College to offer free financial aid workshops

LaGrange College will offer free financial aid workshops Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 to area students and their parents.

“This will be a chance to get insider tips and answers to questions about scholarships, grants, work-study and loans,” said Joseph Miller, Dean of Enrollment Management. 

Sessions will be from 9 a.m.–noon and from 1–4 p.m. in the Lewis Library on the college campus. The morning workshops will be for current students and their parents, while the afternoon events are geared toward prospective students and their parents.

Miller said one of the biggest stressors in the college application process is applying for financial aid.

“So many of our students are first-generation college attendees,” he said. “Their moms and dads haven’t had to go through anything like this before, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid can be intimidating and scary. We want to take that fear out of that. It’s not a big, six-headed monster.”

Workshop leaders will walk participants through completing the FAFSA, and will help them complete FAFSA on the web worksheets.

Other areas to be covered include hidden pitfalls in the college financial aid process, how to get the maximum dollar amount available, new federal student loans rules and how to complete the process. Handouts will be provided.

Miller stressed that the workshops are open to everyone, not just those who plan to attend LaGrange College.

“We’re pleased to be able to offer this as a service to the community,” he said.

For more information or to sign up for a session, email admission@lagrange.edu or call (706) 880-8005. Reservations are requested.