State-Level Financial Aid Update

Presented at the

2015 WVASFAA COUNSELOR WORKSHOPS

WV FAFSA CompletionThrough June 30 of each year

NUMBER OF FAFSA APPLICATIONS

AWARD YEAR TO DATE

Year Dependent Students Independent Students Award Year To Date TotalPercent Change from

Previous Year

15-16 35,152 35,747 70,899 -5.5%15-16 35,152 35,747 70,899 -5.5%

14-15 36,050 38,741 74,791 -1.6%

13-14 36,062 39,937 75,999 -3.0%

2014 College Going Rate 54.6%Decrease of 1.3% from the year before

FAFSA Filing

14-15 13-14 12-13

Statewide High School FAFSA Completion

56.7% 59.6% 58.2%

College Going 54.6% 55.9% 56.4%College Going Rate Statewide

54.6% 55.9% 56.4%

FAFSA Completion by High

School

• www.cfwvconnect.com/fafsacompletion

• Reached 55.4% for 2015-16 as of September

• Goal for 2016-2017 is

– 55% FAFSA Completion among high school seniors by April 15

– 60% FAFSA Completion by September

• February 21, 2016

• www.cfwv.com to

register to attend or

volunteer

• 25 sites throughout WV• 25 sites throughout WV

State Financial Aid Programs

Funding Levels

Program 2015-16 Funding

PROMISE Scholarship $47,500,000

Higher Education Grant $39,019,864

Higher Education Adult Part-Time Student Grant

$5,006,535Student Grant

Engineering, Science and Technology Scholarship

$452,831

Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship

$135,849

Underwood-Smith Teacher Loan Assistance

$192,500

Total $92,307,579

ACT Scores

English Math Reading Science Composite

2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014

West Virginia

20.6 20.4 19.7 19.5 21.5 21.4 20.7 20.6 20.8 20.6Virginia

National 20.4 20.3 20.8 20.9 21.4 21.3 20.9 20.8 21.0 21.0

Funding for Student Aid

WV per Resident $57

WV per Undergraduate FTE $1,069

National per Undergraduate FTE $705

National per Resident $31

Source: NASSGAP 2013-14

West Virginia ranks 9th nationally with respect to grant aid per FTE as a

result of significant investments in the Higher Education Grant Program

and PROMISE Scholarship Program.

National per Undergraduate FTE $705

Training

• Financial aid Update webinar – January 11

• How to File the FAFSA webinar – January 25

Outreach Activities

• Hired an outreach counselor who is contacting high schools to schedule financial aid nights and FAFSA workshops

• Encouraging schools to sign up and utilize the FAFSA Data ShareFAFSA Data Share

Outreach Activities

FAFSA Completion by High School

• Signed agreement with the county/school and our office

• Authorized school personnel will upload a CSV file to FAMS

• First name, last name, birth date, and zip code• First name, last name, birth date, and zip code

• We will match and disclose back to the high school which students have a Completed FAFSA, Incomplete FAFSA, or No FAFSA

FAFSA Completion by High School

• FAFSA Data Share

• No SSN is shared but information still confidential

• Information should only be used to help individual students with the FAFSAindividual students with the FAFSA

Changes to the FAFSAWhen a Student Is

Attending College (School

Year)

When a Student Can Submit a

FAFSA

Which Year’s Income

Information Is

Required

July 1, 2015–June 30, 2016 January 1, 2015–June 30, 2016 2014

July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017 January 1, 2016–June 30, 2017 2015

July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018 October 1, 2016–June 30, 2018 2015

July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019 October 1, 2017–June 30, 2019 2016

Changes for 2017-18

• FAFSA will become available October 1, 2016

– Also, have PROMISE application, ESTS and UWS applications available October 1 on CFWV

• Possibly looking at awarding PROMISE earlier before the deadline based upon 6th semester before the deadline based upon 6th semester grades and award on a rolling basis

• Similar for HEGP, of awarding on a rolling basis

• ESTS and UWS would be awarded after March 1 deadline

• Provide list of students for FAFSA Data Share

PROMISE Scholarship Program

PROMISE Scholarship Program Updates

2016 High School Graduates

• The maximum award will remain $4,750

• Academic eligibility standards is currently the same for the 2016 graduating class

• 22 ACT Composite with a minimum 20 in each subject area

• 1020 SAT Combined Score (not including writing) with a minimum score of 490 in

Critical Reading and 480 in Mathematics

•3.0 overall and core high school grade point average

• Final test dates to establish scholarship eligibility will be June 11 for the ACT and

June 4 for the SAT

• 2016-2017 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filed by

March 1, 2016, at www.fafsa.gov

• PROMISE Scholarship application must be completed on-line by March 1, 2016

on the College Foundation of West Virginia website, www.cfwv.com

PROMISE Scholarship Program Updates

2016 High School Graduates

• Students need to ensure they use the correct Social Security number

•Students will create a username (e-mail), password, and security question.

Then they will complete the PROMISE application.

