STUDENTS

Federal and state financial aid is determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or from your guidance counselor or college financial aid officer. Private institutions generally also require applicants to fill out the College Scholarship Service Profile, or CSS Profile.

The financial aid package you and your family put together could include a mix of federal aid, state aid, college financial aid, out-of-pocket expenses and possibly student loans.

You should visit websites of the colleges you’re interested in and get specific information on their deadlines and the financial aid they provide.

For a list of grants, scholarships, tuition waivers and loans available in Massachusetts, visit the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance at www.osfa.mass.edu, 617.391.6070, osfa@osfa.mass.edu. For information on federal aid and loans, visit Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education.

Many factors go into determining how much aid you will receive each year. These factors, taken from the FAFSA and any other forms you fill out, may include the number of family members you have, how many family members are also in college, your summer earnings, your family’s earnings, and your family’s debt.

Using this information, the financial aid office will determine how much of the educational costs you and your family can cover (your expected contribution), and then try to give you enough aid to make up the difference between that figure and the full cost of college.

Yes. The state has established regulation to promote students’ access to quality and comprehensive health insurance while attending school in Massachusetts. Previously, many insurance plans did not provide coverage for dependents who were full-time students over the age of 19. The regulation enables students to access affordable health insurance.

Students who are covered under a health insurance plan of comparable coverage can waive the school’s plan. In order to waive coverage, students must certify that they are enrolled in another comparable plan. The following information is required for proof of comparable coverage: name of the insurance company, policy number or member identification number, name of the subscriber or primary enrollee and the relationship of that person to the student, and a statement that their current insurance is comparable to the coverage required under Massachusetts regulations. The specific waiver process is dictated by the school, and most schools choose to use an online system for students to submit waivers.  This waiver process must be done on an annual basis at the beginning of each academic year (or beginning of the spring semester for those students who begin their academic year in the spring), and many schools stipulate that waiver information may be subject to audit.

An alternate plan must provide comparable coverage to that offered through the college or university.  Comparable coverage includes, but is not limited to, providing the following services to a student throughout the school year:

1. Reasonably comprehensive coverage of health services, including preventive and primary care, emergency services, surgical services, hospitalization benefits, ambulatory patient services, and mental health services
2. Services must be reasonably accessible and in close proximity to the school location
3. Access to providers in the geographic area of the college or university.
   It is important to note that a health plan that only has a closed network of providers (i.e., no national network) and/or only provides access for emergency services when a student is out-of-area is not considered comparable coverage
4. The insurance company should be one based in the United States.