10 FAFSA Tips for Health Students

A guest post from Casey Roberts

As any student can tell you, paying for school can be the most difficult part of all.  But luckily, there are literally millions of students each year who have the same problem.  No matter if you are studying dentistry, radiology, or becoming a brain surgeon, there are financial aid options for you.  To prove it, we have included just ten tips every health student should know.

1. FAFSA – The Free Application for Federal Student Aid should be the first item any student attending any college should take on.  A copy can easily be obtained online, at your high school, or at the college you are considering attending.

2. Correct FAFSA – The rules to financial aid are always changing and so are the FAFSA forms.  Before you fill yours out, make sure that it is for the current year, as last year's form may not apply.

3. Early is better – Because the FAFSA is such a lengthy form, be sure and get started as early as possible as it will ask for all your information, your income, your parent's income, and much more.

4. Do it online – If you have an internet enabled device at home, use www.fafsa.ed.gov to fill out the FAFSA.  It will take all the usual hassles away from filling out paper forms and even has tips as you fill it out.

5. Dependent or not – If you are still living with your parents, chances are you might be a dependent.  However, those who don't or who do live with their parents and pay for their own school might be classified as independents.  Know which you are and which you should be to ensure the best results.

6. It's all free – If you have questions about filling out the FAFSA or any financial aid form, don't pay someone to help you.  The counselors at your high school or future college are paid to know the answers and can help you at no charge.

7. Deadlines – As with most things, there are deadlines for the FAFSA.  There is an early, on-time, and late deadline.  Getting your FAFSA in by the early one has many advantages including the option to reapply if your first application is wrong and the option of seeing how much financial aid you qualify for, which can help you decide between colleges.

8. No blanks – Even though an item on the FAFSA may not apply to you, it is important not to leave any line blank.  If you are positive the item does not apply to you, put in a “0.”  If unsure, ask a counselor.

9. No lying – It may be tempting to lie about something like income to get better financial aid results, but FAFSA will use you and your parent's income tax information to confirm your answers, so be sure and do it right.

10. Repeat – Most students plan to attend school for at least two years, and the FAFSA and financial aid process should be repeated for every year of school.  This is doubly true for students whose financial circumstances change, as the amount of financial aid can change too.

Bonus! Beyond FAFSA – FAFSA is the standard for financial aid, but many schools have their own forms as well.  These are also to be filled out for every school you plan on applying to.  The best part is if you fill out and turn everything early enough, you will know how much the school will cost out of pocket.

Casey Roberts is a student and also writes for http://radiologyassistant.org Radiology Assistant which helps students find the right radiology degree.

Scholarship Opportunities

We don't have many scholarships to take advantage of. The very few that may be available are in very minimal amounts and are highly competitive! There are some scholarships however, that often go unexplored. Here are a few:

  
1. National Health Service Corps Scholarship (NHSC)
This scholarship, from the Department of Health and Human Services provides their scholars with full tuition, fees, books, clinical supplies, instruments and other education costs. It also awards the recipient a monthly stipend of $1,326.00. This scholar is required to serve an underprivileged area for the amount of years of support of this scholarship (2 yrs being the minimum).  This is a great opportunity to get help with the cost of professional school. To be eligible you MUST:
                        i. Be a U.S Citizen or National
                       ii. Enrolled or Accepted for Enrollment
                      iii. Pursuing any of the following degrees in an accredited U.S School:
                                  a. Physician: M.D or D.O
                                  b. Dentist: DDS or DMD
                                  c. Family Nurse Practitioner
                                  d. Certified Nurse Mid-Wife
                                  e. Physician Assistant
If you would like to off-set the expenses of a health profession program and are committed to services, this scholarship would be a great opportunity to explore. You may go to the National Health Service Corps Website here for more information on this wonderful opportunity.

2. Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)

This scholarship is offered by the U.S Navy, U.S Army and the U.S Air Force. This is very similar to the previous scholarship as the Armed Forces covers the full tuition plus a $20,000 sign-on bonus, fees, books, clinical supplies, instruments and other education costs. They all award their scholars with a monthly stipend of approximately $1900.00 . These awards are made with a commitment that after the scholar has graduated, he/she will serve as a commissioned medical department officer in the armed forces - each year of service for each year of scholarship support. To learn more about these scholarship you may visit their websites:

The U.S Army HPSP

The U.S Navy HPSP 

The U.S Air Force HPSP

Take advantage of these opportunities! If you are eligible and are committed to serving the under-represented of this country - these scholarships would be ideal.

*Periodically come back for more scholarship opportunities!

*If you are a Dental Student and a Minority, join the Aid for Minority dental Students cause on facebook.

* Don't forget to visit The Stu-DENT Shoppe! Lots of great things for the soon to be Dentistas!!

How to Fund Your Dental School Career

Dental School is very expensive to attend. However, you shouldn't let the cost defer you from your dream of becoming a dental professional. It is true that some schools may cost well over $300,000 over four years! It is scary figure, but, it is a worthwhile investment, as the average dental professional makes well over $100,000 per annum. So how exactly can one go about paying all that money? There are several ways:

1. Scholarships - There are very few scholarships out there. However, it is important to search for scholarships to help to defer the cost of dental school. You may check the ADA website for some scholarships. Also, check your designated schools for scholarship listings.
i. Health Professions Scholarship Program - These are scholarships offered through the Navy, Army and Air Force where full tuition coverage plus a monthly stipend is awarded, in addition to summer military training. In return, you owe the respective branch 1 year for each year the scholarship was granted. Example: If you got the scholarship for the whole four years of dental school, then you owe the respective branch four years of service.
ii. National Health Service Corps - This organization offers scholarships for those who are eligible. They offer up to the full cost of attendance plus a monthly stipend. In return the awardee is required to serve an underprivileged neighborhood/area (example: federal prison) 1 year for each year the scholarship is awarded.

2. Federal Student Aid -  All dental students will be considered for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Free Applications are usually given to students from their designated schools. The FAFsa information is used to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). From this, the Cost of Attendance (COA) will be subtracted to determine financial need.

3. Loans  
i. Federal Stafford loans: Students are automatically considered for Stafford loans as a result of filing FAFSA. There are two types of Stafford loans, Subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized means the federal government pays the interest on the loan until you graduate, and for a grace period of several months after graduation. Unsubsidized means that you are responsible for paying the interests immediately upon taking out the loan; however, you may opt to defer payment of the interest until after you graduate, in which case the interest is simply added to your principal. The interest on these loans are low, currently fixed at 6.80%.
ii. Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL) - The HPSL is another option available to dental students. It has a fixed interest rate of 5% and the interests are subsidized. repayment of this loan begins 12 months after graduation with a maximum of 10 years to repay. The award is based on parental income.
iii. The Perkins Loan - This loan is need-based and has a fixed interest rate of 5%. Interests are subsidizedand repayment usually begins 9 months after graduation.
iv.  Graduate PLUS loan - This loan does not have a limit on how much one may borrow - you may borrow uo to the full cost of attendance, Interest rates are 7.90%
 v. Other Loans - The Educational Resource Institute (TERI)is a non profit group that provides up to $225,000 in loans to dental school students. There are some banks, including Citibank, who offer similar loans. Citibank will loan a dental student up to $220,000 for school itself, and up to $12,000 additional toward a residency after graduation. Many state governments, too, offer dental school student loans. Check with your state Department of Education or the dental school.

 4. Loan Forgiveness - There are several programs that offer forgiveness of your loans. Some, like the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC-LRP) pay health care professionals funds in additional to salary in exchange for work in designated need areas.

So, don't let the cost of attending dental school hold you back from pursuing your dream and/or goal of becoming a dental professional. There are many funding options that one can take advantage of.