Mississippi students who complete a FAFSA have 4.6 times greater odds of enrolling in college than those who did not complete a FAFSA. Yet, students who could benefit from financial aid the most are less likely to apply leaving some of the $120 billion in financial aid on the table each year to help pay for college. That’s why, along with our partners, we assist students and high schools with FAFSA completion. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is necessary to receive...
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The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi has received a grant of $50,000 from the Woodward Hines Education Foundation (WHEF) to fund activities that increase college awareness and create pathways to postsecondary education among high school students in the following 18 Mississippi Delta counties: Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, Desoto, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washington, and Yazoo.
“Our top...
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by Brandi Lyndall
Beginning with the September 2020 national ACT test, students will have more choices, a flexible test-taking experience, and greater opportunity that their ACT test scores best reflect their overall academic achievement. ACT will implement these four major changes next year.
Section Retesting: Students who have taken the ACT test on a national test day will have the opportunity to retake one or more...
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by Brandi Lyndall
Whether you're thinking about the next phase of your education, launching a new career, or making a transition in your current job, the ACT WorkKeys assessment system can help.
ACT WorkKeys is a system of curriculum and assessments that build and measure essential workplace skills that can affect your job performance and increase opportunities for career changes and advancement.
With ACT WorkKeys, you can earn the National Career Readiness...
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This year, Get2College is launching a new social media toolkit, designed to help counselors, college admissions staff, parents, and community leaders engage students by sharing news and college access information. The toolkit will be available on our website and will include information about the FAFSA, ACT dates, College Signing Days, state financial aid deadlines, degree and college types, sources of financial aid, and more.
The Get2College social media toolkit is free and easy-to-use and...
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by Brandi Lyndall
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides education financial assistance to veterans and dependents but determining the options, benefits and eligibility can be complicated. Since 1944, the GI Bill has offered qualifying veterans and their family members money to cover all or some of the costs for school or training. Currently, the GI Bill outlines two ways for veterans to qualify for aid, but only one GI Bill program can be used to pay for college. ...
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by Brandi Lyndall
After submitting the FAFSA, you may have seen a note on your Student Aid Report (SAR) saying you’ve been selected for verification. Or, your college might have sent you an email telling you that you’ve been chosen. Verification is the federal process colleges use to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA is accurate.
So, here’s what you need to know to complete verification.
First, Don’t assume you did anything wrong or...
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If you’re an adult who is considering going back to school, chances are you are juggling a lot—a full-time job, family, tight budget and an already full plate of responsibilities. But, we are here to help.
Whether you are looking to complete a college degree, certificate or credential for the first time, or you are going back to school to start a new career path, here’s some advice.
First—Find your “WHY.” Whether you are seeking the personal feelings...
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We recently sat down with a current high school senior to talk about her plans after graduation. Here’s what she said:
Name: Zaria Simone Ford
Age 18 Years Old
Hometown: Greenville, MS
Plans after graduation: After graduation, I plan to attend Mississippi State University, where I will major in Biochemistry with a pre-dental concentration.
Career goals: I plan to become a Pediatric Dentist
Why do you want to go to college? I want to attend...
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Mississippi students have an opportunity to use their summer to get ahead in the college process by participating in Camp College, a free, week-long program designed to help rising seniors prepare for the transition from high school to college. Funded by the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, Camp College is held each summer at the three Get2College centers, located in Jackson, Southaven and Ocean Springs. Camp College begins the week of June 10 and registration is currently open.
Camp...
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Think of a financial aid offer as an offer letter from the colleges and universities you have applied to. They typically arrive in March for most schools and can arrive as late as April for private, selective colleges. It is not uncommon to receive multiple financial aid offers from the same school—one detailing scholarship awards and one detailing need-based financial aid. These offers are available by logging into your school portal and spell out the details of your overall financial...
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Get2College, a program of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, is proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to assist students and their families with navigating the complex financial aid process by supporting their FAFSA completion efforts through the Get2College Corps.
The Get2College Corps is a competitive, paid internship for high-achieving community college students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa. There are currently 17 students from 12 Mississippi community colleges who...
