In partnership with College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) and the North Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NCASFAA), State Employees' Credit Union (SECU) branches, for the third consecutive year, served as sites for FAFSA Day. Held on February 19th, FAFSA Day provided students and parents with assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, the required first step to qualify for federal and state aid for college, including grants, work-study and loans. SECU served approximately 2,000 parents and students, nearly doubling figures from the prior year. The FAFSA initiative followed SECU's participation in November's College Application Week, when SECU personnel assisted at high schools where over 6,000 NC students completed required forms for submission to area colleges.
FAFSA Day is held annually in various North Carolina locations, and SECU's ongoing participation helps to ensure that all 100 counties have FAFSA sites. Over 1,000 Credit Union employees have now been trained to help complete FAFSA forms, as more NC students seek to further their education and apply for federal assistance. An example of this increase is seen in data from the NC State Education Assistance Authority which indicates a 76% increase since 2006-07 in the number of students attending or applying to NC community colleges who complete the FAFSA form.
Robbie Schultz, of the NC State Education Assistance Authority and coordinator of FAFSA Day, said, "This free service would not be possible without the help, organization and technical support provided by all the financial aid professionals and technology experts, SECU and Cooperative Extension Agency employees, school counselors and other volunteers at every location. With their help, we had the most successful FAFSA Day yet and assisted thousands of NC students heading to college this fall."
Vice President of IRA Systems and Projects for SECU, Paulette Bowden responds, "SECU values its relationships with CFNC and NCASFAA and is proud to partner with these groups for educational initiatives such as FAFSA Day and College Application Week. As a complement to these initiatives, this year SECU personnel provided FAFSA Day participants with information on available scholarships, including the member-funded SECU Foundation 'People Helping People' scholarships. It's extremely rewarding to help North Carolina's students in their quest for higher education."
About SECU
SECU is a non-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. SECU has been providing the employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 70 years. Currently serving more than 1.6 million members, SECU provides services through 236 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Contact Centers and a website, www.ncsecu.org.
Contacts:
SECU
Leigh Brady, Senior Vice President, 919-807-8344
Education
Services
Fax: 919-807-8348
leigh.brady@ncsecu.org