CCC offers student aid resources
EXPLAINING THE FINANCIAL AID PROCESS AND THE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS
BY IAN VAN ORDEN
NEWS AND OPINION EDITOR
photo courtesy of fafsa.ed.gov
Over the last 30 years the world has
seen an unprecedented growth in
technology. Nearly every industry has
been affected by these developments
and this has caused a massive push
towards higher education. This push
has led to the value of a college degree
increasing ten fold. A report by the
Georgetow n U n iversity Center on
Education and the Workforce revealed
that 63 percent of all jobs will require a
college degree of some kind beginning
this year.
L ik ely the la r g e s t h u rd le th at
potential students must clear is how
they will pay for college. The cost of
college has been the focus of many
debates, both in the political world
and. otherwise, as students struggle
with tuition and the loans that seems
to naturally come with it.
What if someone is unable to shoulder;
those loans or pay for tuition out of
pocket? The next option is financial
aid. The process to receive aid begins
online.
“ The Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Oregon
Student Aid Application (ORSAA) are
available online beginning Oct. 1 each
year,” said Karen Ash, the director Of the
office of financial aid and scholarships
at Clackamas Community College. “ To
be eligible for most types of financial
aid, students must complete the FAFSA
at w ww .fafsa.gov or ORSAA at www.
getcollegefunds.org.”
M ost stud en ts, sp ecifically U .S .
citizen s, perm anent residents, and,;
some non-citizens, will find themselves
filin g the FAFSA. The O RSAA, on
the other h an d , is a sp ecialized
prograni: designed to provide aid to
undocumented students.
“ You may apply for financial aid any
time throughout the year,” Ash said.
“ However, because certain financial aid
funds are limited, you should apply as
early as possible.”
Ash urged students to read over the
inform ation provided by the FAFSA
and ORSAA carefully. She said you will
also need to apply to CCC, or whichever
school you intend to attend, before
receiving aid. If you apply to CCC, you
Clackamas Print -------------------------
Federal Student Aid
Mess»
FAFSA*
SPONSOR
AMERICAN MINO*
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
< © 1 î â i Ô 1 © !
1
AboutUs
FSA ID
1 StudentAid.gov j
Meip
SEARCH
j
Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA’
New to the FAFSA?
Returning User?
• Make a correction
. Add a school
. View your Student Aid
Report (SAR), and more.
"he front page of the FAFSA website. FAFSA will be the resource used by the majority of students who seek financial aid.
Applications open on Oct. 1 for the following year and remain open throughout the year.
will need to submit the college’s school
code, which is 004878.
“ Make sure [applicants] are putting
in accurate inform ation as it allows
our specialists to review a file more
sm oothly,” said Rochelle Dawn, the
federal w ork-study coordinator and
financial aid advisor.
B oth Daw n and A sh stressed
the im portan ce o f ch e ck in g the
‘ My D o c u m e n ts’ section of the
m y.clackam as.edu page and student
em ail repeatedly when applying for
aid. Any issues or additional documents
required for the process will be posted
in these locations.
Daw n also su g g e ste d ta k in g
advantage of the services offered by the
college, including speaking to the staff
at the financial aid desk and the FAFSA
Lab, both located in Roger Rook. These
resources offer assistance to anyone
who is seeking financial aid.
The FAFSA Lab specifically offers
a free opportunity for both students
and m em bers o f the surrounding
community to receive help from those
familiar with the application process..
They will help fill out the FAFSA or
ORSAA applications, and help make
corrections, among other things.
Casey Traver, a CCC student, voiced
concerns about his ability to receive
financial aid. “ With at least the FAFSA,
most of the tim e, what I get back isn’t
anything special or really worth doing
it .”
'
Traver said that he believed this was
due to his parent’ s income bracket and
his demographic. What can students in
similar situation do?
Available to all students, including
those who do not qualify for federal
aid, the school offers scholarships on
a merit-based system.
“ Apply for scholarships anywhere
¡and everywhere,” Ash-said.
The CCC scholarship application is
now open for the 18-19 award year.
The deadline to apply is April 12. Visit
www.clackamas.edu/Scholarships for
more information.
IMPORTANT FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
FAFSA Lab Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-l p.m., 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m.
Financial Aid Help Desk: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Financial Aid Contact Information: fjnaid@clackamas.edu, 503-594-6100
The 2018-2019 scholarship application period is open until April 12.
theclackam asprint.net
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____________
February 14, 2018