AFSA Scholarship Program Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I apply for all three AFSA Awards (Financial Aid, Academic Merit and Art Merit)?

2. Can I use the same recommendations for my Academic Merit Application as well as my Art Merit Application?

Answer: Yes, the same recommendations can be used for both awards but it is recommended for one of the Art Merit Recommendations that the student approach an individual that is familiar with their "art".

Answer: No, you must submit your complete application (all pieces together) at the same time via the AFSA Scholarship Program's snail mail address at AFSA, 2101 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037, fax number: 202-338-6820 or via e-mail at dec@afsa.org.

Answer: The Academic Merit Awards are bestowed the beginning of May. The Financial Aid Awards are awarded in late August.

Answer: AFSA's CSS PROFILE code is 0540. AFSA is listed as the “American Foreign Service Assn” in the CSS PROFILE listing. Students will need this when completing the CSS PROFILE online at https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp as part of the requirement for the AFSA Financial Aid Scholarship Program.

6. When completing the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE, do I need to claim "housing, food, etc" - under the "Parents' Income and Benefits" section when I am assigned overseas?

Answer: For AFSA, the short answer is "no". For the purposes of trying to compare Foreign Service families' financial situations, it helps not to enter any amount when the CSS PROFILE asks about housing provided by the U.S. Government. It creates more work for the AFSA Scholarship Program if a family lists a housing amount because if a figure shows up, AFSA needs to deduct this amount from the parent's taxable income (where CSS puts these dollars) and recalculates the CSS PROFILE by hand which is very time consuming to do.

The down side to not putting in a "housing" figure is that some colleges your child is applying to may require it. However, many colleges still are not familiar with the how the Foreign Service operates and assumes the Foreign Service is the same as the military when it comes to housing. Parents sometimes need to have a frank discussion with the college financial aid office to clarify how the college will treat such "housing" and how the Foreign Service is different from the military.

7. As an Academic Merit Award applicant, can I submit a resume of my high school activities along with my application?

Answer: AFSA will not forward any student resume or application attachments to the Academic Merit Award judges. The student must fill out the Academic Merit Application completely.

8. Can I use acronyms when completing the Academic Merit Application?

Answer: Acronyms can be used only after using the full name once and putting that acronym in parenthesis.

9. In applying for both the Academic and Art Merit awards, does my high school need to send two sets of transcripts?

Answer: Although it would be helpful for your high school to do this, the AFSA staff can make copies of the student's transcripts here at our office so one transcript is acceptable.

For more information, contact Lori Dec, AFSA Scholarship Director at 1-800-704-2372 ext. 504 (toll free), 202-944-5504 (ph) or dec@afsa.org (e-mail).