02/22/13 Ancilla College will be hosting a set of free workshops, open to the public, to help students, parents and working adults to file for federal and state financial aid for college.
“Earning a college degree can mean more employment opportunities, often at better pay, and more knowledge makes you more valuable to employers over the long term. The short version of this is obvious; in today’s economy, learning more means earning more,” said Katherine Mills, Ancilla College’s Director of Financial Aid.
Ancilla College is offering free financial aid workshops before the March 10th Indiana deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Ancilla, just two miles south of US 30 near Plymouth, will hold the workshops in computer classrooms with staff on-hand to answer questions and provide help.
“Many people don’t understand how many options and aid programs there are out there. The online application for financial aid is a single, simple way to sign up for Indiana and federal financial aid, provide information that qualifies you for grants, scholarships and other support for your educational goals,” Mills said.
“The US offers more than $150 billion each year in grants, loans and work-study funds to help millions of students pay for higher education. Indiana, which uses the same form, also offers grants and aid for Hoosiers who want to pursue an education after high school. Students seeking aid of any type must fill out a FAFSA form each year to be eligible,” she said.
The FAFSA is free to complete and Ancilla admissions and financial aid staff will be available to help. There is no age limit on filling out the FAFSA. Working adults can also gain access to financial aid through federal and state programs. “Financial aid is not just for recent high school graduates,” Mills said.
Mills cautioned students and parents about the correct online site to use. “The FAFSA is a free form on a US government website. There are dot-com websites that will charge you to ‘submit’ this free document. These sites are not endorsed by Indiana or the U.S. Department of Education. Do not pay for ‘online assistance’ that you can get for free at the official FAFSA website: www.fafsa.gov or through financial aid offices like Ancilla College,” Mills said.
The form can be completed online at no cost, without needing to photocopy or mail anything. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool lets students and parents access IRS tax return information needed to complete the FAFSA, and transfer the data directly into their FAFSA from the IRS Web site. This saves time and postage. This year, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool launched in early February and the whole process takes about 30 minutes to complete.
“If you don’t fill out the FAFSA, you will miss out. If you don’t file you can’t qualify for free money like grants and scholarships. You’ll miss out on work-study and low interest loans. You’ll miss the boat,” Mills warned.
Ancilla College is making it easy to complete these forms. Before March 10th you can get hands-on help with filing the FAFSA in workshops at Ancilla. Go online today at http://www.ancilla.edu/free-financial-aid-workshops/
Free Workshop Dates: (all times are Eastern)
Tuesday, Feb 26 from 1:15 to 3 pm
Thursday, Feb 28 from 3 to 5 pm
Monday, March 4 from 2:45 to 4 pm
Tuesday, March 5 from 10 am to noon and 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Thursday, March 7 from 10 am to noon and 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Also note: Ancilla College representatives will be taking part in College Goal Sunday, February 24th from 2 to 4 pm at Plymouth High School.
