Gregori High School Financial Aid and Scholarships Information

It is not possible to maintain a comprehensive database for college scholarships and financial aid opportunities. However, students and their families should plan early and begin to search for possible scholarship matches as soon as possible. Our strong recommendation is that families avoid using any fee-based "services" that offer to find scholarships - in most cases these are unnecessary, and, in some cases, these are criminal scams. There are numerous free services that provide the same information. If your family is planning to apply for financial aid, be sure to tell your college counselor as we may be able to direct you to specific opportunities for which you qualify.

FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid

This FREE application form is the first step to procuring financial aid from the federal government as well as from colleges and universities. This site provides instructions on how to complete the FAFSA, as well as a FAFSA4caster that will allow you to plan ahead for your estimated college costs during your junior year. The new FAFSA becomes available online on January 1 of your senior year. REMEMBER: you must complete the FAFSA to be eligible for financial aid and/or scholarships at every college and university in the U.S.

CSS Profile - College Scholarship Service Profile

Although not every college requires the Profile, many private universities require a completed application in order to be eligible for any institutional financial aid. Many of the member colleges use the information collected on the Profile to help them award nonfederal student aid funds. It is very important to determine which colleges require the Profile; a complete list of member colleges can be found on the Profile website. The new Profile usually becomes available online in October of your senior year. There is a fee to submit the CSS Profile; the College Board automatically awards fee waivers based on the information you provide on the form.

California Student Aid Commission

This site contains good, basic financial aid information. It is offered by the State of California and it provides links to financial aid sites, lenders, job opportunities and application deadlines. It also provides a link to Cal Grant information, a need and merit-based grant awarded to students who attend participating colleges in California. The deadline to submit your FAFSA to be eligible for a Cal Grant is March 2 of your senior year.

SCF – Stanislaus Community Foundation Scholarship

Stanislaus Community Foundation uses a free common, online application for scholarship funds that accept applications through the SCF office.  The application is universal and will match students with scholarships they are eligible for.

FinAid! - The Smart Guide to Financial Aid

Sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, this page provides links to hundreds of sources of information about student aid and scholarships. This site provides a terrific glossary of financial aid terms, a complete overview of financial aid methodology, as well as useful FAQ's.

FastWeb! - Free Scholarship Search

This site is the nation's largest scholarship database. If you register with FastWeb, you will have access to free scholarship searches, personalized scholarship matching, internship searches, as well as financial aid and student loan help. FastWeb will send you regular emails with scholarship updates and application deadline reminders.

CollegeNet Scholarship Search

This site is another scholarship database that will allow you to search for scholarships based on your personal profile. CollegeNet also provides scholarship and financial applications for member colleges which saves information and prevents you having to duplicate information when filling out forms.

How to Handle Letters of Recommendation

The Do’s and Don’ts

DO’s…

  • Remember that all counselor/teacher recommendations are confidential and will be sent directly to the requesting campus. They are not returned to the student, nor seen by the student (department policy)

  • Give your recommenders plenty of lead time (3 weeks minimum, 4 weeks is preferred)

  • Provide a copy of your Personal Profile Information Form to your recommender

    • You can access the template from the JGHS College Counseling website or copies are in the Career Center

  • Clearly communicate due dates for each college

  • If an electronic version of your college application is NOT available, you MUST provide stamped addressed envelopes (TWO STAMPS per envelope) with JGHS as the return address:

Joseph A. Gregori High School
3701 Pirrone Road
Modesto, California 95356

  • Waive your confidentiality rights through your SchooLinks account. Failure to do so may give colleges the impression that your recommender did not feel the freedom to comment honestly

  • Seek out teachers who know you on a personal level

DON’T…

  • Forget to double check all your paperwork for completion before submitting to your counselor

  • Request a letter of recommendation right before Winter Break that is due during the break or immediately upon return

  • Drop your paperwork off without talking to your counselor/teacher

    • Many times, there are details that need to be clarified (see your counselor/teacher during lunch, after school or set up an appointment)

The following information may be needed for your college applications and the Common Application.

Save this for your future use. -CEEB Code: 052031

(Needed for college applications and SAT/ACT registration)

Name: Joseph A. Gregori High School

Address: 3701 Pirrone Road, Modesto, CA 95356

Phone: (209) 574-1738 Fax: (209) 574-1739