Ninth Annual Georgia Student Financial Aid Chat Night

ATLANTA – Going to college next year but don’t know where to find financial aid? Need help completing the FAFSA? Looking for information about the HOPE Scholarship and Grant Program?

Students and parents with questions about paying for college can get answers from the experts by participating in the ninth annual Georgia Student Financial Aid Chat Night on February 27. Financial aid professionals from Georgia colleges and the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) will be on hand from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to answer questions via telephone and email during this live, two-hour session. The Chat Night service is free.

“A great deal of state and federal financial aid is available to help Georgia students pay for college,” said Tim Connell, GSFC president. “Finding and applying for that aid can be overwhelming at first, and Chat Night is designed to make the whole process a little easier. Chat Night gives Georgia students and parents an opportunity to have their questions answered by knowledgeable and experienced financial aid professionals.”   

February is Financial Aid Awareness Month in Georgia, and Chat Night is one of several special activities designed to provide information and increase awareness. Another opportunity is College Goal Sunday, a statewide volunteer program that provides free information and assistance to students and families who are applying for financial aid for postsecondary education. College Goal Sunday (CGS) is a one-day event that will be held Sunday, February 18, 2007, starting at 2 p.m. at several locations throughout Georgia. Locations are listed on the CGS website, www.CollegeGoalSundayGA.com.

On Chat Night, information will be available on applying for financial aid, financial aid deadlines, college costs, Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship and Grant Program, other scholarships and grants, student loans, work-study programs, and more. Participants can ask questions about completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is used for both state and federal financial aid programs.

Information also will be available about Georgia’s unique service-cancelable loans, which allow graduates to repay their college loans by working in the state in designated critical shortage fields, including teaching and nursing. Some loans may be repaid through military service.

To participate in the Georgia Student Financial Aid Chat Night, log on to www.GAcollege411.org and click on the “Chat Night” link located in the top right corner of the homepage. This link will be activated just before 6 p.m. on February 27. Those who do not have Internet access may call the Georgia Student Finance Commission’s toll-free number, 1-800-505-GSFC (4732) to speak to a financial aid professional. 

Other Chat Night sponsors are the Georgia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and Mapping Your Future, a website that provides career planning advice and financial aid information.

For more information about state and federal financial aid, the Georgia Student Financial Aid Chat Night, and GAcollege411.org, visit the Georgia Student Finance Commission website at www.GAcollege411.org  or call 1-800-505-GSFC (4732).