Next Financial Aid Workshop on Evening of Dec. 15Next Financial Aid Workshop on Evening of Dec. 15

All graduating seniors in the State of Illinois are required to officially complete the financial aid process for post-secondary education. Students that will be enlisting in the military, or do not intend to continue on with their education in the 2023-2024 school year, can, with parent permission, choose to opt out of this requirement. The vast majority of students will complete this requirement through the successful submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which utilizes family income information from the 2021 calendar year to determine student need. Students that are not US citizens can qualify for Illinois state-based aid through the Alternative Application for Financial Aid established through the 2019 RISE Act. Submission of the Alternative Application will also satisfy state graduation requirements.

East Aurora High School, in partnership with our colleagues at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), have worked diligently to make sure our students and their families have the resources they need to meet this graduation requirement and, most importantly, have the funding they need to pursue greater levels of education. To that end, we have hosted a number of Financial Aid Workshops and Information nights to help our families both prepare, and in many cases, officially submit their financial aid applications. East High families are highly encouraged to submit their information prior to the start of the new year in order to best position their students for the greatest amount of available need-based funding. The last Financial Aid Evening Workshop of 2022 will be at 6 PM on December 15. There will be additional workshop dates in the Spring semester as well. There will always be Spanish speaking professionals at these events to assist all of our families with this process. 

Additionally the ISAC representative that works with East Aurora students, Ms. Lauren Waitt, is available during all lunch periods on Mondays and Thursdays in the College and Career Center. She can also make appointments with students and families outside of those times as well.