Maryland Higher Education Commission

April 2008 Press Release

 

 

MHEC sends letter informing students of financial aid offerings

 

 

April 25, 2008

The Maryland Higher Education Commission’s Office of Student Financial Assistance recently sent out thousands of letters to college or private career school bound students this week informing them of useful websites they can easily access to gain information on financial aid.

“This is a real issue nationwide and we all agreed that MHEC should send out information on how to obtain grants, scholarships and loans from many sources including state, federal, colleges and universities and private career schools in this new financial environment,” Secretary Lyons said.

The letter directs students to three different websites:

• MHEC’s site: www.MDgo4it.org for information on State financial aid and for links to colleges, universities and private career schools in Maryland.

• www.studentaid.ed.gov for information on federal financial aid assistance including grants, work-study and loans; and

• www.fastweb.com to access a free scholarship search for private sources of aid.

MHEC’s letter to students states “for one-on-one assistance, you may wish to visit the financial aid office at the institution you are attending or plan to attend. Financial aid counselors will have the most up-to-date information on grants, loans and scholarships for which you may be eligible. Your financial aid office will work with you to find available funding options to fit your needs.

“In case you have recently heard in the media that there are fewer funding options to pay for your college education, rest assured that financial aid is available in many forms and with a little research at the above websites and by contacting your college’s financial aid office, you may find a variety of funding options.”

The O’Malley/Brown administration has done its part helping students pay for college by freezing undergraduate tuition at USM institutions and Morgan State University, substantially increasing aid to community colleges and increasing need-based financial aid by five percent for Maryland students attending in-state institutions.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission is a 12-member coordinating board responsible for establishing statewide policies for Maryland public and independent colleges and universities and private career schools. It serves as an advocate for more than 325,000 college students in Maryland, for the State and its needs, and for business and industry in Maryland.