ATC students to get $900 from lottery
7/19/2008 12:23 AM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By ROB NOVIT

Senior writer

Full-time Aiken Technical College students eligible for lottery tuition assistance can receive a maximum award of $900 for the fall semester.

The S.C. Commission on Higher Education announced the award amount for all state technical colleges Friday. The commission also established the award for part-time students (six to 11 semester hours) at $75 per credit hour.

The assistance for full-time students is an increase over the $864 award for the 2007 fall semester and slightly less than the $912 provided last spring. The award for the summer session is $840.

Tuition assistance pays more than half of tuition for eligible students. The current tuition per semester is $1,608, plus another $145 in technology and other fees.

"This is a huge help for our students," said ATC President Dr. Susan Winsor. "As costs go up, lottery assistance keeps college affordable, giving people access to higher education."

Financial aid director Amanda Chittum said ATC students used $1.34 million in lottery funds during the past school year. Yet a substantial number of people enrolling at ATC who are eligible for lottery funds either chose not to attend or didn't finish the process, Chittum said.

To be eligible for lottery money, students must meet the following requirements:

* They must complete the 2008-09 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The form can be found online at www.fafsa.ed.gov and at all technical colleges.

* Students must qualify for in-state tuition rates and be a S.C. resident for at least one year and be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.

* They must be enroll in a certificate, diploma or associate degree program with at least six credit hours each semester.

* Students also must make reasonable academic progress. They cannot be a recipient of a LIFE Scholarship or be in default on any government student loan program.

The amount of money available is worth the effort, said Winsor. She attended a pinning ceremony for student nurses Friday and heard about many of the sacrifices the students had to go through to attend Aiken Technical College.

"My students face challenges, and finance is one of them," said Winsor. "This is important to help them over that hump. We've done quite a bit of work on the enrollment process to make it smoother. Some people choose not to go through the application process for the funds. I'm not sure I understand the reasoning for that."

More information about the S.C. Education Lottery and lottery tuition assistance can be found by visiting the S.C. Technical College System's website at www.sctechsystem.com/lottery/eligibility/htm.

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.

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