ISAC CommuniquÉ

February Means FAAM 

In observance of Financial Aid/Admission Awareness Month, financial aid and admission professionals across the state are preparing for a variety of activities to assist Illinois college-bound students and parents with their college planning needs.  Although you answer questions and give guidance year-round about college planning, during February the activity level picks up a bit with special functions centered around the financial aid application and admission processes.  FAAM 2005 offers several types of events, including financial aid presentations, FAFSA Workshops, and College Goal Sundays.

Beginning on Sunday, January 30 and continuing through the month of February, each of these events will provide the families in your community an opportunity to learn all they need to know about the college application process and the all-important completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  If your school is hosting or co-hosting an event during FAAM, be sure to take advantage of the promotional materials supplied to you by the FAAM Publicity Committee so that your event is well advertised.  If you're not hosting an event, check the FAAM Events Schedule provided on the newly redesigned FAAM Web site at faam.org and let your students know about activities being held in your immediate area.   Listings of FAAM events can also be found in the Outreach Activities calendar and through the FAAM News & Announcements item, both of which are accessible from the College Zone home page at collegezone.com.

More detailed information about FAAM, the FAFSA Workshops and College Goal Sundays is available on the FAAM Web site, accessible via collegezone.com (use the FAAM Quick Link from your Counselor Zone front page), or directly at faam.org.  FAAM is a collaborative effort between the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), the Illinois Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (ILASFAA), Inc., Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) lenders and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), with the mission of helping Illinois students and families achieve their higher education goals. 

Top of Page

Help at Your Fingertips - 2005-06 FAFSA Completion 

If some of your college-bound seniors and their families aren’t able to attend one of the upcoming FAFSA Workshops, here’s some information to help you help them through the process of applying for financial aid.

Reference Information 

Check out these Quick Links on the Counselor Zone front page:

•  “FAFSA Reference – Applying for Financial Aid” - Use the reference information and links from this area to guide your students and their parents through the FAFSA process, start to finish.  The "Completing the 2005-06 FAFSA" link also available on that page contains an overview of changes made to the process for the upcoming academic year so that you can see at a glance what areas of the form differ from years past.  In addition, there’s a link to the FAFSA on the Web demo site, which financial aid professionals can use to familiarize themselves with the electronic application, in preparation for assisting students. 
  
  From this same area, you can "Build Your Own Reference Manual" by selecting and printing pages that will be most helpful in meeting your daily challenges.  This method allows you to customize your manual to fit your own personal needs.  
  
• "Financial Aid for a College Education" - Find everything you need to present your own FAFSA Workshop, including a downloadable PowerPoint presentation designed specifically for high school juniors and seniors, and talking points to be used during your session.  The presentation is also available in Spanish.

All reference information appearing in College Zone pertaining to the FAFSA and FAFSA process has been updated for the 2005-06 academic year.

FAFSA Completion Reminders

As you’re working with your college-bound seniors and assisting them with completing the FAFSA, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Remind your students of the Quick Link to FAFSA on the Web from the front page of the Student Zone, and encourage them to use the electronic application.  There are many advantages to using this method, including faster processing and online edit checks.  
  
• Before using FAFSA on the Web, students and parents may want to complete the Pre-Application Worksheet, which is available in both English and Spanish and can also be accessed through the Quick Link.
  
• Caution your students to use the correct application - the 2005-06 version - and to make sure that income information from tax year 2004 is reported.  If the tax information is not yet available, estimated tax figures may be used, but a correction will have to be made as soon as actual figures are available.
  
• Students and parents should request separate Personal Identification Numbers (PIN’s) at pin.ed.gov, to use as their electronic signature when filing FAFSA on the Web.  If students and parents do not have a PIN, a signature page will have to be signed, which will delay processing.
  
• To enhance the security of the ED PIN and personal information on the Web, students and parents will now have to activate their PIN’s before using them.  To do so, they’ll need to provide a Challenge Response and agree to specific terms and conditions.  The changes were made to remind users of the importance of safeguarding their PIN.

Top of Page

State Scholar Listings and Labels Available 

Listings and mailing labels (in ZIP code order) of 2005-06 State Scholar finalists are now available for order.  Details and order forms can be found on College Zone.  Once in the Gift Assistance area, click on “State Scholar Program”, then “Finalists”, then “Lists and Labels”. 

Top of Page

 Are you…

…subscribed to College Zone’s e-Messaging Service?  If not, sign up today so you can stay up-to-date on important issues that affect both you and your students.

…checking the Counselor Zone Message Board at least once a week?  It’s a great place to find out what’s new that week on all the hot topics.

Top of Page

Questions?
Questions regarding articles in this Communiqué can be directed to our School Services Representatives at 866.247.2172 or through e-mail at schoolservices@isac.org.  On occasion, you may be directed to a specific contact person or area; when this occurs, we will provide the appropriate information in the individual article.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission disclaims all responsibility and liability for the reader's reliance on information contained in this publication as it may represent only part of the complete guidance on a topic or have been superseded by subsequent communications, publication(s) or changes in State or Federal law.

Top of Page