Higher Education Financial Services

OSSE 2012 SMART COLLEGE CHOICE EXPO

HEFS administers the District of Columbia’s state-level higher education grant program: the DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG) in additional to the merit based grant the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP).  HEFS also provides students with information and resources on scholarships to help fund their college education.

To learn about and apply to DCTAG, USSYP and private scholarships please visit the links below.

Learn About Grants

• DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG)
• The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)

Apply For Grants

• DCTAG
• USSYP [PDF]

Learn About and Apply for Scholarships

• College Board Searchable Scholarship Database
• Double the Numbers Searchable Scholarship Database
• Go College Searchable Scholarship Database
• The SallieMae Fund - A great source of information
• The Hope Scholarship and the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit
• The Station Education Fund

HEFS is committed to providing information, services and resources to ensure District students are prepared to pursue and be successful in college.  We host Financial Aid Conferences that provide college counselors and access providers an opportunity to build skills in financial aid counseling as well as get updates on financial aid research and data.  We conduct events designed to provide students and families financial aid information and resources and assistance in completing their DC OneApp, the District’s online application students use to apply for DCTAG.  The USSYP application can be obtained on this website at the below link.

For presentations from the DC 2012 Finanical Aid Conference please visit the link below. 

2012 Financial Aid Conference

From information on colleges, private scholarships and grants to helping students complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) our goal is to ensure students get the financial aid needed to support their college education.

Helpful Links

The below links to external web sites may be helpful to you in preparing for and financing your college education.

• DC College Savings Plan: http://www.dccollegesavings.com
• Learn about Colleges: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
• Mapping Your Future: http://www.mappingyourfuture.org/

Popular Links

• FAFSA Video: http://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/346-the-5-minute-fafsa-video
• FAFSA on the Web: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Federal Student Aid: http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp

Additional Funding Resources

Government Agencies

• Going to College (www.college.gov/wps/portal)
• IRS - "Tax Benefits for Education" (2007 Tax Credit Filing Form) (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf)
• IRS - Tax Information for Students (www.irs.gov/individuals/students/)
• US Department of Education - Student Financial Assistance (www.studentaid.ed.gov)

Career Planning

• Learn about Careers http://www.bls.gov/oco/
• Explore Careers http://mappingyourfuture.org/planyourcareer/
• Hottest Careers for College Graduates http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/majors_careers/236.html

College Planning

• College Preparation Checklist (www.studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/CollPrep.pdf)
• DC College Savings Plan http://www.dccollegesavings.com
• Going2College (going2college.org)
• Learn about Colleges http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
• Mapping Your Future (www.mappingyourfuture.org)
• My College QuickStart (www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/quickstart.html)
• National College Access Network (www.collegeaccess.org)
• The College Board (www.collegeboard.com)

Financial Aid Info

• FAFSA Application on the Web (www.fafsa.ed.gov)
• FAFSA Completion Publication (studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/completing_fafsa/)
• FAFSA Completion Video http://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/346-the-5-minute-fafsa-video
• Funding Your Education (studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/FYE/)
• Looking for Student Aid (studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/lsa/)
• Stafford Loan Forgiveness for Teachers studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/stafloan.pdf)
• Student Loan Facts (www.studentloanfacts.org)
• The Financial Aid Information Page (www.finaid.org)