HESC Brings Financial Aid Awareness to College Fairs Across NY

ALBANY, NY (03/09/2011)(readMedia)-- Thousands of high school students are visiting college fairs scheduled throughout the spring. While students look for information about academic programs and campus life, they and their families are also thinking about the resources needed to pay for college.

The New York State Higher Education Services Corp. (HESC), the State's student financial aid agency that helps people pay for college, joins spring college fairs throughout the state to provide information about federal and state financial aid, including New York State's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and the State-sponsored New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPs).

Stops along HESC's college fair tour include Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Troy, White Plains, Long Island, and New York City. A complete college fair schedule can be found on the HESC Web site.

Acting HESC President, Elsa Magee, encourages all college-bound juniors and seniors to explore college financial aid opportunities with information available to New York students and families at the college fairs and the HESC Web site. "HESC.org has program information and resources to help you afford a college education," she said recently.

"New York is a national leader in giving aid to college students. The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is the largest need-based student grant program in the United States," Magee stated.

In addition to TAP, New York offers 18 federal and state scholarships, loan forgiveness, and special award programs to help New York students finance their education.

The New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPs) helps students and families make up the difference between the cost of college and available financial aid. Information about this State-sponsored fixed-rate loan will also be available at the college fairs.

About HESC: HESC is New York State's student financial aid agency, helping people pay for college by providing more grant and scholarship award money than any other state in the nation. At HESC's core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, the New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPs), federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these, and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2009-10, HESC helped more than 605,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing $4.4 billion in grants, scholarships and loan guarantees, including $901 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to nearly 398,000 students.

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