Financial Aid Night

College admission deadlines are right around the corner and that means that it is time for students to start thinking about financial aid.

As part of the CareerTech System, it is our responsibility to eliminate barriers to transitions. One barrier to successful transitioning of students to college from the technology center is that many of our students are first generation students and their parents have no or limited knowledge of completing financial aid applications and how to search for scholarships.

This is where hosting a Financial Aid night can benefit your district.

During a Financial Aid Night, parents and students are encouraged to attend and learn about the many ways they can gain aid to pay for college.

Topics covered could include the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, Oklahoma's Promise, Fast Web and deadlines of college partner scholarship applications.

There are many ways to host the evening. Our suggestion is to hold it on the campus of the local technology center and invite sending schools to attend. Hold the event during a time that parents could attend (after work hours) and make sure that the event is advertised. Invite the Cooperative Alliance partner to particiapte and encourage students to apply for every opportunity that they can find.

Here are a couple of resources to help you in planning a Financial Aid Night

NASFAA Guide to Financial Aid Night
Parents Letter on How to Prepare
College Goal Sunday

When and where are you planning your Financial Aid Night?

The Oklahoma state students financial aid deadline is April 15, 2010.