Holiday Update

It is that time of year again!

We will be taking off the next two weeks in observance of the holiday season and we will return on January 4th to bring in the new year and the new semester!

A word of encouragement: After all of the presents have been unwrapped, all of the eggnog has been drunk, and the decorations have been taken down, I would encourage you to do a mental check of your financial aid.

If you have completed this past semester successfully, and you have registered for Spring classes, your financial aid should already be in place. You can simply come into the Admissions and Registration Center on January 5th, to print your book voucher and purchase your textbooks. If you had some difficulties this past semester and you think you might be in danger of falling below a 2.0 gpa and not completing 2/3 of your credit hours, then you will want to check your campus cruiser e-mail account. If there is a problem with your financial aid for the Spring semester, you will have an e-mail explaining the situation. Please read this e-mail and follow the instructions provided on how you can regain your financial aid eligibility!

Also, remember that we are rapidly approaching tax season which means that the 2010-2011 FAFSA will soon be up and available. Continue to check back for additional updates and information regarding the new academic year!

If you encounter questions over the break please refer to the numerous posts in this blog where many common financial aid questions have been answered. Don't forget to check the comments where many more details are explained!

You also can check out the newly redesigned financial aid website for any additional questions. http://www.gvltec.edu/financial_aid/

Thank you as always for your time, and from all of us here in Financial Aid....."Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Federal Student Aid Update

This past week I was in Nashville, TN for the Federal Student Aid Conference. This event was hosted by the Department of Education and was a 5 day event aimed at updating all financial aid workers on changes, plans, and future updates within the federal student aid system.

If you have followed the major news from Washington these past few months, you have probably heard about our President's proposal to transition all student loan lending under the Stafford and PLUS loan programs to the William D. Ford Direct Lending program. This will mark a significant change in how our school manages student loans. We as a school have decided to go ahead and make the switch as of the 2010-2011 school year, which will go into effect in August of 2010. We have just begun the process of converting to Direct Lending and will hopefully complete early in Spring 2010. So, please continue to check back for future updates and any additional information as it becomes available.

With all change comes some difficulties, but after hearing directly from the US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, this transition will ensure student access to Stafford and PLUS loans into the future and allow all of you, our students, to continue to progress towards your educational, career, and life goals that have begun with your education here at Greenville Technical College. We as a financial aid office are committed to ensuring your access to funding for your education and will do all within our power to make this transition a smooth one.

If you have any questions concerning the transition to Direct Lending, please contact DJ Wetzel, at Donald.Wetzel@gvltec.edu