Seniors
What is the RDS?
Colleges need to know if you are an in-state (a resident of NC) or out-of-state student in order to know how much to charge you for attendance. The RDS is North Carolina's way of determining where you live.
The Residency Determination Service (RDS) was established in coordination with the University of North Carolina (UNC), the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), and the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) as the centralized service for determining residency for students. This service enables a student to use one residency determination for admissions applications to multiple North Carolina public colleges and universities and to demonstrate residency for state aid programs consideration at all (public and private) North Carolina colleges and universities.
What is the FAFSA?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form you need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. Each year, over 13 million students who file the FAFSA get more than $120 billion in grants, work-study, and low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Education.
Lots of states and colleges also use the FAFSA to determine which students get financial aid—and how much they’ll get.
The FAFSA asks for information about you and your family’s finances, including tax returns, so you’ll need your parents’ help to complete it.
FAFSA Facts
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Submitting the FAFSA is the most important thing you can do if you want financial aid.
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The FAFSA is free—you don’t need to pay anyone to prepare it for you.
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You need to submit a new FAFSA before each academic year in which you want to get aid. If you plan to apply for aid throughout college, you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA each year.
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Be sure to use a permanent email address on the form, not your high school email, so you can use your FAFSA account throughout college.
(information from the FAFSA website and CollegeBoard.org)
How do I get Scholarships?
Local Organizations
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Check out local opportunities in Caldwell County. Leadership organizations like the Kiwanis Club, Ruritan Club, Rotary Club, Blue Ridge Healthcare, and many more offer funding opportunities to local high school students. Be sure to talk to to your guidance counselors at school to learn about local scholarship opportunities!
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West Caldwell High School has a great list of local scholarships; you can find this list here.
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Local Churches
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Ask your employer or your parents' employers to see if they offer any scholarship opportunities.
CFNC
The College Foundation of North Carolina is a great resource in planning your college journey. They include information about funding/scholarships, but also help in choosing your college, deciding a possible career path, and more.
College-Specific Funding
Be sure to research what scholarship opportunities are provided at the schools you apply to. Lots of colleges, especially 4-year schools, offer programs designed to help freshmen succeed and pay for college. Examples of this can be scholarships for future teachers, medical professionals, and more. There are often also similar programs for students who are interested in community service or becoming better leaders. Some schools also provide support (both financial and academic) for low-income/first generation college students/minority students.
Kristin and Sarah are happy to look over college websites with you to see what opportunities are out there!