Outside scholarships and federal aid

Paying for College
1

Hey! So I’ve finally made the choice of where I’m planning to atend (Flagler College in St. Augustine) and had some questions about financial aid. Flagler’s award package was amazing - if I were to take the $5500 in Stafford loans it would praftically be a full ride. When I visited I went over my aid package with ny financial aid counselor and she recommended that I look at outside scholarships to bridge the gap before assuming loans.

Now, my financial aid package has of federal need-based aid. I have ab EFC of $0 and was given the full Pell grant, FRAG, FSAG, and FSEG. I also have $4000 a year in merit (the max they give to incoming freshman) and FAS for Bright Futures.

I know that my merit and Bright Futures wouldn’t be affected by outside scholarships, but would I be at risk of losing my federal need-based aid? For example, if I won a $1,500 scholarship, would that be added to my aid package with no other changes, or are my grants at risk of being reduced?

Thank you so much for your help guys!

2

Your fed aid is a Pell Grant, and that won’t change

3

The amount of SEOG and FSEG is set by the school, and it’s possible they’d award less next year, but very unlikely. They WANT you to reduce your loans if possible.

Try for the outside scholarships and perhaps reduce your loans.

Congratulations. Flagler is one of my favorite schools and St. Augustine definitely one of my favorite cities.