Affording College

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) are now available, and need to be submitted by January 15, 2026, to ensure you meet College Priority Financial Aid deadlines. Some colleges' deadlines may be earlier.

The FAFSA and TASFA opened October 1, 2025. Each year, YES Prep is committed to helping 100% of Senior Class complete applications for financial aid.Over the last two years, with the role out of the new FAFSA only 53% of Houston Area Highs School Graduates completed financial aid applications, while YES Prep helped over 95% of our graduates complete the FAFSA or TASFAYES Prep is committed to helping our students and their families are able to afford further education after YES Prep. YES Prep will be helping host Financial Aid Family nights throughout October, to help all YES Prep Seniors complete the FAFSA or TASFA. Reach out to your Schools College Counselor for information on when your Family Night will be.

YES Prep supports students in completing financial aid and scholarship applications and navigate the complexity of the five sources of funding for college, universities, and other education programs:

College Funding Soucres

State and Federal Grants & Aid

State and Federal Grants & Aid: Government funding to help make college more affordable. Examples of these include the:

Pell Grant: A Federal Grant awarded based on the FAFSA application that does not have to be repaid. Learn more here
Texas Tuition Equalization Grant Program (TEG) : A grant to provide aid to students with financial need who are attending nonprofit private colleges and universities in Texas to equalize cost with attending Texas Public Colleges.

Institutional Aid

Institutional Aid: Scholarships and Grants awarded by the colleges or universities to assist in attendance, awarded either as:

Need-Based: Awarded based on demonstrated need through the FAFSA, TASFA, or CSS Profile.
Merit Based: Based on an application for the institutional scholarship or a student's application to attend the college or university. This is awarded based on a student's GPA, Test Scores, or other merit-based factors like volunteer hours.

Private Scholarships

Loans

Loans:Loans, unlike other types of financial aid have to be repaid with interest. Loans can be awarded through Need-Based Federal programs through the FAFSA, as well as private loans.

Federal Need-Based Loans: The Federal Perkins Loans and Direct Subsidized Loans are interest-free while in college.
Non-Need Based Loans: Unsubsidized Loans for students that charge interest or Parent PLUS Loans allow parents to borrow money to support college after receiving financial aid.
Private Loans: Awarded by banks or other financial institutions that are not tied to financial aid applications but discouraged as they are not subsidized, not need-based, and have higher interest rates.

Personal & Family Contributions

Personal Savings and Family Contributions: Based on your family income, savings, and assetsyour Student Aid Index will be calculated. This will determine what costs, if any, will be charged directly to students and their families. This contribution is based on your aid application and maybe $0. Families can begin saving for college using programs like the Texas College Savings Plan: https://www.texascollegesavings.com/

How Do You Receive Federal, State, and Institutional Aid?

To be eligible for State or Federal Aid and Need-Based Loans, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA).

Additionally, colleges will require you to complete the FAFSA or TASFA to receive most institutional aid. Some colleges will also ask you to complete the CSS Profile.

Completing these free applications is vital to ensure that postsecondary education is financially accessible in our community. In addition, since 2021, the State of Texas requires all seniors to submit either the FAFSA or the TASFA to graduate.

Look below to determine which application(s) you may need to complete:

Which Application Do I Need to Complete?

FASFA

FAFSA

The Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an annual free application issued by the Department of Education that is used by most U.S. colleges and universities to help determine a student’s eligibility for grants, loans, and scholarships.

To be eligible to submit the FAFSA, students must:

Be a U.S. citizen. OR
U.S. Permanent Resident (who has an I-551, or I-551C card), OR,
You have an Arrival Departure Record (I-94) showing
1. "Refugee"
2. "Asylum Granted"
You hold a "T-visa" or your parents are a "T-visa" holder.
You're a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or Republic of Palua.

To apply you will need

The Student's applying Social Security Number
Plan to enroll in an eligible degree program at a college
Provide approval to have your Federal Tax information shared with the FAFSA form.

If this sounds like you, you should apply for the FAFSA. More information about the FAFSA can be found here.

TASFA

TASFA

The Texas Application for State Financial Aid is an annual application that provides foreign students or non-US citizens residing in Texas an opportunity to be assessed for in-state tuition eligibility and State of Texas financial aid, including need-based grants and loans.

The TASFA application is a state-based application used for participating Texas schools only.

To be eligible for TASFA you must:

You have resided in Texas for 12 months prior to the enrollment in a higher education institution; AND
You have or will graduate from a Texas High School or obtain a GED in Texas; AND
You have lived in Texas for 36 months prior to high school graduation.
New condition added for beginning Fall 2025: A student must also be lawfully present in the U.S. to be considered a Texas resident, and demonstrate this at the institution they seek to enroll.

Students should not submit both the TASFA and FAFSA. They should only complete one.

More information about the TASFA may be found here

CSS Profile

CSS Profile

In addition to the FAFSA, some colleges and universities also require students to complete the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile allows institutions to assess students for eligibility for institutional or school-based aid.

The CCSS profile is free for domestic students whose family income is less than $100,000, and it is $25 for the first application for all other students.

More Information about the CSS Profile, including learning if you need to apply, can be found here.

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