(Butler, PA) Butler County Community College’s free workshops in January and February will help attendees to navigate a federal financial aid application that may represent the first step toward a prospective student graduating debt-free from BC3.
Grants awarded to financially eligible students who complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) do not need to be repaid.
“Free money is free money,” said Juli Louttit, BC3’s director of financial aid.
BC3 administrators have scheduled FAFSA workshops on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township, and at BC3 @ Armstrong, at BC3 @ Brockway and at BC3 @ LindenPointe.
Prospective students or their families can RSVP to attend a workshop at bc3.edu/fafsa
Workshops on BC3’s main campus will be held in Room 14 of the Continuing Education building. Workshops are scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 27; from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 13; and from 10 a.m. to noon and from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 20.
RSVP by Jan. 24 for the Jan. 27 workshop; by Feb. 9 for the Feb. 13 workshop; and by Feb. 16 for the Feb. 20 workshops.
The workshop at BC3 @ Armstrong, 1100 Fourth Ave., Ford City, will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 6. RSVP by Feb. 2.
Workshops at BC3 @ Brockway, 1200 Wood St., Brockway, will be held from noon to 2 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 8. RSVP by Feb. 4.
The workshop at BC3 @ LindenPointe, 3182 Innovation Way, Hermitage, will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 19. RSVP by Feb. 15.
“Even if you are not sure you are going to enroll, get the FAFSA done. That might be the incentive to enroll after seeing our affordability and their eligibility for financial aid.”
75% graduated debt-free in 2023
The FAFSA should be submitted by May 1 to meet the Pennsylvania state grant deadline. State grants, like federal grants, also do not need to be repaid.
BC3’s affordability, financial aid and scholarships allowed 75 percent of its Class of 2023 to graduate debt-free.
“We are very proud our students do not have to have loan debt, or have minimal loan debt,” Louttit said.
Tuition and fees for BC3 students from Butler County pursuing 15 credits each semester in the 2023-2024 academic year cost $5,610 for in-person courses.
Financially eligible BC3 students from Butler County could receive a maximum of $7,395 in a federal Pell grant and of $2,568 in a Pennsylvania state grant in the 2023-2024 academic year, Louttit said.
Tuition and fees for BC3 students from Pennsylvania counties other than Butler pursuing 15 credits each semester in the 2023-2024 academic year cost $8,700 for in-person courses.
Financially eligible BC3 students from Pennsylvania counties other than Butler could receive a maximum of $7,395 in a federal Pell grant and of $4,648 in a Pennsylvania state grant in the 2023-2024 academic year, Louttit said.
“With our affordable tuition, we find students sometimes don’t apply (for financial aid) because they think they don’t need the funding,” Louttit said. “They can afford to pay the tuition, but they may be missing out on an opportunity for funding that they can receive.”
“We help them to make sure they have done it correctly. We don’t want them to make a mistake and maybe miss out on money that they could have been eligible for.”
“Sometimes … they are not sure how to answer”
Those who plan to attend should create a federal student aid identification at studentaid.gov at least four days before the workshop. They should also bring to the workshop a 2022 federal income tax return, 2022 W-2 forms, current investment documents and a Social Security card, Louttit said.
“Families come to the workshop, get on the computer and file the FAFSA,” Louttit said. “We are there to help them. Sometimes they might get to a question that they are not sure how to answer. There could be different household situations with divorces, being remarried, different income or asset information that they are not quite sure how to address.
“We help them to make sure they have done it correctly. We don’t want them to make a mistake and maybe miss out on money that they could have been eligible for.”
New and returning students who plan to attend BC3 in fall 2024, or in spring or summer 2025, will file a 2024-2025 FAFSA.
“Even if you are not sure you are going to enroll, get the FAFSA done,” Louttit said. “That might be the incentive to enroll after seeing our affordability and their eligibility for financial aid.”
88% of first-time, full-time students aided
In the 2021-2022 academic year, 88 percent of BC3’s first-time, full-time students received financial aid, and only 25 percent used a federal student loan, according to the most recent information available from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Navigator.
Part-time students pursuing at least six credits may also be also eligible for federal and state financial grants upon completing the FAFSA.
The BC3 Education Foundation in the 2023-2024 academic year had available a record 155 scholarships that ranged in amounts from $300 to $5,000, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, development coordinator with the BC3 Education Foundation.
Students registered for fall 2024 academic courses can apply online for a scholarship from the BC3 Education Foundation beginning April 15.
Students enrolled in a BC3 associate degree, certificate or workplace certificate program and who meet scholarship criteria are eligible to receive a financial award. Students attending any of the college’s six locations, enrolled in online courses or in BC3’s new virtual programs can apply for a scholarship, Cornetti said.
BC3’s fall semester begins Aug. 26.
