State-Sponsored Aid Programs

All states have established their own higher educational assistance programs that can supplement federal aid programs. The aid programs themselves are quite varied. To simplify things, we have provided you with a complete and up-to-date phone list of state agencies that you can contact for information on eligibility requirements.

When you call your state educational assistance office, ask for the following:

• Financial aid handbook (or something similar) that gives details on state loans, grants, and other aid programs, plus the criteria used to determine your eligibility
• A breakdown of the different state programs, so you can begin thinking about which programs may be of interest to you
• Copies of all the application forms that you will need to apply for state aid pro-grams (be greedy; if you have all the forms now, you won’t have to seek them out later)
• Suggestions as to how you can speed up the application process
• Application deadlines

Overview and Requirements

Many state aid programs are available to both those in need of money for all their expenses and those who need only partial assistance.

For instance, if you are in the top 10 percent of your graduating class, having maintained a high degree of academic achievement, you may be eligible for state scholarship programs regardless of your financial need. Along the same lines, states today are providing more and more aid to people who intend to go into teaching, nursing, or social services within their own state. Every state has its own programs, and every program has its own eligibility requirements. Information you receive from the state educational aid office, coupled with advice from your school’s financial aid office and/or guidance counselor should put you on the road to success.

TIP…One of the things that may determine your eligibility for state aid and the amount of tuition you pay is whether you are a resident of the state in which you are studying. Becoming a resident in a particular state usually entails residing and working in the state anywhere from six to twelve consecutive months or more. These requirements differ in every state, so contact the financial aid or registrar’s office for more information.

We have compiled a list of scholarships offered through each state’s higher education agency. This list includes the amount, deadline, and requirements, and represents only a fraction of the scholarships and grants that are available to state residents and students who are pursuing a degree at a state or private institution. Refer to Perpetual Press’s Financial Aid Book for a detailed list of these and thousands of other scholarship possibilities through both the private and public sectors. Even students who are not residents of the state in which they are studying may be eligible for some of these financial awards. The application process differs in every state. To be considered for these scholarships, students may be required to complete either the FAFSA, Federal Aid Profile, or an individual application for state aid. Review the list of scholarships and loans provided in Chapter 11 and contact your state agency for more information.

TIP…Strapped for cash? Try selling some of your unneeded wares. Second-hand stores that buy, sell, and trade are popping up everywhere. You can sell anything from CDs and clothes, to furniture and books.

As a handy guide to the different state agencies, we’ve included the following phone and address directory for quick reference. Again, be sure to consult the expanded listings in Chapter 11 if you want specific information relating to individual state programs.

State Agency Listings

ALABAMA

Alabama Commission on Higher Education
P.O. Box 302000
Montgomery, AL 36130-2000
(334) 242-1998 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (334) 242-1998      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

ALASKA

Alaska Commission on Post-Secondary Education
Alaska Student Loan Program
3030 Vintage Blvd.
Juneau, AK 99801-7109
(907) 465-2962

ARIZONA

Arizona Educational Loan Program
P.O. Box 3047
Chandler, AZ 85244
(800) 352-3033

Arizona Commission for Post-Secondary Education
2020 N Central Avenue, Suite 275
Phoenix, AZ 85004-4503
(602) 229-2590

ARKANSAS

Arkansas Student Loan Guarantee Foundation
219 S Victory
Little Rock, AR 72201-1884
(501) 372-1491

CALIFORNIA

California Student Aid Commission
P.O. Box 419026
Rancho Cordova, CA 95741
(916) 526-7900

COLORADO

Colorado Student Loan Program
999 18th Street, Suite 425
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 294-5050

Colorado Commission on Higher Education
Colorado Historical Museum
1300 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 866-2723

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut Student Loan Foundation
Attn: Customer Service
P.O. Box 1009
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
(860) 257-4001

DELAWARE

Higher Education Loan Program
Carvel State Office Building
820 N French Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
(302) 577-6282

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Office of Post-Secondary Education Research and Assistance
DC Dept. of Human Services
2100 ML King Jr. Avenue SE, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20020
(202) 727-3688
Fax: (202) 727-2739

FLORIDA

Office of Student Financial Assistance State Programs
255 Collins
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 487-0049

