College Corner
Your Path to Higher Education Starts Here
Demos go to College!
The California State University system offers a diverse and affordable pathway to a fulfilling education. With 23 campuses across the state, it's the largest 4-year public university system in the US, serving over 485,000 students. Join us as we explore each campus and its unique offerings.
Many of our Thomas Jefferson High School Students chose to attend schools within the CSU System. Click any of the picture slides to the left to learn more about each school system.
Your Path to Higher Education Starts Here
GearUp4LA
GEAR UP 4 LA aims to significantly increase student success in high school, persistence in college, and preparation for career and life-long learning. Under the motto “Building Powerful Futures,” our dedicated and passionate team of Equity Warriors have built strong futures for over 24,000 first-generation students and their families since 2011, building relationships with each while providing wraparound supports – including counseling, mentoring, college visits, and workshops – to students starting in sixth and seventh grade through their first year of college.
Pay for College
Financial Aid
5 Reasons To File The FAFSA
Every year, billions of dollars in free money go unclaimed by eligible, college-bound high school grads who didn’t complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
If the potential of claiming part of that to help fund your own education isn’t reason enough to file the FAFSA, here are five more for you:
1. It’s free.
The first “F” in FAFSA stands for FREE. That means that it costs you $0 to submit your application, whether you end up qualifying for aid or not.
2. It’s quicker and easier than you think.
The FAFSA is available online or even via app, and it will take you 30 minutes MAX to complete—a small time investment for a big potential payoff!
3. It offers a more realistic price tag.
The initial “sticker price” of tuition and fees can be a little overwhelming. But once you factor in all available need-based assistance—available only by filing the FAFSA—the actual billable cost that you and your family will be asked to pay is often a lot more digestible. Need-based Florida Tech grants. Low-cost loan programs. Federal Work-Study. These can only be made available to families who file the FAFSA.
4. Your parents DON’T make too much money, and your grades ARE good enough.
Despite what you may have heard, there is no income cutoff to qualify for financial aid, and while a higher GPA helps earn academic scholarships, most federal student aid programs are based on need, not high school GPAs or test scores.
5. There’s no downside!
The only surefire way to know what you’re eligible for: APPLY!
Pay for College
Scholarships
GEAR UP 4 LA aims to significantly increase student success in high school, persistence in college, and preparation for career and life-long learning. Under the motto “Building Powerful Futures,” our dedicated and passionate team of Equity Warriors have built strong futures for over 24,000 first-generation students and their families since 2011, building relationships with each while providing wraparound supports – including counseling, mentoring, college visits, and workshops – to students starting in sixth and seventh grade through their first year of college.
