Peoria Promise is a 100% donor-funded scholarship that provides out-of-pocket tuition opportunities for qualifying city of Peoria students to successfully complete coursework at Illinois Central College. Although there has been rumors about the students of Peoria Heights being a part of this organization, that is not entirely true. Students that had lived in Peoria for at least three years and then moved to Peoria Heights still qualify for 50% tuition from the Peoria Promise. The application window opens February 1st. If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Wenzel.
When looking around for colleges close to home, Eureka College is a great one to keep in mind. Even though it is most famously known for being the college that President Ronald Reagan attended, Eureka has a lot to offer outside of his legacy. It is a small school with many majors. Eureka also attracts many students due to the low tuition costs, something often seen in small colleges. Eureka’s most famous majors are in the areas of liberal arts and science, but it also has many other majors from social studies to business. One quality about Eureka that attracts many students is the class size, which is 13 students to every teacher. This is a class size that is very reminiscent of classes here at Peoria Heights. Eureka has more than forty sports and clubs, and it is a NCAA Division III school. So, when thinking of colleges around home, keep Eureka in mind!
Paying for college can be a scary thought. Thousands of dollars in debt and to have it pile up for four years scares many people. Thankfully, there are many different programs that exist to help lessen that debt. One of the biggest programs of this kind is FAFSA. FAFSA, also known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, offers thousands of dollars in public assistance to college students, but it is on a first-come first-serve basis. Because of that, if you haven’t already started your FAFSA, it would be wise to do so now because money is quickly running out. There are a few items you will need to have with you though before you start the application. First, you will need to create a FAFSA ID through the website. This will be a login for you, but it also will serve as your ID while on FAFSA because it will be checked and verified by Social Security. Along with your ID, you will want to make sure you know your social security number and have your parents’ taxes on hand. The FAFSA asks many questions about your income and about your taxes, so it is essential you have your taxes done to complete the FAFSA. If you have not done 2015’s taxes yet, fear not. Instead, you can use 2014’s taxes and there will be an option for you to go back in later and update your tax information once your parents have filed. The FAFSA can be scary at times, but remember that we are talking about potentially receiving several thousand dollars of aid, so make sure it fill it out.
Besides FAFSA, there is another place many get money for college from and that is through scholarships. Scholarships are really easy to do because for most all you have is an essay to write. The school has some scholarships as well and they will be going up by the end of January. Besides the school scholarships, there are many other places to find scholarships, so make sure to look around. Paying for college can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. If you are willing to put in the work, you can earn enough money to pay for college. If you have any questions or need any help, come talk to Mrs. Wenzel or to the financial aid advisor, Ms. Gray, when she comes in every other Monday during lunch and advisor. |