ACCESS and Comcast partner to increase FAFSA completion!

 

 

Want to meet with an ACCESS advisor outside of school? The Center for College Affordability has walk-in hours every Monday and Wednesday from 3 - 6 pm. Learn more here.

 

Do you go to school in Boston, Springfield or Lawrence? Find out which ACCESS advisor is in your school!

 

Need more info? Call 1-888-622-6116

 

 

Thank you to Connover, Tuttle and Pace for helping to make this PSA possible.

 

 

BOSTON – ACCESS has teamed up with Comcast to launch a media campaign to encourage students to complete the FAFSA – a critical component to most students' financial aid packages. This Free Application for Federal Student Aid makes a higher education possible by providing money for college to eligible students and families.

 

ACCESS this week began airing a series of PSAs featuring students talking to other students about the importance of the FAFSA. ACCESS advisors can be found in every high school in Boston, Springfield and Lawrence to meet with students and provide guidance and support in completing the FAFSA. ACCESS also offers counseling during walk-in hours at its Boston Center for College Affordability on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-6:00pm.

 

"Be sure that you fill out the FAFSA as soon as it opens," says Ivanna Lara, a college sophomore, in the PSA, which Comcast began airing for free this weekend. "The time is now."

 

Enrollment is now open and students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to be in the most competitive position to obtain a limited amount of federal aid.

 

"Because it is a first come-first serve," adds May Bumar, a college freshman. "If I can do it, you can absolutely do it." The deadline to apply for the 2012-2013 school year in Massachusetts is May 1, 2012.

 

"Finances are the single greatest roadblock standing between academically prepared high school students and a college education," said ACCESS CEO Bob Giannino-Racine. "At ACCESS, we work one-on-one with students to help them map out a financial path to college. With costs of college skyrocketing and many students convinced that college is financially out of reach, young people need to know that these funds are out there and how best to find them."

 

A national Institute for Higher Education Policy survey of academically prepared high school graduates who did not attend college found that 83 percent did not enroll due to lack of understanding about the financial aid process.

 

"For most students, paying for college will be the biggest financial decision of their life, yet too few take advantage of the resources available to them," said Giannino-Racine. "Making sure every student eligible fills out the FAFSA is critical."

 

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study found that 1.7 million students failed to file FAFSAs because they incorrectly believed they were ineligible, even though one in three would have qualified for a Pell Grant.

 

ACCESS is Massachusetts' leading provider of financial aid advising and scholarships and has provided financial aid advising and scholarships to more than 50,000 students since 1985, helping them realize their higher education goals and giving them a better foundation for a successful and productive future. Last year alone, ACCESS helped graduating high school seniors secure more than $57.2 million in financial aid – showing a return on investment of $61 in aid secured for every $1 invested in its advising program. ACCESS services are provided free of charge and serve students from every public high school and beyond and every neighborhood in Boston, Springfield and Lawrence.