Free “Financial Aid Fair” to Help Dispel Misconceptions about Financial Aid
65 to 70 percent of A&M-Corpus Christi students receive financial aid

Many high school seniors preparing for graduation might not have the funds to attend college in the fall. What do you do?

“It is not too late for students to apply for financial aid for the fall semester,” said Noe Ortega, financial aid outreach advisor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “Students can still receive federal grants and student loans.”

The A&M-Corpus Christi Department of Financial Assistance will host a “Financial Aid Fair” on Saturday, April 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Padre Staples Mall Center Court (first level). The fair is designed to help dispel some of the misconceptions students and parents may have about financial aid. The fair is free and open to the public.

University representatives and Co-Step, a student loan servicer and lender, will be on hand with the Mobile Educational Research Vehicle (MERV) to start processing student’s financial aid information.

MERV “The Campus Cruiser” is a 36’ CruiseAir vehicle equipped with ten Dell computers with wireless access to the Internet. It allows students to work at their own pace and search for scholarship information and transmit their student aid forms via the Internet. Financial aid counselors will assist the students using MERV.

Anyone attending the fair will receive individualized counseling on all aspects of the financial aid process, which according to Ortega is important because many times parents and students are afraid to ask questions or are intimidated at the thought of the paperwork.

“Some students and parents worry that poor high school grades might be a factor in their not receiving financial aid or that there’s too much paperwork to fill out,” said Ortega. “They’re always surprised when I tell them that grades do not determine aid and that all they have to fill out is a one page application. We really want the public to know that it’s really easy and we are here to help them out any way we can.”

Currently, 65 to 70 percent of the more than 8,000 students attending A&M-Corpus Christi receive some form of financial aid. Financial aid advisors stress the importance to knowing all the facts before making decisions. 

Advisors from the colleges of Arts and Humanities, Business, Education, Nursing and Health Sciences and Science and Technology will be on hand to answer questions about degree programs and potential careers options. Representatives from the Student Housing office will be on hand to pass out information about living on campus.