Education on Centre: Penns Valley FAFSA event aims to help students on road to college

Preparing for college doesn’t start the day applications are due.

Penns Valley Area School District college adviser Margaret Babson said she starts preparing high school students in their junior year.

First, she said, it starts with setting up a time to take the SAT and ACT tests that some colleges require students take before going on to higher education.

She then helps students decide what college they want to go to based on their interests.

But on Tuesday night, the district in partnership with Lock Haven University is holding a FAFSA information night for students and their families.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form college students or their families annually fill out for state and federal aid eligibility, and some scholarships, Babson said.

Babson said money is then distributed to those students to help pay for college, and disbursed on a first-come first-serve basis.

On Tuesday night, Babson and a representative from Lock Haven University will be on hand to help parents and students fill out the financial aid form through an online process.

Babson said it generally takes about 30 minutes to complete.

“We encourage families to fill it out as soon as possible,” Babson said.

According to the FAFSA website, the deadline to apply for federal aid in the 2016-17 school year is by June 30, 2017.

The state deadline for Pennsylvania residents varies.

For all first-time applicants enrolled in community college; business, trade or technical school; hospital school of nursing; designated Pennsylvania Open-Admission institution; or nontransferable two-year program, the deadline is Aug. 1.

The deadline for all other applicants is by May 1.

Babson said families must come prepared Tuesday night with a W-2 form, federal income tax return, Social Security number, record of investments and bank statements.

“There is a misconception that this is aid only for low income families,” Babson said. “That’s not the case. Anyone can apply and receive aid.”

There are 86 students in this year’s graduating class at Penns Valley, of which about 65 percent submitted college applications, Babson said.

That number is just an estimate.

But for those who missed the college application deadline, Babson said it’s not hopeless.

“There are some schools that have open enrollment,” she said. “We can usually find a way for that person to attend college at some capacity.”

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Education on Centre: Penns Valley FAFSA event aims to help students on road to college."