Illinois governor Pat Quinn has announced free workshops across the state for college students and their parents to get advice on acquiring financial aid. The workshops will be conducted throughout February, which is Financial Aid Awareness Month.
Experts with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission will help families understand and complete the commonly-used FAFSA, or Free Application for Student Aid.
“It can be a very intimidating process to apply for financial aid,” Quinn’s spokesman, David Blanchette, said. “As we know, college and university educations are not inexpensive so financial aid is a key portion of what families need to help their children attend school.”
Blanchette says it’s especially vital to connect students with the right resources since the governor proposed in his State of the State speech to increase the state’s need-based MAP scholarships.
“It’s important students and parents know how to fill out the FAFSA form so they can take advantage [not just] of the existing scholarships, but also those that, if the legislature concurs with the governor, could be doubled in the coming years,” Blanchette said.
The full schedule of workshops can be seen at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission website.
