Financial Aid

***FINANCIAL AID ALERT***

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently announced several new ways high school seniors can more effectively use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Speaking from a high school in Cincinnati, where she is traveling to promote No Child Left Behind, Spellings said students can get a head start on filing the FAFSA by accessing the FAFSA4caster, a tool the department created last spring. The FAFSA4caster is a valuable online tool to help families get reliable information in advance so they can plan ahead financially for the college years," Spellings said. While the FAFSA cannot be submitted until after January 1 of a student's senior year in high school, the FAFSA4caster instantly calculates a student's eligibility for federal student aid and can be completed at any time, the department said. It also automatically fills in half the questions on the lengthy FAFSA. The department said this will make it easier for families to complete the real form during the student's senior year. The FAFSA4caster is available at the Federal Student Aid website.

There are many sources of financial aid available to people applying to college. The United States Department of Education has developed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the web that allows students to file an application electronically. The application process time is significantly reduced if you apply on line. Once the FAFSA is submitted directly to DOE's Central Processing System and the signed signature page has been received, eligibility for financial aid can be determined within 72 hours. The FAFSA website address is http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

There are also published guides to financial aid that are valuable sources of information. The Consumer Information Center in Pueblo, CO publishes a book entitled "Preparing Your Child for College, A Resource Book for Parents". You can obtain a free copy of this book by calling (877) 433-7827. The American Legion publishes a scholarship guidebook that you can obtain, for a small fee, by contacting: Need a Lift, c/o The American Legion, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

You local library has a variety of publications to research scholarship sources. Also, a student should make an appointment with the college financial aid officer who can identify college scholarship sources. The U.S. Department of Education operates a toll free student financial aid information line at 800-4FEDAID. Also, the Financial Information Page at http://www.finaid.com, sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, offers a directory of financial aid information and Internet links to related sites at colleges, universities, and the federal government and lenders. The U.S. Department of Education website, www.studentaid.ed.gov, also provides comprehensive information on the student aid process and links to other student aid related sites. The "Funding Your Education" and "The Student Guide Financial Aid from the Department of Education" pamphlets can found at this site.

You can obtain information about AmeriCorp by writing to:

Corporation for National and Community Service
1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20525

The toll free national service information line is 800-942-2677. Additionally, the United States Office of Personnel Management has created E-Scholar. E-Scholar is a website that contains information about scholarships, fellowships, internships, grants, and cooperative programs. The web address is www.studentjobs.gov/e-scholar.asp.