When it comes to filling out applications for Federal financial aid – that document commonly referred to as the FAFSA – Amarillo College is willing to help anyone complete the process, no matter where they might be planning to attend college.

To help encourage people of all ages to fill out the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Department is mobilizing big-time this spring.

In addition to free monthly FAFSA workshops scheduled at AC’s Washington Street Campus, AC experts will be on hand at several financial-aid events being hosted this spring at area high schools. Participants will be treated to personal one-on-one help filling out and submitting the forms through the appropriate federal channels.

After all, the federal government supports college students by annually awarding about $150 billion in financial aid, and AC wants to help folks in its service area get their fair share of it. That’s why about 40 College employees who work in departments other than financial aid have volunteered for FAFSA-application training. AC, therefore, can successfully staff any number of related activities.

“There is a high correlation between FAFSA completion and college enrollment,” Bob Austin, AC vice president of student affairs, said. “Filling out the FAFSA is every bit as important as filling out an application for admission.

“We’re trying to be as diligent as we can this spring to assist and encourage as many people as possible to complete the financial-aid process, whether they’ve already selected a college or university, or even if they are just considering higher education at this point.”

To that end, AC’s Financial Aid Department has set aside one day each month in 2016 to conduct events known as Hands-On FAFSA on the Washington Street Campus, and they will take their expertise to students (and their families) at several area high schools according to the following schedule:

Feb. 22 – Tascosa High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 23 – Palo Duro High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 23 – Hereford High School, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 – Kress High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 24 – River Road High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 25 – Caprock High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 25 – Randall High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 25 – Lefors High School, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Feb. 29 – Amarillo High School, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Feb. 29 – Holy Cross Catholic Academy, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
March 3 – Friona High School, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. (at AC campus, Hereford)
March 3 – Hereford High School, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. (at AC campus, Hereford)
March 3 – San Jacinto Christian Academy, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
March 24 – Tascosa High School, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
April 7 – Dumas High School, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. (at AC campus, Dumas)
April 18 – Tascosa High School, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
May 5 – Tascosa High School, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

“Our friends at these high schools have been very welcoming and gracious,” Bob Austin said. “We are all motivated by the same things – seeing that everyone receives the maximum benefits to which they are entitled, and encouraging a college-going culture that can only help improve our way of life in the Texas Panhandle.”

For those not directly affiliated with the high schools on the schedule above, AC’s monthly events – also completely free – are open to everyone. They will be on the second Thursday of each month, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Byrd Business Building, Room 214, on the Washington Street Campus. The one on March 10 is next.

And if the prospect of receiving free federal assistance to attend college sounds appealing, at least one lucky participant at each Washington Street event will do even better than that. A partial scholarship will be randomly awarded monthly for those students planning to attend AC.

“We want to help get everyone qualified for as much assistance as their eligibility allows,” Kelly Prater, director of financial aid at AC, said. “The process usually takes only about 20 minutes to complete. Participants, whether they visit one of the high school events or one at AC, should come equipped with their most recent federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned.”

For more information about the upcoming Hands-On FAFSA events at Amarillo College or any of the opportunities scheduled at area high schools, please contact the Financial Aid Office at (806) 371-5311 or financial@actx.edu.

You can also visit AC’s website at www.actx.edu.

February 19, 2016