Families Can Get Help Applying for Financial Aid at FAFSA Day July 24

With the Fall 2024 semester quickly approaching, Beaufort County Community College will hold two sessions on July 24 to help families apply for financial aid, including the new Next NC Scholarship, by completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). A mid-day session will take place from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and an evening session will take place from 4:30 p.m-6:30 p.m. Both sessions will take place in the Learning Enhancement Center in the Arts & Sciences Building (3) on Beaufort CCC’s campus. Spanish interpretation, snacks, and swag will be available.

Registration for the event is strongly recommended. Students and families can register for the event at https://forms.office.com/r/qvuP34TVw7. The event is open to the public.

Completing the FAFSA is essential to determine a student’s eligibility for the new Next NC Scholarship, the Beaufort Promise Scholarship, the federal Pell Grant, and even private scholarships. All of this is money that does not need to be paid back. Most students will find that a combination of these funds will mean they can get free tuition and fees at Beaufort CCC.

Fall 2024 classes will start on August 15.

The new NEXT NC Scholarship will help more North Carolina families attend community college debt-free. This financial aid program helps most North Carolinians from households making $80,000 or less pursue a higher education by fully covering tuition and fees at any community college or more than half, if not all, of tuition and fees to attend any public university in the state.

Previously, students living in Bertie, Craven, Martin, or Pitt Counties were not eligible for the Beaufort Promise Scholarship, Beaufort CCC’s last-dollar scholarship, helping guarantee free tuition and fees for qualifying students. Next NC extends the opportunity to students living outside of Beaufort CCC’s service area and helps students in the service area with future transfer options.

Like the Beaufort Promise Scholarship, the Next NC Scholarship combines the federal Pell Grant with the state-funded financial aid program to form a simplified and predictable scholarship award that is easier to understand and makes education more affordable so a greater number of North Carolinians can pursue a degree. The scholarship award can also go toward books, food, and housing. Financial aid staff at Beaufort CCC will automatically award all federal, state, and local grants to eligible students.

To be eligible for Next NC, students must be North Carolina residents and high school graduates or have a GED or high school equivalency. They must be from a household with and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $80,000. Students must enroll in an undergraduate curriculum program for at least six credit hours and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

Applying is simple for families and independent students. By filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), they are automatically matched for eligible aid. There are no additional forms to fill out. For families who cannot attend the FAFSA Day sessions on July 24, they can visit studentaid.gov or reach out to the Beaufort CCC Financial Aid Office at 252-940-6393.

Promotion of the Next NC Scholarship made possible with a grant from the John M. Belk Endowment.