It is never too early to start creating your financial plan. A community college education is the most affordable of all sectors of higher education. 80% of Onondaga students are eligible for some form of financial aid but it is important for you to prepare for all the costs of attending college.
Steps to creating a financial plan:
- Review the total cost of attending Onondaga
- Review your current financial resources
- Apply for financial aid early! Fill out a FAFSA online and apply for New York State TAP at least 8 weeks from the start of a semester to give you time to make the necessary adjustments or payments.
- When your financial aid and/or other payments to your student account exceeds what you owe the college, you will have a financial aid refund. Financial aid refunds may not be available to you at the start of the semester, so create a budget and be prepared to cover the initial educational expenses for the first few weeks on your own. Most refunds are available around the sixth week of classes unless a student is in a course that begins after the first day of regular classes.
- If you need to finance your entire or partial payment to the College, consider using our payment plan which allows for monthly installments
- Prepare a budget for books and other expenses
- Stick to a budget!