Finacnial Aid Office to offer Frenzy
Starting at 9 a.m. in the Sunburst Lounge, the Financial Aid Office is having a “Financial Aid Frenzy.” Along with free food, drawings and multi-media displays, students will be informed about how to apply for Financial Aid.
“Students can come and in about 15 minutes have most of their questions answered,” Steve Sharp, associate director, said.
Sharp said the message they are trying to push this year is for students to file for aid electronically.
Sharp said through applying online, the applications can be processed in a matter of days rather than applying through mail and taking up to six weeks. He said not only is it faster, but online applications are less likely to have mistakes because students are walked through the form.
“One year they lost my file and I had to do it over which took another three weeks,” said Martine Celestin, a junior in sociology. “[Filing] electronically is quicker and more efficient.”
Sharp said the presentations Wednesday will cover how and where to file electronically, commonly made mistakes and a good overview of financial aid. Financial aid counselors will be there to answer questions and hand out FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms.
Along with financial counselors from the College of Family Life, Sharp said lenders will also be there to give out information concerning student loans.
According to statistics from the Financial Aid Office, the average Pell grant for 2000-2001 was $2,061, and grants were awarded to 6,054 students. The average loan amount was $4,468, and was awarded to 5,413 students at Utah State University.
“I would tell anyone who is going to school and interested in financial aid to apply as soon as they get their taxes done,” said Cedra Jensen, Financial Aid counselor.
She said the best way to apply online is first to go to www.pin.ed.gov and get a pin number. After students obtain a pin number, they can apply online.
“We encourage online application because it is very quick and secure,” Jensen said.
The Financial Aid Frenzy will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m on Wednesday.