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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Kelli Miller
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
11/09/2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES-Students looking for help in paying for college have more options than ever to assist them.
Financial aid is a necessity for most Northwestern State University students. According to Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Misti Adams, more than 85 percent of NSU students receive some form of financial aid including loans, grants and scholarships.
"Part of our mission is to ensure that higher education is financially accessible to all of its students through federal need-based aid and merit-based academic scholarship," said Adams. "We work individually with each student to design a package that allows them to pay for college and minimize the burden of repayment after college."
The three main types of grants processed through NSU's Financial Aid and Scholarship Office are Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity (SEOG) Grants and LEAP funds. These grants are federally funded and based on financial need. They do not have to be paid back. According to Adams in the 2003-2004 school year, NSU students received about $12.8 million in Pell grants, $400,000 in SEOG grants and $63,000 in LEAP funds.
"There is a substantial amount of money available for financial aid. People just do not know where it is," said Adams. "We will work with individuals to help them become aware of possible sources."
Adams said the financial aid office does not determine eligibility for financial aid or scholarships, but only processes the funds.
The four main loans processed through the office include Stafford Loans, Parent Plus Loans, Alternative Loans and Perkins Loans. NSU students received about $37 million in all loans in the 2003-2004 school year.
"Interest rates are low right now. They are less than 4 percent," said Adams. "For many students, that makes student loans a very good option."
Scholarships at NSU include the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), funded by the State of Louisiana, and the federal G.I. Bill, to go along with institutional scholarships, given by the Office of University Recruiting. Recipients of institutional scholarships are determined by the University Scholarship Committee. Academic scholarships are also awarded by colleges and departments at Northwestern as determined by individual committees.
An academic scholarship can be awarded based on grades earned by a student in high school. A general leadership scholarship is awarded based on extracurricular activities and leadership roles a student undertook in high school.
Several scholarships are awarded based on ACT scores. The outstanding student scholarship is available to those with an ACT of 24 or better. The Board of Supervisors Scholarship is available to those with an ACT of 28 or better.
"Each of the institutional scholarships are important to the university," said NSU Director of Enrollment Management Dr. Mary Edith Stacy. "We want to attract the best possible students to Northwestern and the ability to offer scholarships helps us do that."
In 2003-2004, NSU students received about $4.7 million in TOPS and about $5 million in third party scholarships, which are scholarships given by individual groups or people including the teacher tuition exemption program and police dependent scholarships.
Stacy said those planning to receive financial aid for the fall 2005 should begin preparing the required paperwork as soon as possible.
The scholarship priority deadline is Dec.1. Recipients are normally notified by mid-February.
For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid at (318) 357-5961 or visit nsufinaid@nsula.edu.