As the social/emotional experts of their schools, school counselors provide services through comprehensive school counseling programs, which include individual counseling, group counseling, consultation with parents, teachers, administration, and community stakeholders.
Career and College Information
Financial Aid Information
Financial Aid is money to help pay for college or career school. There are four main ways to look for money to help pay for your post-secondary education: Federal Aid, State Aid, Institutional Aid (from the college or career school), and Scholarships.
Scholarships
Bright Futures Scholarship Program
IRSC – The Indian River State College Foundation awards more than $1.9 Million annually to deserving IRSC students.
Raise.me
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These bite-sized scholarships are called “Micro-Scholarships”. When students add achievements to their Portfolio on Raise.me, they could be eligible to earn Micro-Scholarships towards partner colleges. These achievements can include good grades, participating in clubs, playing on a sports team, volunteering, or even starting a club. They can include AP or IB courses, honors classes, and college-level courses, too.
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Federal Aid
Federal Student Aid plays a central and essential role in supporting postsecondary education by providing money for college to eligible students and families. FASFA partners with postsecondary schools, financial institutions and others to deliver services that help students and families who are paying for college.
Each year, the FAFSA opens October 1st for seniors to complete at: https://fafsa.gov/
- All seniors are to complete the 2022-2023 application if they are attending a university, college, technical college, or enlisting in the military.
- If you are planning on starting in the summer you will also complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA application
- All seniors need to complete the FAFSA during the fall of their senior year.
- Some colleges have priority FAFSA deadlines-Submit your FAFSA in October to try and earn the most money possible for college!
- Many colleges will not consider you for merit aid unless you complete the FAFSA! Apply even if you don’t think you will qualify!
State Aid
The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) State Programs, within the Florida Department of Education, administers a variety of post-secondary educational state-funded grants and scholarships, and provides information to students, parents, and high school and postsecondary professionals.
The FFAA (Florida Financial Aid Application) is a free application that could help seniors qualify for state grants and scholarships and also includes the Bright Futures Scholarship.
- https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org
- Application opens October 1st for the Class of 2022
- Seniors will submit the application in the fall but have until graduation to meet all requirements.
Institutional Aid
Institutional aid, unlike federal or state aid, is money from your college or university. It is often available to incoming students (seniors) as well as current students at the college.
The first step to applying for institutional aid is completing the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Many colleges and universities use this form to determine what need-based aid, grants, loans, or scholarships they may offer a student.
Check the financial aid websites of the colleges/universities you are applying to for information regarding priority deadlines and additional scholarship applications.
For example:
IRSC Financial Aid Website: https://irsc.edu/financial-aid/index.html
IRSC Foundation Website: IRSC Foundation – Scholarships