CREATING PATHWAYS FOR SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION INTO POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

2013 NAEHCY Preconference

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Section I:

Choosing a College

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CHOOSING A SCHOOL

Students have many options to advance education beyond high school Two-year community and junior

colleges Four-year colleges and universities Technical, Vocational, or Trade School

http://studentaid.ed.gov/prepare-for-college/choosing-schools

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COLLEGE SEARCH TOOL

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator general school information; tuition, fees, and estimated student expenses; types of financial aid provided; net price; enrollment; admissions requirements; retention and graduation rates; accreditation; campus security statistics; and default rates for students with student loans

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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Admission’s Advisor Know the admissions requirements (GPA, GED, ACT, SAT) Get SAT/ACT Waiver

http://www.actstudent.org/faq/feewaiver.html http://

professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/waivers/guidelines/sat Adhere to application deadlines for desired semester Submit application fee Get Application fee waiver

http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/feewaiver/Pages/default.aspx

Submit additional documentation (Essay, or transcript)

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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Admissions Missed application deadlines

Apply at on-site admissions days Apply for next semester

Student did not meet admissions requirements Bridge program TRIO program

http://www.coenet.us/coe_prod_imis/COE/Home/COE/Home.aspx?hkey=040cec49-d947-4110-b9fa-1f30bef9c919

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FINANCIAL AID

Financial Aid Complete FAFSA as early as possible

Available January 1 each year for next academic year

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ Deadlines

State priority deadline College priority deadline

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FINANCIAL AID

Documentation Homeless Student Status

Submit determination of UHY status from verifier to Financial Aid Office

Verification Separate process than verifying homeless

status Student will need to submit requested

tax/income information in a timely manner

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CHOOSING A MAJOR & UNDERSTANDING EXPECTATIONS

CHOOSING A MAJOR

Before choosing a major students should figure out what jobs or careers they are passionate about Occupational Outlook Handbook

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Students should consider jobs earning potential

Determine what schools offer that major Where is the school located? Consider the cost for the degree

TAKE A CAREER ASSESSMENT

To decide if a careers matches a students skills and interests they can take a career assessment Free assessments can be found at

CareerShip http://mappingyourfuture.org/planyourcareer/careership

Skills Profiler http://www.careerinfonet.org/skills/default.aspx?nodeid=20

O*NET http://www.onetonline.org/

CHOOSING CLASSES

Schedule an appointment with an Academic Advisor Get overview of degree requirements Map out course schedule for the year Create a Plan of Work to outline degree

completion (Refer to catalog or bulletin)

UNDERSTANDING COLLEGE FEES

There are many fee’s associated with attending college (tuition, student activity, medical insurance, housing, books, meal plans, miscellaneous, )

Students should review bill to go over all fee’s Ask for assistance from Cashiers, or Student Accounts

Office If a student is being charged for a student activity fee

encourage them to use the service (recreation, university transportation)

Seek alternative options for books (online versus bookstore) Book Vouchers from Financial Aid

UNDERSTANDING COLLEGE FEES

It is vital that homeless students determine the best housing/meal plan for them (on/off campus)

If a homeless student is residing on campus communicate with Housing Office for year long housing availability

If not see if host families are in the area http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Student can consider becoming a Residential Advisor and housing at a reduced fee

HEALTH INSURANCE

Homeless students should see if they are eligible for any free state health insurance http://finder.healthcare.gov/

Determine if health insurance or immunizations are required for program http://

www2a.cdc.gov/nip/schoolsurv/schImmRqmtReport.asp

Consider the benefit of student fee (health insurance versus being uninsured)

STUDENT SERVICES

Student Services offices can include: Student Life/Student Center, Admissions,

Financial Aid, Registrar, Academic Advising, Tutoring, Career Services/Counseling, Testing Center, Ombudsman Office

Student should know where each office is located and what services they provide

Remind student they are paying for these services so take advantage of them

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BEST PRACTICES IN HIGH SCHOOL

Focus on FASFSA completion!× FAFSA Week – see www.naehcy.org × Inform unaccompanied youth of college options as soon as

they are identified as homeless× Make sure high school counselors know about the FAFSA

policies for UHY× Arrange for students to visit local colleges and universities× Use a template for verification – www.naehcy.org × Connect UHY to Gear-Up, Upward Bound, other TRIO programs

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BEST PRACTICES ON CAMPUS

Campus advisors can work together to create campus networks to focus on meeting needs of homeless youth

Communicate with local homeless liaisons to streamline the transition process

Get involved with local state network for homeless youth that are accessing higher education

Create a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) on Campus

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Section II:

Paying for College

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WHAT IS FINANCIAL AID?

