Paying for College

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Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions you can make. Choosing how you are going to pay for it is important too. You probably have more options than you realize, and you may be surprised by what it actually costs to attend various institutions. Be sure to take advantage of the C&CC when deciding what to do about financial aid, and check out all of the resources below. 

The Real Cost of College

Before you start looking at the various financial aid options available to you, it's important that you know what the "real" cost of college is according to the colleges' own "net price calculators." A lot of students assume that a community college is the least expensive route, but depending on your family income, California State Universities and even University of California campuses might be less expensive in the long run. Have a look at this map comparing the cost of attending any of the ten University of California campuses to nearby CSUs and community colleges. 

California State CAL Grants

What is a Cal Grant Award?
​A Cal Grant is money for college you don’t have to pay back. To qualify, you must apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) by the deadline and meet the eligibility and financial requirements as well as any minimum GPA requirements. Cal Grants can be used at any University of California, California State University or California Community College, as well as qualifying independent and career colleges or technical schools in California.

​There are three kinds of Cal Grants — A, B and C — but you don’t have to figure out which one to apply for. Your eligibility will be based on your FAFSA or CADAA responses, your verified Cal Grant GPA, the type of California colleges you list on your FAFSA and whether you’re a recent high school graduate. 

Federal Pell Grants

What is a Pell Grant Award?
The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain postbaccalaureate students to promote access to postsecondary education. Students may use their grants at any one of approximately 5,400 participating postsecondary institutions. Grant amounts are dependent on: the student's expected family contribution (EFC) (see below); the cost of attendance (as determined by the institution); the student's enrollment status (full-time or part-time); and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less. Check out your Pell Grant eligibility by clicking the button below. 

Applying for Grants

FAFSA

California Dream Act Application
The Free Application For Student Aid is an online application that must be completed by all students seeking federal grants and loans, as well as state grants. To be eligible to file a FAFSA, you must be a citizen or legal resident of the U.S. The application requires a thorough reporting of your family's income and assets. In past years, students had to wait until January 1st to submit their FAFSA, but beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, students may submit their applications online on October 1st. Furthermore, students may use Income Tax Return information from 2018. It is important that students complete and submit the FAFSA as early as possible, and for this reason the College & Career Center will be open all late on October 1st to help students complete and submit their applications. Be sure to check in and find out exactly what information you will need to have on hand! 
If you are not eligible to apply for FAFSA because of your immigration status, you should instead complete a California Dream Act Application. In the state of California undocuscholars are eligible for institutional scholarships, institutional grants and loans, Cal Grants, and Board of Governor's (BOG) Fee Waivers. 

Online Scholarship Services

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There are several online scholarship services that are definitely worth checking out. These services, after you supply them with some criteria, will send you notifications when scholarships become available for which you may be eligible. The trick with all of them is to be sure that you supply as many filters as possible, and that you stay on top of your notifications, otherwise your email will get flooded and it will be hard to figure out what's worth looking at and what you should delete. While it may seem tedious, consider this: 1) If you use your school email, it will all go away in August when your school email account is closed; and 2) you may end up collecting thousands of dollars in scholarships for a few minutes work each day. 

​Checkout the Scholarship Search page for tips and resources!

Local Scholarships

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Calistoga High Seniors are incredibly fortunate to have extremely generous local donors who have been providing scholarships for many years. These scholarships range in amount from $500 to $2,500 per year, and at least one of the scholarships awarded each year is in the amount of $10,000 to be disbursed in the amount of $2,500 each year for four years. 

Applying for the Local Scholarships is easy. All application materials are available on the College & Career Center website, and all applications are submitted directly to the College & Career Center. From there, student applications are matched up with the selection criteria established by the various donors -- some donors are looking specifically to fund the highest achieving students, while others are looking for the students with the highest financial need. Some donors are particularly interested in helping a student who may have struggled to be successful in the past, but has demonstrated determination and persistence, while others may be looking for students who have expressed an interest in a particular field of study.