Financing a college education is a complicated task – much more complicated than it was 20 or 30 years ago when your parents attended school. You need to take steps now to learn about student financial aid so that you will be able to make an informed decision when the time comes to choose a college or university.

Beware of scams and services that charge fees to search for financial aid money. Applying for student aid is free; that's why the application is called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you need help completing the FAFSA, you can get that help free, too. There is no need to pay anyone for assistance.

Valuable resources for information about financial aid include:

• Your high school guidance counselors
  They can provide you with an overview of the financial aid process, advice on the choice of schools, and assistance in filing applications. Your counselor will likely show you a small library of resources — college catalogs and books on scholarships, among others. The counselor should also be able to assist you in using various scholarship search facilities. Also ask whether there are any "information events" planned for juniors or seniors and their families. You should schedule an appointment to meet with your guidance counselor during the spring semester of your junior year in high school, and several times during the fall of your senior year.



• The financial aid administrator (FAA) or counselor at the schools that interest you
  They can provide you with detailed information on the types of aid available from their school, required applications, and deadlines. They can also answer any questions you might have about their particular aid packages. Your local colleges and universities might offer information sessions to provide an overview of financial aid and educate you about the process.



• The U.S. Department of Education
  They run a student aid hotline, at 1-800-4-FED-AID, that provides information about federal student financial aid programs and can answer questions about filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Be sure to ask them for a copy of their Student Guide, a free booklet of information about the federal financial aid programs.



• Your local library, bookstore and the Internet
  Many libraries have extensive collections of books about financial aid and might offer additional services such as free access to scholarship search databases and financial aid counseling. Before using a book, check the copyright date. If a book is more than two years old, it is likely to be too old to be useful. If you're using a search engine on the Internet, using the terms "financial aid" or "student aid" would be most helpful.



• www.finaid.org
  This Web site provides the most comprehensive collection of links to financial aid resources on the Internet.



• The PNC Education Loan Center
  We can provide you with information about student loans and other education financing options.

For more information, contact our customer service center to speak with an education loan specialist at 800-762-1001, Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm Eastern time.