The World Wide Web has proven to be an invaluable
research tool for millions of American students in recent years.
Students can even obtain financial aid information online, as well
as discover the many college scholarship resources available over
the Web.
To help students who are planning to attend college learn more about
financial aid and college scholarship resources online, the “Mapping
Your Future” Web site will be hosting an online chat session April
11 from 6-7 p.m.
During this live event, financial aid experts from across the country
will help students and their families learn more about college admission
applications via the Web; where to find online scholarship search
services and what to look for in those services; online tools for
determining the costs of college and how to pay for it; completing
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and other
financial aid and college admission topics.
“If our state expects to successfully compete in the global marketplace
in the coming years, then we must produce more college graduates,”
said Hans Brisch, chancellor for the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education. “This online chat session is a unique tool from
which students can receive helpful tips and insight to help them
achieve their educational goals.”
This is one of several live chat events that “Mapping Your Future”
has offered during the 2001-2002 school year. Other upcoming chat
sessions include discussions on financial aid planning and the FAFSA
May 9, as well as career planning issues June 13.
With Internet access, you can join the chat session by visiting
the “Mapping Your Future” Web site at www.mapping-your-future.org.
Once on the site, simple instructions will show you how to join
the discussion. The site will also allow users to register online
for advance notification of future chat sessions.
The “Mapping Your Future” Web site is sponsored by the Oklahoma
Guaranteed Student Loan Program (OGSLP) and guaranty agencies in
other states that participate in the Federal Family Education Loan
Program. In Oklahoma, loans for higher education or post-secondary
education made to students by private or public lending institutions
are guaranteed by the federal government through OGSLP, which is
administered by the State Regents.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded Oklahoma with a state GEAR UP grant totaling $20.5 million in August 1999. The grant has been matched by more than $25 million from state and partner resources. With funds totaling $45.5 million, GEAR UP receives 45 percent of total funding from the federal government and 55 percent from other organizations.
