Financial Aid Night

BRIEF SUMMARY

Many schools host a Financial Aid Night to share information and resources with parents/guardians and students about the types of aid that are available to help pay for postsecondary education and training, as well as about the financial aid process.  Financial Aid Nights may cover a variety of topics, including: an explanation of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), how to fill out the FAFSA, student eligibility, types of aid available, what is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), calculating your EFC, financial literacy, responsible student borrowing and loan repayment, as well as deadlines for filing.

KEY POINTS

• Most high schools hold a Financial Aid Night for parents.  It’s a good idea to invite students, as well.
• Middle school is also an appropriate time to host a Financial Aid Night, as students and parents begin to think about postsecondary pursuits. Students must apply for some scholarships prior to high school, such as 21st Century Scholars (apply by June 30th of the 8th grade year), so middle school is not too early to host a Financial Aid Night.
• Financial Aid Nights are typically held in the fall.
• College Go Week! is a great time to hold a Financial Aid Night.
• There are many resources to help you plan this type of event.  Check with local financial institutions, your 21st Century Scholar rep, and local colleges and technical schools to see if they have representatives who can assist you and provide information and resources to parents and students.

SHARED WISDOM

• Question: Does anyone have a senior financial aid night? If so, do you have someone come and speak to parents? Do you go ahead and let them start on their FAFSA? How is it organized and what all does it entail?
  • Responses:
  • We have partnered with Invest Ed Indiana and they do a great job! Highly recommend!
  • InVest Ed Indiana is awesome and super informative
  • I have a College Info Night where I have someone come and talk about basic application process, someone talk about basic financial aid information, and someone from a local loan/scholarship program.  I do a FAFSA completion night on another night…I have had InvestED and a local financial aid officer do them, and they have both done great.
  • IU Kokomo.  They send a person.
  • We also work with Invest Ed.  Love them.  I call them all the time for my own Financial Aid stuff with my students.  They do an Early Financial Awareness night for us for 9^th and 10^th grade families. They also do our senior financial aid night as well as doing a couple of lab dates so that parents can come in and complete their FAFSA with someone around to answer questions.
  • InvestED is our preferred partner. They are absolutely fantastic.

RESOURCES

• Make a Presentation: Financial Aid Toolkit
• Learn About Financial Aid
  
• Guide to Planning and Conducting a Financial Aid Night (NASFAA)
  
• Financial Aid Night Presentation
  
• INvested PPT: Funding Your Education Wisely

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• Kelly on June 28, 2019 @ 20:37:51
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This post was created by EFGH ContentManager on August 7, 2016.