College costs are on the rise, with an expected 6 percent tuition increase next year.

To help local parents and students cope with these rising costs, the Oswego High School will host its annual financial aid information night at the Ralph M. Faust Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Kathy Flaherty, an experienced financial aid authority who has worked in financial aid for community colleges as well as state and private four-year colleges for 37 years, will address any questions that parents may have about funding their child’s postsecondary education.

According to statistics, tuition costs for a four-year private university will be nearly 5.9 percent higher next year, while public colleges will see an even larger increase, of 6.3 percent. The College Board estimates that such increases will send the average cost of a private university in 2006-2007 soaring to $22,218, while public college tuition will rise to $5,836.

The rising costs have prompted many students and their families to seek outside financial help. Statistics provided by The College Board indicate that two-thirds of college students receive some form of financial assistance. Next year, $134 billion in financial aid is expected to be available to students in need.

With higher tuition costs, Flaherty said that parents should apply for financial aid, and not be intimidated by the rising costs. “I tell people to apply for financial aid regardless of what they think their circumstances are,” she said, noting that filing the appropriate paperwork on time is the most important advice she can give to parents.

Thursday night, Flaherty will address the various types of financial aid, provide several informational hand-outs, and give a PowerPoint presentation to parents and students. As a follow-up, Flaherty and her colleagues will return to the high school Jan. 10 for a hands-on workshop to provide parents and students the opportunity to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.

For those unable to attend either session, Flaherty suggested visiting financial aid Web sites such as www.fastweb.com. She can be contacted at 312-2248.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 29th, 2006 at 9:47 pm and is filed under Education, Financial Aid. Tags: College, Education, Financial Aid, Student. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.