The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

‘I Know Where I’m Going’ : Student Aid Saturdays

The office of financial aid and scholarships will host Student Aid Saturdays, a student aid fair  9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 25 in Room 106 of Main Campus Building. The city-wide event (Jan. 28 – May 5) is a product of Mayor Castro’s SA 2020 community plan to increase financial aid assistance to students and their families.

Student Aid Saturdays is one component of the SERVE SA phase of Mayor Julian Castro’s SA 2020 initiative. This University’s event targets high school and college students to offer assistance with the FAFSA. Partners include the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Cafe College, the San Antonio Education Partnership, Generation TX San Antonio, the City of San Antonio, and area colleges and universities.

FAFSA, the Federal Application for Student Aid, is used by the Department of Education to assess and determine a student’s financial need. Indicators such as income, available assets, debt and number of family members are used to calculate the amount of financial assistance needed by a student and family members.

According to a news release on the City of San Antonio’s website: “SERVE SA is committed to increasing the number of students who seek financial aid each year by at least 5 percent to support the overall SA 2020 goal of having an 80 percent college enrollment rate.”

FAFSA Fair will assist students who want help in completing their FAFSA or TAFSA, Texas Application for Student Aid, which applies to students who do not qualify for FAFSA due to citizenship status.

The news release also read: “90 percent of students who complete the FAFSA, will (attend) college.”

Independent students are required to bring their filed tax return and W-2 forms, financial aid officer Guadalupe “Lupe” Valdez, said. Dependant students are required to bring their parents’ W-2s as well, Valdez said.

If students previously filed FAFSA, they are encouraged to bring their pin number to electronically sign and finalize documents.

The event “will have financial aid officers to help students reapply and meet the priority deadline,” Valdez said.

The completed FAFSA determines financial eligibility for other state grants and scholarships, Valdez said.

Student unable to attend the upcoming Student Aid Saturday can attend the next event 9 a.m.-1 p.m. March 4 at Café College, 131 El Paso St., an organization that assists the community in college preparatory needs such as applying for admissions and financial aid.

Unable to attend?

Students in need of financial aid assistance, Valdez said, may stop by Café College, before 5 p.m. “Or, you can just ask to see one of us,” she added.

The University mailed 3,598 event promotion postcards to current students Feb. 18, said Margarita “Margie” Vasquez, director of enrollment management.

Notification emails were sent to current and prospective students, including fall 2011 and spring 2012 applicants who did not attend this University or complete the admission application.

For more information on the FAFSA Fair, contact the office of financial aid and scholarships at 210.784.1300.

Quick Links:
City-wide Schedule
http://www.facebook.com/StudentAidSaturdaysSA
http://www.studentaidsa.org/

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