Aid regarding application status (processed successfully or action required) and emails from college’s financial aid office regarding additional required documentations or verification forms.		October – April 2
3. Create your WebGrants 4 Students account	Students are REQUIRED to create a WebGrants 4 Students account 7 days after submitting an accurate FAFSA 24 hours after submitting an accurate Dream Act application Your FAFSA must match your WebGrants account name to be able to create a WebGrants account	Creating your WebGrants 4 Students account	October – April 2
4. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)	You will receive the FSS within 1-5 days after submitting the FAFSA electronically Your FSS is a summary of the FAFSA data you submitted Review your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number Your EFC listed on your FSS will determine the amount of aid you will receive according to a formula established by law		January – April
5. Verification	Students who have an incomplete or inaccurate FAFSA or Dream Act application will be required to complete numerous forms, which can be challenging and delay your financial aid award The Department of Education has a verification selection process that sometimes makes it necessary for a student’s information to be verified even if you completed an accurate FAFSA The school will follow up with you to request forms/documentation to be completed When verification is completed and processed, the financial aid office has the ability to submit the SAR electronically	Contact your counselor for assistance to prevent any delay in your financial aid award What happens if I’m selected for Verification? (video)	January – July
6. Accepting your award letter	In May and June, you will receive your award letters from all of the schools you applied to Read your letter in detail! You have to either accept or decline the award and send it back to your prospective school It is important that you carefully read your award letter and follow the instructions on the letter Never assume you’ve been awarded financial aid without signing your award letter It is critical that you understand that you can jeopardize your spot at a school you’ve been accepted to waiting on a wait list for another school. If you wait too long, you can potentially lose both.	Talk to your counselor if you have questions about your awards	May – June

Steps to apply for CADAA

You are eligible to complete the California Dream Act Application if you are undocumented, have a valid or expired DACA, U Visa holder, have TPS, and meet AB540/SB200/SB68 requirements. If you are unsure about your status, please reach out to your high school counselor.

Step	Details	Resources to Help	Timeline
1. Register your CADAA account	If student is a first time user, student will need to register his or her California Dream Act Application account and follow the steps to create the account.	California Dream Act Application Meet with your school counselor	August – September
2. Complete and Submit CADAA Application	CADAA Application Once a student’s account is registered and created, the student will start and complete the application. Both student and parent will need to sign the application (if student is dependent). If the parent is not present, parent has the option to sign at a later time. Once the application is signed and submitted, the student will need to save the Dream Act ID number for reference.	How to complete your Dream Act application (video) Launching Your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application (video)	October – April 2
3. Create your WebGrants 4 Students account	Students are REQUIRED to create a WebGrants 4 Students account 7 days after submitting an accurate FAFSA 24 hours after submitting an accurate Dream Act application Your FAFSA must match your WebGrants account name to be able to create a WebGrants account	Creating your WebGrants 4 Students account	October – April 2
4. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)	You will receive the FSS within 1-5 days after submitting the FAFSA electronically Your FSS is a summary of the FAFSA data you submitted Review your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number Your EFC listed on your FSS will determine the amount of aid you will receive according to a formula established by law		January – April
5. Verification	Students who have an incomplete or inaccurate FAFSA or Dream Act application will be required to complete numerous forms, which can be challenging and delay your financial aid award The Department of Education has a verification selection process that sometimes makes it necessary for a student’s information to be verified even if you completed an accurate FAFSA The school will follow up with you to request forms/documentation to be completed When verification is completed and processed, the financial aid office has the ability to submit the SAR electronically	Contact your counselor for assistance to prevent any delay in your financial aid award What happens if I’m selected for Verification? (video)	January – July
6. Accepting your award letter	In May and June, you will receive your award letters from all of the schools you applied to Read your letter in detail! You have to either accept or decline the award and send it back to your prospective school It is important that you carefully read your award letter and follow the instructions on the letter Never assume you’ve been awarded financial aid without signing your award letter It is critical that you understand that you can jeopardize your spot at a school you’ve been accepted to waiting on a wait list for another school. If you wait too long, you can potentially lose both.	Talk to your counselor if you have questions about your awards	May – June

Financial Aid Workshops

All FUSD high schools offer evening financial aid workshops to help students and parents complete their financial aid applications. Our local partners such as Fresno City, Fresno State, and Cal-SOAP also attend and support our students and families. Please reach out to your student’s high school counselor or financial aid lead for more information.

