WEST SUBURBAN FAMILIES: TIME TO GET COLLEGE SMART Elgin Community College to host ISAC College Smart Fair November 13

Elgin, Ill. — Learn about the ins and outs of paying for a college education at the College Smart Fair on Saturday, November 13, from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Elgin Community College's Fox Valley University and Business Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

 

Experts will be on hand to discuss everything from beginning the college selection process to navigating the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to financial aid, student billing and money management. Financial aid representatives from area colleges and universities will also be available to answer questions.

 

"The College Smart Fair offers students of really any age and their families the opportunity to explore and ask questions about how to choose a college, and, of course, how to pay for it," said Russell Goeltenbodt, financial literacy specialist with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, one of the event's co-sponsors.

 

Other co-sponsors include the Kane County Teachers Credit Union and Elgin Community College.

 

Three tracks are available: Junior High School and High School Students (Freshmen-Juniors), High School Seniors and Parents/Returning College Students. Sessions will also be available in Spanish.  Additionally, representatives from the College Illinois!® Prepaid Tuition Program will be on hand to discuss how the program can help make paying for college more affordable.

 

There is no cost to attend the College Smart Fair, and refreshments will be served.

 

To register, send an e-mail with your name, year in school/school name (if applicable) and the number of people attending to financialsmarts@elgin.edu. For more information and program outline, visit www.elgin.edu/financialliteracy or www.collegezone.com/collegesmart.

 

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education. A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to post-secondary education with innovative programs for more than 50 years. The commission continued its mission to make college accessible and affordable for Illinois students by administering over 183,000 grants and scholarships totaling over $430 million in FY2009 alone.

 

The Commission provides educational funding via numerous public programs such as the Monetary Award Program (MAP), the Illinois Veteran Grant and the College Illinois!® Prepaid Tuition Program. Students and families have free access to a wealth of financial aid and college planning information at ISAC's family of websites available at www.knowhow2goillinois.org and www.529prepaidtuition.org.