This week, prospective college students can apply to many colleges in North Carolina without paying an application fee via a program through the College Foundation of North Carolina.
The initiative is known as College Application Week.
Forty-three colleges and universities, and all 58 community colleges, across the state are waiving their application fees this week for students who apply through the CFNC website.
“This is a big deal for our students and families,” says Kathy Hastings, outreach director for the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. The state agency manages the College Foundation of North Carolina.
“The College Foundation of North Carolina is actually an information dissemination service that we provide, as part of the various services that the state of North Carolina provides folks around the college-going process,” Hastings explains.
Hastings says prospective students can also go to any college to get help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA — which opens in December.
“It can be a little intimidating, similar to filling out a tax return, which can be intimidating for all of us,“ Hastings says.
Prospective students can go to the financial aid office at the local college in their community, “not necessarily the one they plan to attend,” Hastings says. College Foundation of North Carolina maintains an interactive map to locate a financial aid office near you.