PARKERSBURG - With tough economic times and the rising cost of college tuition, many students and families may be facing some difficult decisions over the next couple of months.
Area school counselors say students and parents have been concerned with the cost of college for years. This year appears to be no exception.
"Most of our students, I think, still want to fulfill their dream of a college education," said Parkersburg High School head counselor Larry Hattman. "How they do that may have changed a bit."
"We always have students that have concerns about paying for college," said Diane Bower, head counselor at Parkersburg South High School. "It still is a little bit early in the year, though."
Bower said most questions begin in January, when schools throughout the valley begin holding financial aid seminars, explaining to students and parents alike how to apply for government assistance, grants, scholarships and loans.
"I imagine when we meet with the parents in January we will get a better idea of what sort of questions are out there," she said.
For the most part, Bower said concerns over how to afford college have remained fairly consistent throughout the years. The country as a whole has been experiencing an economic downturn while college costs have been rising steadily. Only recently have officials declared the country to be in a recession, but local families have been feeling the pinch for quite some time.
"What does sometimes happen is a student will pick a school, and then in the summer when the tuition bill comes they sometimes find they can't pay it," Bower said. "Then plans change, the choice of school changes."
August Kafer, director of financial aid for West Virginia University at Parkersburg, said he will be conducting financial aid workshops at schools throughout the region after the first of the year.
The most important part of applying for financial aid, he said, is timing and accuracy.
"Fill out the FASA on time," he said. "Anytime between the first of January, if the forms are available then, and the end of February, you need to get those papers filed. Most of the funding is first-come-first-served. It's not a bottomless well of funding. By the end of March most of that money is gone.
"Be as accurate as possible. Financial aid officers can make corrections after the paperwork is in, but it slows down the process," he said.
West Virginia's P.R.O.M.I.S.E. scholarship has had an impact on the number of students choosing in-state schools, as well as the number of students applying for financial aid. Part of the requirements for the in-state-tuition-paid scholarship is completion of the federal financial aid forms.
"You have some students right on the bubble of receiving the P.R.O.M.I.S.E., and if they don't that can leave them scrambling for financial aid," Bower said. "The good thing is they already have that application work finished, so it may prompt some students who normally would wait too long to get that paperwork in to try for the P.R.O.M.I.S.E. scholarship."
Hattman said more students seem willing to attend in-state and community colleges, at least for the first two years to get basic classes completed. This allows them to save money on tuition while in many cases still living at home.
"I don't think that really is new," he said. "We've seen more students talking about going to local schools, like WVU-P, but I think that's been a trend for the last several years."
Even so, Hattman said he expects more students to more actively pursue financial aid options like grants and scholarships.
"We have quite a few students already asking about scholarships, and there are quite a few scholarships that are specific to this area," he said. "I think the students are really beating the bush after the financial aid money this year."
Kafer also suggests parents contact individual schools if they have questions about eligibility or how to file for financial aid.
"I am giving very general information, so if you have a question specific to your situation, contact the school you are applying to," he said.
"If a student really wants to go to college, I think they will be able to find a way," Hattman said.
