Financial Aid Information & Links
The information on this page is offered as a service to the students and parents/guardians of Wilson School District and is not an endorsement of the programs by the Wilson School District or Wilson Senior High School.
Financial Aid Presentations/Webinars:
Wilson HS In-Person Events
Financial Aid Information Night
- Tuesday, February 11, 2025
- 6:30pm
- Staff Development Room/ Admin Building
- Presentation for families by Sonya Mann-MacFarland, our regional Access Partner from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)
FAFSA Assistance/ Completion Night
- Thursday, February 20, 2025
- 4pm-7pm
- Staff Development Room/ Admin Building
Families can come in with the necessary documents to work on their FAFSA, with a PHEAA representative on hand to answer questions and provide assistance as needed.
PHEAA Webinars
- Various dates and topics throughout the year
- https://www.pheaa.org/virtual/
Wyatt: Digital FAFSA Advisor
- Personal FAFSA assistance chatbot
- FREE 24/7 help by text
- https://www.getfafsahelp.org
Getting Started
Take this quiz from CollegeBoard using the parents’ and students tax information from the previous year. While just an estimate, families can gain insight into the student’s financial aid eligibility.
Use this link from the U.S. Department of Education to access the Net Price Calculator for an early financial aid award estimate at each college or university to which you plan to apply.
- What is a Net Price Calculator?
Net price calculators are available on a college’s or university’s website and 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.
Checklists for Academic and Financial Preparation
Use this link get checklists with the steps you can take to help a student’s chances of getting into—and being able to afford—the school of their choice.
FAFSA Application Process and Resources
**IMPORTANT!**
- The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 school year (applicable for students in the class of 2025) should be available to students and parents in December 2024.
- It is extremely important for students to check directly with the Financial Aid Office at EACH college to which they plan to apply to find out their deadline for submitting the FAFSA and any other financial aid forms that are required.
Whether you’re a student, parent, or borrower, you’ll need to create your own studentaid.gov account to apply for, receive, and manage your federal student aid.
What You’ll Need:
- Your Social Security number (if applicable)
- Your own email address
FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Colleges and career schools use the FAFSA form to determine how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.
- Any student, regardless of income, who wants to be considered for federal, state, and school financial aid programs. This includes grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.
- https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Get help with filling out the FAFSA with these basic tips and answers to common questions. (PHEAA)
The office of Federal Student Aid provides publications, fact sheets, online tools, and other resources to help you prepare and pay for college or career school. Most items are available in Spanish.
- Call 1-800-4-FED-AID for additional assistance
Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has evolved into one of the nation’s leading student aid organizations. Today, PHEAA is a national provider of student financial aid services, serving millions of students and thousands of schools through its loan guaranty, loan servicing, financial aid processing, outreach, and other student aid programs.
PHEAA’s Pennsylvania Student Aid Guide
Use this guide from the PHEAA as a reference to understanding the financial aid process, including the FAFSA and the PA State Grant Program. (Spanish Version available here)
Additional Financial Aid and FAFSA Resources
Answer a few simple questions and see how your college career choice could affect your financial future.
- This page answers common questions about the relationship between divorce and financial aid. It discusses which parent is responsible for completing the FAFSA, the obligations of non-custodial parents to pay for college, college support agreements, the obligations of stepparents, and the ability of non-custodial parents to take advantage of the various tax benefits for education.
FinAid (The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid)
- FinAid was established in the fall of 1994 as a public service. This award-winning site has grown into the most comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice, and tools — on or off the web. Access to FinAid is free for all users and there is no charge to link to the site.
- eStudentLoan provides resources to help you understand everything you need to know about student loans for college.