It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Super Saturday!

Feel like you need superpowers just to figure out financial aid forms? Never fear, Super Saturday is coming soon to a location near you.

The 9th annual “Super Saturday” event will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at more than 30 sites across Virginia! Students and their parents are invited to receive free assistance in completing and submitting the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online.

Each Super Saturday site will offer financial aid workshops that explain the federal and state financial aid process. Host sites will also have computers available from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for students and parents to apply for federal aid electronically, with assistance from volunteer financial aid experts. Also, a $100 Book Scholarship will be awarded to one student at each Super Saturday location.

This event is open to parents and students of all grade levels, as well as adults interested in furthering their education. For information on the location of Super Saturday sites and the materials that students must bring to get help filling out the FAFSA online, please the VASFAA website. 

A Shorter, Friendlier FAFSA

A recent Washington Post article reveals that a shorter, simpler version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available later this month.

The FAFSA is used to determine a family’s expected annual contribution to college expenses. It also determines eligibility for need-based federal Pell grants and other student aid.

According to the Post article, the newest version of the FAFSA has 107 questions in its paper form, but students who fill out the form online will be able to skip unnecessary questions that don’t apply to them. The number of questions skipped will vary from person to person based on their individual answers.

Educators encourage all students to fill out the FAFSA, as state and institutional aid is often based on the information provided in this form. If you would like help completing the FAFSA, consider attending the 9th annual “Super Saturday” event, which will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2010! College-bound students and their parents are invited to receive FREE assistance in completing and submitting the FAFSA online. Visit http://www.schev.edu/k12/CACGP/SuperSaturday2010.pdf to find a location near you.

Virginia Prepaid Tuition Plan Offers Open Enrollment

Beginning December 1, the Virginia Prepaid Education Program (known as VPEP) is offering open enrollment for new participants. The enrollment period, which lasts through March 31, 2010, means that VPEP contracts are available for newborns through 9^th-graders, as long as the child or the account owner is a Virginia resident at the time the contract is purchased.

The contracts are priced according to the beneficiaries’ age and the number of contract years purchased. For example, a year of prepaid in-state tuition and mandatory fees for a four-year public college for a newborn will cost $11,878. For high school freshmen, the lump-sum payment for one year is $11,083. VPEP contract benefits may also be used toward tuition and fees at most technical schools and public and private universities worldwide.

This year marks the first time for an increased state income tax deduction that makes Virginia taxpayers who save for higher education in any Virginia 529 program eligible for a tax deduction of up to $4,000 per account each year.

For more information, please visit the Virginia College Savings Plan website.