Posted: | January 11, 2019 11:42 AM |
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From: | Representative James R. Roebuck, Jr. |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Proclaiming January as Financial Aid Awareness Month |
Please join me in proclaiming January as Financial Aid Awareness Month to urge all college students to apply for financial assistance. Over the years, the increase in tuition has been relentless. For many students faced with the financial burden due to the rising cost of tuition, a college education seems unattainable. Student debt is the second largest form of consumer debt behind mortgages. A report from LendEDU determined that the average debt for Pennsylvania students in 2017 was the highest in the nation. According to the study, students carried an average of $36,193 in debt. This was an increase from 2016. The national average is $28,288, up about 1.12 percent from 2016. The main concern for students is to determine a way to pay for college for not only the first year, but all four years. Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, is one of the most important steps students and their families can take to pay for college. The FAFSA gives students access to various types of aid including grants and scholarships, work-study jobs, and loans. The Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and the Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators each want to promote the availability of student financial assistance to help finance postsecondary education. PHEAA has been one of the leading agencies in the nation in providing need-based State grant financial assistance to eligible Pennsylvania residents and providing other State financial assistance programs. Student debt continues to be an issue of great importance to students and their families. Therefore, I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this important resolution so we can educate our students on the assistance available to them to attain there dream. |
Introduced as HR47