Financial Aid
Planning on going to college, technical school or trade school? Then plan on applying for financial aid. Financial aid can be obtained through FREE money: scholarships & grants and/or through loans which are borrowed money.
- Students and parents who are planning to go to college, technical or trade school in the next year should complete the FEDERAL STUDENT AID ESTIMATOR to help understand their options for paying for college or career school. This tool provides an early estimate of how much federal student aid they may be eligible for.
- 9th -12th Grades - PUC Students 9th-12th can access SCHOLARSHIP search tools through our online 24/7 career and college exploration and planning tool Naviance. In Naviance students can “heart <3” scholarships they are interested in applying to and gain support with preparing competitive scholarship applications (i.e. - essay editing, application review and interview prep.) from: Los Angeles Public Library’s (LAPL) FREE online tutoring, using your LAPL Student Success Card, their PUC School & College Counselor and teachers.
- 12th Grade - SENIORS - PUC seniors apply for financial aid starting October 1st. The PUC School & College Counseling team works with seniors and their families to submit financial aid applications before the application and/or college/university’s deadline. NOTE some colleges/universities may have one deadline for financial aid, and an earlier deadline to access MERIT aid ($ awarded for academic performance).
***APPLY EARLY SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT ON FREE $$$$
- OCTOBER 1st (FREE applications)
ALL SENIORS can begin to apply to ONE of the following online applications:
1) Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) OR
2) California Dream Act Application (CADAA).
- OCTOBER 1st (Application has a fee)
SOME SENIORS will need to complete the CSS Profile online financial aid application used by some colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid. Colleges/Universities and scholarship programs requiring the CSS Profile have different deadlines.
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- Check to see if you qualify for the CSS Profile Fee Waiver.
- Some CA institutions that require the CSS Profile include: USC, CalTech, Occidental College, Stanford University and Scripps to name a few.. Check to see which schools require the CSS Profile: CSS Profile Participating Institutions and Programs
- Los Angeles College Promise (LACP) - FREE community college for 2-year degree and/or certificates. Note each community college has their own LACP contacts and webpage: Examples: LA Mission College LACP, LA City College LACP, LA Trade Tech LACP, etc.
- Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) - Participating public colleges/universities provide nonresident tuition savings for Western (CA) students.