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: Yes, it is okay and preferred that students submit their application piece-meal. The complete application does not need to arrive at the same time.

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. Students may need this when completing the CSS PROFILE online at www.collegeboard.com as part of the requirements of the AFSA Financial Aid Award 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 deducts this amount from the parent's taxable income (where CSS puts it) and recalculates the CSS PROFILE.

The down side to not putting in a "housing" figure is that 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 sometimes this entire discussion "opens a big can of worms", as they say.

Approximately 5% of the CSS PROFILES AFSA receives contains a "housing" figure. To treat families fairly, any housing amount listed under the Parents' Income and Benefits section is deducted by AFSA when it shows up on the CSS PROFILE. AFSA then manually recalculates the PROFILE to obtain a new "Parent," "Student," and "Family" Contribution.

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 (ph), 202 944 5504 (ph) or dec@afsa.org (email).