Free college and financial aid events are available to Minnesota students and families via Zoom this fall! The series, running six Tuesday evenings, will cover details about the college application and financial aid process, details on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the Minnesota Dream Act for undocumented students, and other ways to pay for college. Please let students in your community know about this opportunity. To access tools and materials to promote these events in your school or program, access our Ready Set FAFSA Promotional Toolkit.
What are the dates, topics, and suggested audience?
All sessions are at 7 p.m. on Tuesday nights and will last approximately 45-60 minutes. Participants can ask questions in the chat and attend any number of sessions. The suggested audience is 12th-grade students and their parents /guardians .
September 30: Explore College Options
October 7: Apply to College
October 14: Understand Financial Aid
October 21: FAFSA 101 | for 12th-grade students who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens
October 28: Dream Act 101 | for 12th-grade undocumented students
November 18: Scholarships 101
How can students and families participate?
All sessions will be on Zoom, but space is limited. Students and families can register at the following link: bit.ly/25CollegeSeries. Session materials and recordings will be posted on the same page after each event.
Who are the presenters?
Mainhia Yang, Director at EMC The College Place-Southern Minnesota
Mandy Schram, Director at ECMC The College Place-Northern Minnesota
Libby Fahrenkamp, Outreach and Communications Coordinator at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Shawn Reynolds, State Financial Aid Program Administrator at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Shannon Olson, State Financial Aid Program Associate at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Will this information be offered in other languages?
Yes! All sessions will have simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong. We also plan to record the presentations.
Is there a scholarship for students?
Students who attend any of the sessions or watch a session recording will be eligible to win a $1,000 scholarship (one entry per session attended) awarded by ECMC The College Place Minnesota.