FAFSA Friday

If you need financial aid to continue your studies, but the FAFSA form looks daunting, Mt. Hood can offer detailed help.

MHCC welcomes any student in need of assistance to its third annual FAFSA Fridays series. The goal is to help students prepare to meet the upcoming 2014-2015 FAFSA deadline.

FAFSA Fridays begin today and will run through June 13. The lone exception will be March 28, during the spring break at MHCC.

The weekly sessions will be hosted 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the campus Orientation Center, in Room AC1002.

Students should bring their 2012 IRS tax returns, end-of-year pay stubs (if 2013 tax returns are not completed), current value of assets, social security information, and individual ID.

Financial aid adviser Tracy Marshall listed three reasons students should fill out a FAFSA even if they think they are not qualified: Students should not assume whether or not they will qualify; scholarships might require FAFSA completion; and everyone qualifies for at least some type of loan.

Marshall and the Mt. Hood Financial Aid department advise that students should be as conservative as possible when filling out applications for college loans, but also leave the door open to financial aid that might become available.