PR2005 Feb 22

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Wendy Jones 205-391-2310

Shelton State Financial Aid Office Schedules “FAFSA” Help Sessions

The Office of Financial Aid at Shelton State Community College has scheduled a series of four sessions to assist students with new or renewal FAFSA applications. FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a web-based application program that can be accessed at www.fafsa.ed.

“We find that many students like to have a little assistance in completing this process, so we have scheduled help sessions on four dates for their convenience,” said JoeAnn Cousette, of Shelton State’s Financial Aid Office.

Sessions are scheduled for March 22 from 2:00 to 3:00 P.M., April 5 from 5:30 to 6:30 P.M., May 10 from 2:15 too 3:15 P.M. and from 5:30 to 6:30 P.M., and May 17 from 2:15 to 3:15 P.M. All sessions will be held in Room 1826 on Shelton State’s Martin Campus.

Each session is limited to 40 persons and students should register for a specific session by visiting the Financial Aid Office. Prior to attending a session, students must have obtained personal identification numbers (PIN) for both themselves and their parents (if they are dependents) and must have filed their 2003 federal income taxes. PIN’s may be obtained by visiting www.pin.ed.gov. Students should allow three weeks to obtain their PIN; however that time may be reduced to 2-3 days if a valid personal e-mail address is provided during the application process.

Dependent students must bring the following information to their help session: student’s 2003 federal tax return, student’s PIN number, PIN number for one parent and a copy of their parent’s 2003 federal tax return. Independent students must bring a copy of their 2003 federal tax return (if married and filing separate returns, a copy of the spouse’s return is also required) and their PIN number.

Additional information on the FAFSA help sessions may be obtained by calling JoeAnn Cousette at 205-391-2247.