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Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Get2College, a program of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, has launched a dashboard, aimed at helping high schools track FAFSA completion among their high school seniors.
Financial aid is one of the barriers for college access and completion for underserved students. Completion of the FAFSA has a strong correlation to college access. In addition completion of the FAFSA by priority deadlines links low-income students to critical financial resources. The goal of the new dashboard is to...
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at Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Monday, January 28, 2019
On January 16, 2019, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Woodward Hines Education Foundation announced a $440,000 grant to benefit high-achieving two-year college students in Mississippi with financial need. Phi Theta Kappa provides academic, social, and financial support to an otherwise vulnerable population of students, and its members complete college at a higher rate than non-members. This scholarship will enable thousands of Mississippi students with financial need to join Phi Theta Kappa...
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Posted by
Lauren McKee
at
Monday, January 28, 2019
Friday, January 4, 2019
The Woodward Hines Education Foundation and the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University are working together to evaluate the Get2College Pilot School Program, which seeks to increase the number of students getting to college in Mississippi. In order to increase the numbers of students going to, persisting and completing college, the Pilot School Program, which is currently being implemented in eight high schools across Mississippi, uses nationally identified best practices...
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at Friday, January 4, 2019
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Get2College Assistant Director and Project Manager Kierstan Dufour sat down with Phi Theta Kappa President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner this week to talk FAFSA on the Phi Theta Kappa CEO Podcast. Take a listen to learn how to determine if you are a dependent or independent student, important information on FAFSA deadlines, how to complete the FAFSA if you are a DACA student, and more.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
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at Thursday, December 20, 2018
Friday, November 9, 2018
Earlier this week, we debuted our new email newsletter for Mississippi high school counselors called Counselor Corner. Inside this first edition, counselors found information regarding new local college programs, professional development events at their nearby Get2College Center, the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP), ACT Fee Waivers, Advanced Placement Test scores, and more.
To sign up for the spring edition of Counselor Corner, email Lisa Potts, Communication and Impact Coordinator...
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at Friday, November 9, 2018
Monday, October 8, 2018
Mississippi Governor Phi Bryant issued a proclamation recognizing October as College Application Month. In the proclamation , Gov. Bryant recognizes the importance of completing college applications as a step towards pursuing a postsecondary degree or credential. He also recognizes that a postsecondary degree or credential has been linked to higher income and better health. In the proclamation, Gov. Bryant encourages all public high schools to participate by having activities designed to...
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at Monday, October 8, 2018
Thursday, September 13, 2018
NCAN member Woodward Hines Education Foundation's Get2College program knows that moving the needle on FAFSA completion isn't easy. It takes creativity, partnerships, and a belief that "First U-HAFTA FAFSA®" if you want to pursue postsecondary education.
Over the past several years, Get2College has worked to increase FAFSA completion in Mississippi, one of the nation's poorest states. Get2College offers free one-on-one FAFSA support for students and families in each...
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at Thursday, September 13, 2018
Friday, July 27, 2018
For many college-bound high school students and adults, the ACT is a rite of passage required by most community and four-year colleges and universities to measure a student’s overall college readiness and to determine merit-based scholarship eligibility. The standardized test is offered seven 7 times per year and covers subject areas including math, science, reading and English—with an optional section focused on writing. The ACT covers 215 questions in less than three hours. Each...
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at Friday, July 27, 2018
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Are you thinking about attending a two or four-year college/university next year? If not, you should be! Unfortunately, many high school students believe college is not for them. As a higher education administrator with over 14 years of experience, I am saddened when talking to high school students who believe they would not do well in college. Almost all high school graduates can succeed in post-secondary education if they are committed and willing to work hard to achieve their degree. I am...
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at Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Planning a successful college fair takes more than just scheduling the gym and getting on the recruiters’ calendars.
Picture this: A high school freshman comes to the college fair in the school gym and sets off on a scavenger hunt arranged by her counselor. Equipped with a map and a plastic bag, she makes the rounds to each college recruiter’s table to ask about their majors and school size and collect their informational brochures, as well as a few college-branded items. She...
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at Thursday, April 19, 2018