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Campus News

February 22, 2018

Financial Aid, Garrett College

The Financial Aid Office at Garrett College is available and ready to assist you with completing your FAFSA for the upcoming year. Pictured from left to right are: Cissy VanSickle, Director of Student Financial Aid; Pamela Warnick, Assistant Director of Financial Aid; Andrew Harvey, Assistant Director of Financial Aid for Technical Services; Kathy Fauber, Financial Aid and Veteran’s Affairs Counselor.

Have you made a decision about attending college this fall? Are you still weighing the possibilities, but haven’t come to a final decision yet? If your answer is yes to either question, the Office of Financial Aid at Garrett College is available to assist you with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as the FAFSA.

Maryland residents are highly encouraged to complete and submit the FAFSA by March 1. With the right help, the FAFSA can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes. According to the FAFSA website (www.fafsa.ed.gov), the best way to complete the FAFSA is early, online, and without any mistakes.

Many states and colleges use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for nonfederal student aid funds that may have early deadlines or limited funding. The sooner you complete the FAFSA the more aid you could be eligible for.

Additionally, those that apply online will be given the option to retrieve his or her IRS data to automatically complete those sections of the FAFSA. This option simplifies the application process, helps reduce errors and may lower one’s chances of being selected to verify the information on the FAFSA.

"You will submit your tax information from two years prior, rather than your taxes for the most recent filing year, so for the 2018-19 FAFSA you will provide information from the 2016 tax year," said Cissy VanSickle, director of student financial aid.

VanSickle also noted that students and parents should be able to retrieve this information to automatically populate the corresponding questions on the FAFSA. Additional resources and tips are available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Garrett County high school graduates who plan to attend Garrett College are encouraged to apply for the Garrett County Scholarship Program. New this year is an electronic version of the Garrett College Foundation scholarship application. The application for Foundation scholarships is now online at http://www.garrettcollege.edu/form-foundation-scholarship.php and any student considering Garrett College, regardless of age or income, should apply for the Foundation scholarships.

The Financial Aid Office at Garrett College is available to assist students and parents with completing the FAFSA, regardless of which college he or she is planning to attend.

For more information on completing the FAFSA or financial aid, persons may contact the Financial Aid Office at 301-387-3080.