(Source: Gary Long The Brownsville Herald, Texas) -- The Brownsville Independent School District’s Guidance and Counseling Department is providing assistance with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at financial aid completion nights at BISD high schools during February.
Completion nights are scheduled Thursday at Pace High School, Feb. 16 at Lopez High School and Feb. 28 at Rivera High School. Anyone applying for financial aid for the 2012-2013 academic year must complete the 2012-2013 FAFSA, said Pilar Janis, BISD higher education counselor.
The completion nights offer the opportunity for parents and students to receive trained assistance in completing the FAFSA. Janis said financial aid officers will be present from the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas AandM University at College Station, The University of Texas Pan American and The University of Texas San Antonio.
Participants should bring all 2011 tax documents including W-2 forms and federal income tax returns for the student and parents; Social Security and TANF benefit information, plus non-tax information related to child support, veteran’s benefits, current bank statements and business or investment records.
The FAFSA application is free and is available online at www.fafsa.gov. It is preferable that parents and students file their 2011 taxes prior to completing the FAFSA. This will facilitate use of the IRS Data Retrieval function, which allows federal tax return information to be electronically imported into the FAFSA application.
Janis said the electronic retrieval tool makes the application process easier because federal tax information is imported directly into the application from the IRS, ensuring accuracy. She also said a FAFSA can be completed before 2011 taxes are filed and then updated once they are.
A completed FAFSA qualifies students for federal and state aid as well as student and parent loans.
In addition to FAFSA assistance, tax-preparation personnel from the United Way of Southern Cameron County will be present at the completion nights to provide free tax preparation help. The assistance is available for working families earning less than $49,000.
Janis pointed out that some 95 percent of Brownsville families qualify as economically disadvantaged and therefore qualify for college financial aid. She urged students to apply for and receive the funding to pursue a post-secondary education.
For additional information, contact Janis at the Guidance and Counseling Department, (956) 548-8251.
glong@brownsvilleherald.com
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©2012 The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Texas)
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Source: Gary Long The Brownsville Herald, Texas