Any source of funds other than from the family used to pay college expenses

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SOURCES OF FINANCIAL AID

Federal government

States

Colleges

Private sources

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COSTS THAT CAN BE PAID WITH FINANCIAL AID

Direct costs

Indirect costs

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FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)

Standard federal form

Must be completed every year

Asks for demographic and financial information

Some students must provide parental information

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DEPENDENCY STATUS

Dependent students must provide parental data on FAFSA Expectation of parental support

Independent students do not provide parental data on FAFSA No expectation of parental support

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WHO CAN MAKE A DETERMINATION THAT A STUDENT IS AN UNACCOMPANIED HOMELESS YOUTH? School district liaisons Director or designee of a HUD-funded

emergency shelter or transitional housing program

Director or designee of a runaway or homeless youth basic shelter or transitional living program

Financial aid administrator

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GUIDANCE Determinations are not the use of

professional judgment or a dependency override

Use McKinney-Vento Act definitions

Use of a documented interview

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GUIDANCE Reach out to homeless education

professionals

Use of discretion

Students may appeal financial aid administrator’s determination to Department of Education

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TOOLS FOR FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATORS

Determination of independent status template

Making determinations tool

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GROUP ACTIVITY: SCENARIOS

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OTHER FORMS AND APPLICATIONS

CSS Profile

Institutional applications

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AWARDING PROCESS

Cost of Attendance (COA)─ Expected Family Contribution (EFC)____________________________________

Financial Need

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AWARDING PROCESS

Financial aid packages consist of a mix

of:

Grants/scholarships

Work

Loans

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AWARDING PROCESS

Packaging philosophy varies from college to college so a student’s financial aid offer will also vary from college to college

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UNDERSTANDING BUDGETS

College use the same standard cost components

Value of components will vary based on college type, location, and other factors

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UNDERSTANDING AWARD LETTERS

EFC will be the same regardless of college

Mix of aid will vary by college

Look at out of pocket costs

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GROUP ACTIVITY: COMPARING BUDGETS AND AWARD LETTERS

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SCHOLARSHIPS

Common sources

Civic organizations

Houses of worship

Nonprofit organizations and foundations

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SEARCHING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

Fastweb!: http://www.fastweb.com/ College Board:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search

U.S. Department of Labor: http://www.careerinfonet.org/scholarshipsearch/ScholarshipCategory.asp?searchtype=category&nodeid=22

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IMPACT OF OUTSIDE SCHOLARSHIPS

Could reduce existing aid package from college

Changes depend on school policies and procedures

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RESOURCES: STATE PROGRAMS

Some states have special provisions available for low-income and/or homeless students: Indiana – Students receiving free lunch receive a tuition

waiver when participating in Indiana’s Double Up Program (dual enrollment in college courses for students in 11th and 12th grade)http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title21/ar14/ch8.html

Indiana – Twenty-First Century Scholars Program - Income-eligible 7th and 8th graders who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship are guaranteed to receive up to four years of undergraduate tuition at any participating public college or university in Indianahttp://www.scholars.in.gov

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RESOURCES: STATE PROGRAMS

Florida – Homeless students are exempt from the payment of tuition and fees, including lab fees, at a school district that provides postsecondary career programs, community college, or state university (2011 F.S. 1009.25); Florida statute establishes the definition of “homeless” usedhttp://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1009/Sections/1009.25.html

Look for resources in your state!Slide

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2013 NAEHCY Conference

RESOURCES: SCHOLARSHIPS

Check with the high school’s guidance counselor for a list of private scholarships available to area students

The LeTendre Education Fund Scholarship: www.naehcy.org/letendre_ab.html (application period closed until 2013)

Give Us Your Poor/Horatio Alger Scholarship: https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships/

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UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS

Not eligible to receive federal student aid

May be eligible for state and/or institutional aid

Depending on state, may qualify for in-state tuition General requirements

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PANEL DISCUSSION

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CONTACT US….

Cyekeia Lee, clee@naehcy.org

Jennifer Martin, martinj@nasfaa.org