Students can apply online for Aid
Special to the Gazette
Friday, January 2, 2009
Online applications for collegiate student aid have opened on the American College Testing Web site, according to an ACT news release.
ACT recommends that applicants first prepare to complete the forms:
• Gather needed documents
• Print a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the ACT Web site, http://www.actstudent.org/finaid/fafsahelp.html.
• Decide the formal name that will be used to sign the FAFSA and subsequent documents.
• Apply for a personal identification number.
• Check eligibility for federal student aid.
• Note important deadlines.
Federal financial aid is available for students who plan to attend public or private, four- or two-year career or trade schools.
The aid is intended to cover educational expenses, such as tuition, room and board, books and other supplies, and transportation, according to information from ACT. Most students receive the aid because of financial need.
Financial aid also is available in the form of grants, loans or work study.
Grants include Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.
Loans include Federal Stafford Loans, which are made to students, and PLUS loans, which are made to parents.
Direct loans, Perkins Loans and Federal Family Education Loans also are available.
Work-study programs provide jobs, often on campus, that help students pay for educational expenses.
• More information about federal financial aid programs, as well as rights and responsibilities of the students, may be had online from the U.S. Department of Education at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm, or by calling (800) 433-3243.