If you’re a senior in high school and thinking about going to Cuesta College in Fall 2018, the school announced that you can start signing up now for admissions, financial aid, and the “Promise Scholarships.”
In an attempt to streamline the process, Cuesta on Oct. 1 started accepting applications online, bumping up the start date from the traditional January. And prospective students can apply for all three at the same time now too.
“Previously opening in the month of January,” reads a news release from Cuesta, “students will now have access to the online scholarship application — including the Cuesta Promise Scholarship application — on the same day that the Fall 2018 admission application, the ‘Free Application for Federal Student Aid’ [FAFSA] application, and the California Dream Act application become available.”
“Our goal,” Cuesta Director of Financial Aid Patrick Scott said, “is for students to be able to complete their FAFSA, general college application, and scholarship application in one sitting, rather than having to come back on three separate dates to complete these applications. We are focusing on making the process efficient and positive for students — setting them up for success before they even step foot on the college campus.”
FAFSA is a form filled out annually by current and prospective college students in the U.S. to determine their eligibility for federal financial aid. The California Dream Act allows some undocumented students to apply for State-based financial aid.
The Cuesta College Foundation’s scholarships are open to all incoming and continuing students and can be used for tuition, textbooks, and other expenses.
The Promise Scholarship is for students who graduated from any SLO County high school and covers tuition for their first school year.
“We encourage all students to apply for scholarships,” Scott said, “many who think they won’t qualify for one end up getting multiple awards.” Promise Scholarships are worth some $1,400.
The programs have deadlines coming up next March and readers should go online for information. See: www.cuesta.edu/admissionsaid/cuestapromise. According to Cuesta, in 2017, a total of 449 scholarships were awarded to 239 students, amounting to nearly $340,000 in scholarship monies awarded. Cuesta’s Fall 2018 semester starts next August.
