Smart Money Moves
Scholarships and Financial Aid news: March 2021
Our Mission
We will assist public middle and high school students in Forsyth County in preparing themselves for successful college enrollment.
Our Vision
To ensure that every public school student in Forsyth County has the opportunity to attend college.
In this issue
How to Apply for Crosby Scholars Scholarships
Crosby Scholars March Scholarship Opportunities
$250 Cultural Awareness Scholarship Opportunity at The Piedmont Opera
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships
Financial Aid Help
- After the FAFSA: What happens next?
- Crosby Scholars Financial Aid Services
- How to Decipher Your Financial Aid Offers
- Need help? Schedule a Zoom meeting with our Financial Aid Coordinator
Need help applying for Crosby Scholars Scholarships in the Student Portal? Watch this step by step video!
Upcoming Crosby Scholarship Deadlines - Apply now!
$250 Cultural Awareness Scholarship Opportunity at The Piedmont Opera
The Piedmont Opera will offer virtual performances of Cinderella on March 19 and 21. Details on how to enter the opportunity to win a $250 scholarship for watching one of the virtual performances will be posted in your Crosby Scholars Student Portal!
Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships
TMCF offers three types of unique scholarships that are merit, plus need-based designed to address the financial needs of students attending a TMCF member-school or other accredited college or university (if applicable). The awards process is highly competitive and is given to outstanding and qualified students who plan to earn a baccalaureate, graduate or law degree. The average award is $3,100 per student per semester. Most scholarships are one year, non-renewable unless otherwise indicated.
After the FAFSA: What Happens Next?
Meet Ashly Wilson, our Scholarships & Financial Aid Coordinator!
How to Decipher your Financial Aid Offers
A school aid offer (sometimes called an award letter) tells you what financial aid you can receive at a particular college or career school.
If you’ve applied to several schools, be sure to compare aid offers to see which school will be the most affordable.
You might get a tentative aid offer from a school and then find that it changes later. This could happen for a variety of reasons, such as if you indicated that you plan to live on campus when you submitted your FAFSA form but then later decided to live off campus or if you are selected for verification.
Because your financial aid package is created for you and is based on the cost of attending a particular school, your aid amounts will vary from school to school.
Figuring Out Net Price
Follow these easy steps to figure out your net price, or net cost, for each school, and find out which school will be most affordable for you.
- First, find the cost of attendance for your program on the aid offer. If the school doesn’t list the cost of attendance on the aid offer, ask the financial aid office for this figure. Make sure it includes amounts you will pay to the school directly (such as tuition and fees) as well as other costs (such as living expenses, books and supplies, and transportation).
- Next, subtract the grant and scholarship amounts on your aid offer from the cost of attendance amount. Also subtract any savings you have available to put toward your school costs for the school year. The remaining amount is your net or out-of-pocket cost.
- Compare the net costs for the schools you are considering. The net cost is the amount you will have to pay out of your pocket, using earnings from work or loan funds that you borrow.
For instance, it’s important to understand what you’re being offered (e.g., which items in the offer are grants and which are loans). You also need to think about which aid to accept.
Also, because your aid offer might include student loans, it’s important for you to compare the amount of debt you would be taking on at the schools you are considering.
If you find that you’ll need to take out a larger amount in private loans at one school than at another, you should pay special attention to the terms and conditions of the private loans so you understand what your obligations would be. Read about federal versus private loans.
Have questions or need help with Financial Aid? Schedule a Zoom meeting with our Financial Aid Coordinator
Crosby Scholars Community Partnership
Email: info@crosbyscholars.org
Website: crosbyscholars.org
Location: 2701 University Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Phone: 336-725-5371