Free BC3 workshops to guide applicants seeking federal financial aid
Butler County Community College will host Free Application for Federal Student Aid workshops.
The events will be held in Room 14 of the Continuing Education building on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township. Workshops are scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 27; from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 13; and from 10 a.m. to noon and from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 20.
Prospective students or their families can RSVP at bc3.edu/fafsa by Jan. 24 to attend the Jan. 27 workshop; by Feb. 9 for the Feb. 13 workshop; and by Feb. 16 to attend a Feb. 20 workshop.
The FAFSA should be submitted by May 1 to meet the Pennsylvania state grant deadline. State grants, like federal grants, do not need to be repaid.
Seventy-five percent of BC3’s Class of 2023 graduated debt-free.
Tuition and fees for BC3 students from Butler County pursuing 15 credits each semester in the 2023-2024 academic year cost $5,610 for in-person courses.
Financially eligible BC3 students from Butler County could receive a maximum of $7,395 in a federal Pell grant and of $2,568 in a Pennsylvania state grant in the 2023-2024 academic year, said Juli Louttit, BC3’s director of financial aid.
Those who plan to attend the workshops should create a federal student aid identification at studentaid.gov at least four days before the workshop. They should also bring to the workshop a 2022 federal income tax return, 2022 W-2 forms, current investment documents and a Social Security card, Louttit said.
“Families come to the workshop, get on the computer and file the FAFSA,” Louttit said. “We are there to help them. Sometimes they might get to a question that they are not sure how to answer. There could be different household situations with divorces, being remarried, different income or asset information that they are not quite sure how to address.”
New and returning students who plan to attend BC3 in fall 2024, or in spring or summer 2025, will file a 2024-2025 FAFSA.
Part-time students pursuing at least six credits may also be also eligible for federal and state financial grants upon completing the FAFSA.
The BC3 Education Foundation in the 2023-2024 academic year had available a record 155 scholarships that ranged in amounts from $300 to $5,000, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, development coordinator with the BC3 Education Foundation.
Students registered for fall 2024 academic courses can apply online for a scholarship from the BC3 Education Foundation beginning April 15.
Students enrolled in a BC3 associate degree, certificate or workplace certificate program and who meet scholarship criteria are eligible to receive a financial award. Students attending any of the college’s six locations, enrolled in online courses or in BC3’s new virtual programs can apply for a scholarship, Cornetti said.
Prospective students can apply free to BC3 at admissions events scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 21 at BC3 @ Cranberry in Cranberry Township and for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 16 on the college’s main campus.
BC3’s fall semester begins Aug. 26.
Bill Foley is coordinator of news and media content at Butler County Community College.
