Financial aid specialists help families apply for financial aid, grants and scholarships
AUSTIN, Texas—Tomorrow, the Austin Chamber and Austin ISD will be hosting two Financial Aid Saturdays workshops, which offer students and their families help as they apply for college financial aid, grants and scholarships.
What: Financial aid specialists will offer one-on-one assistance to seniors and their parents as they complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. Students also may receive help to apply for college grants and scholarships.
When: 8:30 a.m. – noon Saturday, Feb. 22.
Where: Austin High School, 1715 W. Cesar Chavez St., and Eastside Memorial High School, 1012 Arthur Stiles Road.
Background: The Austin Chamber offers the workshops in partnership with area school districts to help students as they prepare to enroll in college during the fall semester after graduation.
Filing a form such as FAFSA is the only way to become eligible for most state, federal and institutional scholarships, grants, work-study, and other types of financial aid. There is no income cutoff to apply for federal student aid, and all families of high school seniors are encouraged to apply.
The Department of Education encourages students to apply for financial aid as early as possible. To increase the potential of securing funding for college, the Austin Chamber recommends filing a FAFSA or state financial aid form by the priority deadline March 15.
As of the beginning of the spring semester, three-quarters of Austin area seniors had already filed a college application, according to the chamber. Filing a FAFSA is the next step to ensure students have the funding to actually enroll in college. Eighty percent of high school seniors who submit the FAFSA directly enroll in post-secondary education, according to data from the University of Texas at Austin’s Ray Marshall Center.
The Austin Chamber will offer a workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 1, at Akins High School.
For more information and to register for a workshop, visit www.FinancialAidSaturdays.org and www.SabadosDeAyudaFinanciera.org for Spanish speakers.