Come August, Cochise County College students may find themselves in a financial bind.
Colin Shannon, a student recruiter and advisor at Cochise College, says students get stuck in these situations because plans for college are never set in stone.
“Students plan on attending university, but by the time everything starts falling into place they realize they can’t go for some reason. Once everything falls into place, the priority deadline for financial aid has already past,” said Shannon.
To be prepared and avoid any unforeseen pitfalls that may come when applying for college, students should keep their options open. Apply for STARS scholarships, the Cochise College scholarship program, and apply for financial aid at Cochise College to secure your education.
To receive scholarships apply for STARS by March 31st, and complete the FAFSA by May 1st to be considered a priority applicant for Federal Financial Aid. The two applications are similar, but both are a necessity for financial success in college.
Completing the FAFSA by the priority deadline is critical for students because those who submit their FAFSA before the deadline will qualify for more financial aid than those who do not.
“It’s just a pool of money that gets directed to those priority students,” said Shannon.
When students apply for scholarships by the priority deadline, they may not be aware of it, but they are automatically dropping their name in a pool of students for any need-based scholarships. These scholarships are determined when financial aid processes student applications.
Denise Hoyos, Executive Director of External Relations and the Cochise College Foundation, explains why applying before priority deadline is important.
“The Cochise College Foundation manages more than 175 funds. Not all of them are for scholarships, but the majority of them are,” Hoyos explained. “Last year, the foundation awarded about $300,000 in scholarships, and we thank those donors who wish to support individual success and pursuit of academic and career goals.”
This type of financial aid does not require writing an essay but simply filling out the FAFSA. For additional aid, students should also take advantage of the STARS scholarships.
The deadline for the STARS scholarships applications is March 31st.
There are around 25 different STARS scholarships available to students that will disperse around $40,000 in scholarships.
STARS scholarships are separate from financial aid because STARS scholarships do not fall within financial aid criteria. The donors who supply scholarships request an essay or a letter of recommendation, or somehow, the donor might be involved in the selection process.
Students who want to apply for STARS scholarships should obtain unofficial transcripts so that they can be uploaded. They should brainstorm thoughtful responses for short essays that describe their academic and career goals, their financial situation and how a scholarship will help, and their extracurricular or leadership activities. After the scholarships are awarded, students are also required to send a thank you card to the donors.
Students can still apply for financial aid after the priority deadline. They are still eligible to apply for the Pell Grant and Federal Financial Aid. However, the majority of the need-based scholarships are usually already assigned to students who applied before the deadline.
There are currently outside scholarships listed on the Cochise College financial aid website for students who are trying to find additional aid besides STARS scholarships and Federal Financial Aid. You can find more information about financial aid on their website: http://cochise.edu/fa.