Scholarships

Scholarships are free money or gift aid that does not need to be repaid. There are thousands of scholarships available for students to apply for to help pay for college or career school. Please see list of scholarships below offered by different institutions, organizations, companies, and many more!

Click here to see a list of some currently available scholarships, or use the list below to start your search.

Search for scholarships

Search for scholarships

High School Directory

If you need support with financial aid, please contact your high school counselor.

School	Financial Aid Lead	Email
Bullard	Cesar Heras	Cesar.Heras@fresnounified.org
Cambridge	Jose Perez	jose.perez@fresnounified.org
Design Science	Sandra Cloney	Sandra.Cloney@fresnounified.org
DeWolf	Jose Perez	jose.perez2@fresnounified.org
Duncan	Thomas Yang	Thomas.Yang@fresnounified.org
Edison	Crystal King	Gloria.King@fresnounified.org
eLearn	Olga Lopez	olga.lopez@fresnounified.org
Fresno	Gina Sandoval	gina.rios-sandoval@fresnounified.org
Hoover	Amy Gonzales	Amy.Gonzalez@fresnounified.org
JE Young	Jessica Silva	Jessica.Silva@fresnounified.org
McLane	Fabiola Garcia	Fabiola.Garcia@fresnounified.org
Patino	Oscar Barragan	Oscar.Barragan@fresnounified.org
Roosevelt	Ariel Mena	Ariel.Mena@fresnounified.org
Sunnyside	Jesus Mercado	Jesus.Mercado@fresnounified.org

General Financial Aid Resources

How Financial Aid Works – For most students planning to attend college or career school, financial aid is essential. At studentaid.gov they walk you through how financial aid works, resources to pay for college, and loan repayment options.
Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan – UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will ensure that you will not have to pay UC’s systemwide tuition and fees out of your own pocket if you are a California resident whose total family income is less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for financial aid.
California Community Colleges – Information on different types of financial aid and how to apply.
Alphabet Soup – Acronyms and definitions of financial aid terms.
Student Aid Glossary – Definitions of terms related to college and financial aid.
English-Spanish Glossary of Student Financial Aid and Postsecondary Education – Look up the Spanish definitions of commonly used financial aid and postsecondary education terms.
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) – The state’s college access and financial aid agency provides financial aid resources and information about California-specific opportunities.
Financial Aid Information for Undocumented Students – Admission policies, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities at colleges and universities throughout the nation and abroad for undocumented students and DREAMers.
Immigration Resources on Financial Aid
College is For Everyone! A California Financial Aid Guide for Youth with Juvenile Justice Involvement
Net Price Calculator – Search for net price calculators by college or university. Calculators allow prospective students to enter information about themselves to find out what students like them paid to attend the institution in the previous year, after taking grants and scholarship aid into account.
College Costs – Learn about college costs and get tips on how to lower costs when you go to school.
Jobs and Work Study – Having a job while pursuing your education is one way to meet your student contribution and reduce the amount you’ll have to borrow.
Federal Work Study Programs at CSU Campuses – If you participate in a Federal Work-Study program you’ll work part-time while you’re going to school. Search for the Federal Work-Study programs and requirements at your CSU campus.

Foster Youth Links and Resources

Students who are current or former foster youth are eligible for a wide variety of financial supports when attending college or vocational school. After foster youth complete the FAFSA they will also need to complete the Chafee application to receive an additional grant. We recommend exploring the links below.

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