Financial Assistance Guide

FINANCIAL TIPS PURSUE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND OPPORTUNITY GRADUATE ON TIME Taking 15 credits a semester will help you graduate on time. Reducing your time in college saves money on tuition and expenses. Did you know that a fifth class can be taken in one semester, often free of additional tuition? TEXTBOOKS: RENT OR BUY USED A Student can save hundreds of dollars a year by first searching for used or rental textbooks before buying new. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TAX CREDITS Tax credits like the American Opportunity Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit can offer up to $2,500 a year in tax credits to offset your cost of attendance. BORROWWISELY Be aware of which aid types require repayment. Scholarships never require repayment. Only borrowwhat you can afford to repay. DEVELOP A FINANCIAL PLAN Use SUNY Smart Track’s Financial Literacy Tools to explore your path after college and develop a financial plan. Learnmore at www.suny.edu/smarttrack/literacy PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES ARE FREE Applying for private scholarships from outside the college can result inmoney for tuition and expenses that does not need to be repayed. Every bit counts towards your expenses; books and travel costs can be offset bymultiple small awards. Start your search here: www.fastweb.com www.studentaid.gov www.bigfuture.org www.sunywcc.edu/scholarships Westchester Community College helped Jeremiah followhis dreams by linking himupwith a scholarship that fueled his self-development. Jeremiah graduatedwith a dual degree in Cybersecurity and Computer Information Systems. His goal is to continue his education at MIT or Cornell and then establish a tech company that bridges the cybersecurity gap between the Westernworld and Africa. Jeremiah Konde Chaettle, Westchester Community College Class of ’19