•This will allow students to go back and view/edit their PROMISE application

and see the status of their application just like counselors can in FAMSand see the status of their application just like counselors can in FAMS

•Student will get a confirmation page when they complete the PROMISE

application; students retain a copy of the confirmation page

•Access to FAMS so you can see your PROMISE applicants (school

counselors only)

PROMISE Scholarship Program Updates

• Can attend out-of-state for up to 1 year and come back and

regain PROMISE if meets eligibility requirements.

• Cannot be used outside WV.

• Community service is highly encouraged.

• College courses taken in high school do not count toward

renewal; but all credits earned starting with the Fall Semester

after high school graduation do count.

PROMISE Scholarship Program Updates

• SAT is being redesigned starting with the March 2016 test

• We will not know the scores necessary with the new SAT

scoring to qualify for PROMISE until SAT releases the

crosswalk in May 2016

• SAT scores before March 2016 will fall under the current • SAT scores before March 2016 will fall under the current

requirements for PROMISE

Higher Education Grant Program

Higher Education Grant Program

• To establish academic eligibility students must have:

• A 2.0 cumulative high school gpa (confirmed by

post-secondary institutions); or

• 500 TASC/2250 GED score; or• 500 TASC/2250 GED score; or

• A 2.0 cumulative college gpa if student has college

credit

– Renewal students must also complete 24 semester hours or

equivalent

Higher Education Grant Program Updates

• 31,586 applicants were offered awards for the 2015-2016

academic year totaling $78.6 million

• All students up to a 10,000 EFC on the date we did the award

cycle were awarded.

• All non-traditional students who filed their FAFSA by July 1

up to the 10,000 EFC were awarded.

– Reserve 5% of funding for non-traditional students

Higher Education Grant Award Schedule

2015-16 Award Year

2015-16 Expected Family

Contribution ( EFC)

Maximum Annual

Higher Education Grant Award

$0 - $5,198 $2,600

$5,199 - $10,000 $2,200

Higher Education Grant Award Schedule

2016-17 Award Year

• Deadline April 15, 2016

• Student must first submit the 2016-17 FAFSA by deadline to be consideredFAFSA by deadline to be considered

Higher Education Adult Part-Time

Student (HEAPS) GrantStudent (HEAPS) Grant

Higher Education Adult Part-Time Student

(HEAPS) Grant

• $186 a credit hour for 15-16

• Students must be enrolled 3-11 hours to be eligible for HEAPS part-time

•Students must have a 2.0 cum gpa and meet SAP

•Allocations cannot be shared among institutions

•Process in spring to confirm part-time enrollment

HEAPS Workforce Grant

•Application becomes available on July 1;

•Contact the college/vocational school for application

•Can receive up to $2,000 or tuition and fees

•For Certificate or short-term training programs like •For Certificate or short-term training programs like

certified medical training, mining, gaming, etc.

•Must file the FAFSA and complete HEAPS application

Engineering, Science and

Technology Scholarship• Merit-based scholarship/forgivable loan

• March 1 application deadline

• 3.0 overall GPA

• Enrolled or accepted for enrollment full-time in an engineering,

science or technology program (4-yr, 2-yr or certificate)science or technology program (4-yr, 2-yr or certificate)

• Maximum annual award amount is $3,000

• Online application at www.cfwv.com becomes available

December 1.

• Collect high school grade information through Department of

Education

Engineering, Science & Technology

15-16 14-15 13-14

Applications 694 851 378

Awards 270 219 180

Amount Awarded $810,000 $627,706 $536,982

• Merit-based scholarship/forgivable loan

• March 1 application deadline

• Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a course leading to certification as a teacher at the pre-k,

Underwood-Smith

Teacher Scholarship

leading to certification as a teacher at the pre-k, elementary, middle or secondary level

• Must have a 3.25 GPA after completing 2 years of college (due to limited funding, high school applicants are not eligible)

• Maximum annual award amount is $5,000

Underwood-Smith

15-16 14-15 13-14

Applications 341 448 123

Awards 29 30 32

Amount Awarded $145,000 142,500 $157,500

ESTS and Underwood-Smith Program Updates

• Applications become available December 1

– Online application on CFWV

• March 1st application deadline• March 1st application deadline

• Loan assistance provided to teachers as part of Senate Bill 359

• Application will be available in spring with a deadline of September 1

Underwood-Smith

Teacher Scholarship

• Teachers can receive up to $3,000 toward their federal student loans in exchange for 2 years of service teaching full-time

• Can receive up to $15,000 total

• Scholarships for students going into nursing

• Must have completed ½ of their program

• Commit to work/teach in WV

• For LPN, RN, LPN Teaching Certificate, MSN &

West Virginia Center for Nursing

• For LPN, RN, LPN Teaching Certificate, MSN & Doctoral programs

• www.wvcenterfornursing.org

School Counselor Resources

• Printed and electronic information at www.cfwv.com

• Financial Aid Management System (FAMS)

website

• School Counselor registration for FAMS access,

https://www.wvhepc.org/secure/fams https://www.wvhepc.org/secure/fams

• Statewide Education Portal

Discussion

Contact Information

Brian Weingart, Senior Director of Financial Aid

Division of Financial Aid

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

1018 Kanawha Boulevard East, Suite 700, Charleston, WV 25301

(304) 558-4618• brian.weingart@wvhepc.edu

www.wvhepc.edu