Senior Decision Day IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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CHOOSING YOUR COLLEGE IMPORTANT!!

You need to check when the decision deadline is for your top choice colleges & fill out commitment paperwork accordingly or risk losing your spot.

Many colleges have a deadline of May 1st (some colleges it’s earlier so be sure to check the deadlines from the colleges)- In that case, you will have only two weeks to commit to college before the deadline when we return!!  

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  Talk with family members about your decision of what school to attend and make sure all agree. If you can visit, this is highly recommended. 

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  Select the college you will attend & fill out commitment paperwork by the deadline

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  Log into your FAFSA to make sure that it has been processed and make any necessary corrections. Do the same with TAP. 

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  In order to make an informed decision, you need to have received a financial aid award from the college (and reviewed it to see if you can afford to go).  We recommend reviewing all your financial aid awards with your post secondary counselor to see which colleges are giving you the best offer. If you got into an H/EOP or SEEK program, you can expect a good financial aid award, although if you are dorming, most students will still be expected to take out some loans, (often $3000-$5500). If you do not have a financial aid award from your top choice colleges, you can call their financial aid offices to see if you can get an estimated award.  Here’s some information we hope is helpful:

• CUNY is often the most affordable option. If your family is low income, usually the Pell & TAP grants (free money that you don’t need to pay back) pay for the whole cost without loans.

•  If your family income is under $125,000 but not low income, you may be eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship, which gives free tuition at a CUNY or SUNY (not free room & board, though, so if you are dorming, it will still cost money).

• Out of state (not New York) colleges will usually be more expensive because they charge more to students who are not residents of that state.

• If you have been accepted to a college and have not received a financial aid package yet – you could try calling the financial aid office at the college to see if they can give you a sense of  what your award will be.  

• You need to have filled out a FAFSA and TAP applications.  If you have not done so, do one with an SSC staff member ASAP. Make sure that the school you have chosen to attend is listed on your FAFSA and TAP.  (These can be fixed with an SSC staff member.)

PRIVATE AND SUNY SCHOOLS

If you have been accepted to a private or SUNY school and plan to attend, you need to notify them by their decision deadline or they may give your seat away.  Follow the directions on your acceptance letter of how to notify them and fill out any commitment paperwork and pay any commitment fees.  If you are unsure, call the school’s admissions office. (If the commitment fee is a burden for you and your family, talk with your post secondary counselor)

If you are still unsure where you will attend at the end of April, you should do the following:

1. Call the school(s) and ask for an extension on the decision deadline (this may or may not be granted - you should try to make a decision).  Make note of when your new deadline is.

2. Reserve a spot at a CUNY that you have been accepted to as a back-up plan.

CUNY SCHOOLS:  check your school website for deadlines & if you got SEEK, you should check their deadlines & commit ASAP to hold your seat). :

1. You need to create a CUNY First account (this is DIFFERENT than the account you create when you apply to CUNY). Be sure to note down your password, username, email that they give you and your EMPLID number that they also give you when you create an account in your Student Password Tracker because you will need these when you attend CUNY. 

2. Log into CUNY First. Click on “Admissions” then “Admissions Self-Service” in CUNYFirst, click on “view details” next to the school that you want to go to. If you were accepted, you should have a green button that says, “Accept Offer” and click on that. If your Student Aid Index on the FAFSA (SAI) is over $2,950, you will also need to pay a $100 commitment fee. If your Student Aid Index (SAI) was under $2,950, as is the case for most Fannie Lou students, you do NOT need to pay any deposit fee. Once you have accepted the offer check the “To Do List” on the side menu of the Student Center for additional things you will need to do eventually.