January is “New York State Student Financial Aid Awareness Month,” a period during which students and families can learn about and apply for financial aid to help pay for college. 

The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), the State’s student financial aid agency, is coordinating the statewide campaign, entitled “Start Here Get There,” to inform and educate students and families about college financial aid and promote the completion of the most important tool in securing that aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“Families of college-bound students, as well as those currently attending college, should complete the FAFSA as early as possible to have the best chance of receiving all the financial aid for which they are qualified,” said HESC Acting President Elsa Magee. “It’s been found that families that are eligible for financial aid are least likely to know about it, which is why New York’s efforts to inform and assist students and families early are so vital.”

StartHereGetThere.org lists local events, organized by geographic region of the State, where New Yorkers can learn about financial aid programs and receive one-on-one assistance with their FAFSA application at workshops staffed by financial aid administrators from colleges throughout the State.  The site also provides a step-by-step tutorial for completing the FAFSA, college and financial aid planning information, informative videos, helpful tips and tools, as well as information about federal, state and college-sponsored aid, including New York’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), scholarships, loans and work study programs.

Students and families can receive personal assistance with their FAFSA questions throughout the month via:

• online chat weekdays on StartHereGetThere.org;
• email at FAFSAhelp@HESC.ny.gov; or
• special toll-free HESC hotline, 1-800-808-1790, noon to 5pm Monday through Thursdays.

For more information about Student Financial Aid Awareness Month, visit StartHereGetThere.org.

About HESC: HESC is New York State’s student financial aid agency that helps people pay for college and a national leader in providing need based grant and scholarship award money to college-going students. At HESC’s core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2012-13, HESC helped more than 342,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing more than $979.4 million in grants, scholarships and loan forgiveness benefits, including $931 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).