Link Alert: Are You Prepared for "Financial Aid Night" On Your Campus?

As campuses begin to plan for their upcoming financial aid nights this fall, an excellent first step is to visit www.studentaid.gov.  This site provides up-to-date, comprehensive information and outstanding resources.  It also offers some great publications including Funding Your Education: The Guide to Federal Student Aid, College Preparation Checklist, and Do You Need Money for College.  Another new resource is the Counselors and Mentors Handbook on Federal Student Aid.  Here is the link for this publication: http://fsa4counselors.ed.gov/clcf/counselorsHandbook.html

FSA has some great online resources for counselors to help students and parents plan and prepare.  Here is a helpful link: http://www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/cotw/main.jsp

NASFAA also offers members excellent resources for conducting Financial Aid Night presentations.  These are ideal for delivering important financial aid information to high school students and parents.  This Financial Aid Night Toolkit includes a Guide to Planning and Conducting a Financial Aid Night, a “What You Need to Know about Financial Aid” PowerPoint, presenter’s guide, and participant handouts.   Here is the link for the NASFAA resources:

http://www.nasfaa.org/counselors/Financial_Aid_Night_Presentation.aspx

With these resources and planning, your financial aid nights are sure to be a success.  Good luck!

Dan Dreves, Northeast Regional Director, Nelnet Partner Solutions