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It's that time again...

Time to reapply for financial aid. Applying for financial aid is an annual event, and if you wish to be considered for financial aid in 2010-11, you must complete the 2010-11 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We encourage you to submit the FAFSA online at http://www.fafsa.gov/. You/your parents will need your 2009 federal tax information to complete the FAFSA, but if you have not filed your taxes it is fine to use estimates when reporting tax information.

NC State has a priority-filing date of March 1.  Students who apply after March 1 will not be considered for NC State’s grant funding and will be eligible only for federal and state assistance. Don’t delay! You may miss out on scholarship and grant support if you submit your FAFSA after March 1.

Please note that if you are a current student, the Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility applies to you. We will review your academic transcript at the end of the spring semester to make sure you meet the conditions of this policy before awarding you aid for 2010-11. If you do not meet the criteria in this policy, you will be denied financial aid for the summer 2010 sessions and for the 2010-11 academic year.

NC State’s mission is to deliver a quality, affordable education to all students, regardless of their financial circumstances. Several publications have ranked NC State as a national “best value” in higher education, a ranking that combines academic quality and affordability. Maintaining affordability and quality are particularly important in difficult economic times, but we will continue to provide as much financial aid as possible to meet each student’s financial need.

Current economic conditions have posed new financial challenges for students and families, and those challenges resulted in a 13% increase from 2008-09 to 2009-10 in the number of students who applied for financial aid and demonstrated financial need. Despite that increase, we have maintained our commitment to doing all we can to fulfill our historical goals of assuring a quality and affordable education for all who apply for aid. Because of continued increase in demand, however, financial aid packages for 2010-11 may contain more self-help aid in the form of loan and work-study dollars than have typically been included in prior year aid packages.

During these especially challenging budgetary times, I encourage all students and their families to talk about their financial realities. We can help you with your questions.  We can also help you if your financial circumstances have changed due to loss of employment or other factors.  Our staff of financial aid advisers is available year-round to discuss the full range of financial aid resources available to students and parents, as well as help you apply for financial aid.

We look forward to helping make your dream of obtaining an NC State degree a reality.

Julie Rice Mallette
Director, Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid