Scholarships and Financial Aid

How Do I Find Money For College?

This information is being provided to assist Fishers High School students and parents in their search for scholarships and financial aid.

Scholarships are usually based on student GPA, SAT and/or ACT scores, community involvement, and future field of study. The “stronger” the resume you have, the more scholarships you will be eligible for. Please keep in mind that scholarships are extremely competitive at all levels. It is suggested to apply for everything and anything for which you are eligible. You should put in the time and effort needed to make a superior application. This will sharpen the competitive edge you will need!

The internet has become a vital part of scholarship and financial aid searches. Throughout the “FHS Scholarship Guide” (linked above) you will find references to various websites. If you do not have access to the internet at home and would like a copy of the scholarship information, please contact Guidance.

Be sure to continue to look for scholarships because the scholarship lists are updated frequently. New scholarship information is made available on Twitter @FishersGuidance, on Canvas, on the student announcements, on the FHS website, in Naviance and in the Scholarship files in the Guidance Office.

Please contact your guidance counselor for assistance during the school year. The phone number for Guidance is 317-915-4293. Please feel free to browse through the resources available in the Guidance Office during our regular office hours on Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

It is also important that you contact the colleges and universities where you intend to apply and request information for available scholarships. Typically, the smaller private colleges will offer more scholarships and financial aid to help offset their higher tuition rates. Fastweb is one of the largest and most complete sources of scholarships available. This website offers personalized scholarship matching with a database of over 1.5 million different scholarships worth over 3.4 billion dollars. These scholarships are offered by thousands of different institutions and organizations worldwide.

View the Financial Aid Presentation presented at Fishers High School on October 24, 2023.

Financial Aid Guide

Top 175 Scholarships

General Scholarship/ Aid Info

FHS Scholarship Guide

US Dept. of Edu.

Student Scholarship Search

INvestEd Indiana

FAFSA

Federal and State Aid

To receive any Federal or State funding for post-secondary education, parents/students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA. The FAFSA will be available for parents/students beginning January 1st of the senior year. The FAFSA cannot be filled out any earlier as it is based on the previous year’s tax records and income. To be considered for State Aid the FAFSA must be filed by April 15th, although some colleges set earlier deadlines. Fishers High School will host a FAFSA information night and financial aid workshop for parents in January. It can be filled out electronically on the Federal Student Aid website.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information

Scholarships and financial aid can be obtained through three major components: Federal and State Aid (FAFSA), specific colleges/universities, and merit based competitive scholarships.

Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, ensures that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded financial assistance for education beyond high school. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by colleges, universities, and career schools to award federal student aid and most state and college aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is found online.

Please remember, submitting the FAFSA is free. Learn more about FAFSA.

The FAFSA can be filed as early as October 1st. The earlier submission date requires the previous year’s income and tax information. For example, on the 2023-24 FAFSA, 2021 income and tax information will be reported, rather than 2022 income and tax information. Even if you feel you will not qualify for any federal aid, it is still a good idea to apply anyway. Many independent scholarships require a copy of the FAFSA to go along with the application.

PLEASE NOTE: TO BE CONSIDERED FOR ANY FINANCIAL AID FROM THE STATE OF INDIANA, THE FAFSA MUST BE COMPLETED AND RECEIVED BY APRIL 15TH.

Your source for FREE information on preparing for and funding education beyond high school is the U.S. Department of Education. Please be cautioned that other websites may charge a fee for this service.

Institution Specific

Specific Colleges and Universities

Just about every post-secondary institution that you apply to will offer scholarships and financial aid for incoming freshmen. These opportunities are not available through the high school guidance office but rather by contacting the college or university’s Office of Financial Aid. The webpage of the college or university that you are considering should have a link to incoming freshman scholarships and the steps needed to apply. These scholarships are going to be more competitive at the major state universities (IU, Purdue). Private colleges/universities tend to offer more opportunities for scholarships to help offset the much higher tuition costs. Bottom line: Contact the college or universities Office of Financial Aid.

Merit Based

Merit-based Competitive Scholarships

These scholarships are funded through numerous organizations, some local and some national. The number of scholarships out there are far too numerous to list here. The best way to find out which scholarships fit your resume best is to go to either www.fastweb.com or www.scholarships.com these two sites have over 800,000 different scholarships for high school seniors. Basically, these sites have you fill out a personal profile that will include your GPA, extra-curricular activities, community involvement, and everything else from gender to ethnicity. The database will catch the scholarships that you would be competitive with. Remember, these are open competitions, available to students throughout the country so just filling out the application does not mean you will win it. Scholarship searches can be a daunting task but very manageable if you get started early on during senior year. Never use a site or service that charges any fee to locate scholarships for you and never apply for a scholarship that charges a fee. If you are skeptical about any service or scholarship that you come across, always contact your counselor. Local businesses and organizations will have some opportunities as well.

UACS

2023-24 Uniform Application for Community Scholarships (UACS)

The 2023-24 Uniform Application for Community Scholarships (UACS) is now open. This application is a great way to apply for many local scholarships offered by Fishers and Hamilton County community organizations as well as the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation. The scholarship application deadline is March 7, 2024. Visit https://www.hsefoundation.org/students-parents/scholarship-application/ for more information.