GEORGIA

Georgia Student Finance Commission
2082 E Exchange Place, Suite 200
Tucker, GA 30084-5305
(800) 776-6878

HAWAII

Hawaii Education Loan Program
1314 S King Street, Suite 861
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 593-2262

Hawaii Education Loan Program
P.O. Box 22187
Honolulu, HI 96823
(808) 593-2262

IDAHO

Student Loan Fund of Idaho, Inc.
Processing Center
P.O. Box 730
Fruitland, ID 83619
(208) 452-4058

Office of State Board of Education
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0037
(208) 334-2270

ILLINOIS

Illinois Student Assistance Commission
1755 Lake Cook Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 948-8500

INDIANA

State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana
Ista Center Building
150 W Market Street, Suite 500
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-2350

IOWA

Iowa College Aid Commission
200 Tenth Street, 4th Floor
Des Moines, IA 50309-3609
(515) 281-4890

KANSAS

Kansas Board of Regents
700 SW Harrison, Suite 1410
Topeka, KS 66603-3760
(913) 296-3517

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Higher Education Authority
1050 US 127 S
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 696-7200

LOUISIANA

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance
P.O. Box 91202
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
(800) 259-5626

MAINE

Maine Education Assistance Division
P.O. Box 949
Augusta, ME 04332-0949
(207) 287-2183

MARYLAND

Maryland Higher Education Commission
State Scholarship Administration
16 Francis Street
Annapolis, MD 21401-1781
(410) 974-5370

MASSACHUSETTS

American Student Assistance
330 Stuart Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 426-9434

MICHIGAN

Michigan Guarantee Agency Student Loan Program
PO Box 30047
Lansing, MI 48909-7547
(517) 373-0760

MHEAA
Michigan Office of Scholarships and Grants
P.O. Box 30462
Lansing, MI 48909-7962
(517) 373-3394

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Higher Education Service Office
Capitol Square, Suite 400
550 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55101-2292
(612) 296-3974

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Guarantee Student Loan Agency
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
(601) 982-6663

Office of State Student Financial Aid
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
(601) 982-6577

MISSOURI

Coordinating Board for Higher Education
3515 Amazonas Drive
Jefferson City, MO 65109-6453
(573) 751-2361

MONTANA

Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program
P.O. Box 1689
Helena, MT 59624
(406) 444-6594

NEBRASKA

Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education
P.O. Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
(402) 471-2847

NEVADA

University of Nevada – Reno
Office of Student Financial Services
Mail Stop 076
Reno, NV 89557
(702) 784-4666

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation
PO Box 877
Concord, NH 03302
(603) 225-6612
(800) 525-2577

Post-Secondary Education Commission
2 Industrial Park Drive
Concord, NH 03301-8512
(603) 271-2555

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey Office of Student Assistance
4 Quakerbridge Plaza
P.O. Box 540
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 584-9618

NEW MEXICO

New Mexico Educational Assistance Foundation
3900 Osuna NE
Albuquerque, NM 87125
(505) 345-3371

NEW YORK

Higher Education Services Corporation
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12255
(518) 473-7087

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
P.O. Box 2688
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2688
(919) 549-8614

NORTH DAKOTA

Bank of North Dakota
Student Loan Department
P.O. Box 5509
Bismarck, ND 58506-5509
(800) 472-2166

Student Financial Assistance Program
North Dakota University System
600 E Boulevard, Dept. 215
Bismarck, ND 58505-0230
(701) 328-4114

OHIO

Ohio Board of Regents
30 E Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43226-0417
(614) 466-6000

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
State Capitol Complex 500 Education Building
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 524-9100

OREGON

Oregon State Scholarship Commission
1500 Valley River Drive #100
Eugene, OR 97401-2148
(541) 687-7395

PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
SLSC
P.O. Box 2461
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2461
(717) 720-2200

RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority
560 Jefferson Boulevard
Warwick, RI 02886
in-state (401) 736-1100
out-of-state (800) 922-9855

SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina Student Loan Corporation
P.O. Box 211879
Columbia, SC 29221-6879
(803) 798-0916

South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission
P.O. Box 12159
Columbia, SC 29211
(803) 734-1200

SOUTH DAKOTA

Department of Education and Cultural Affairs
700 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501
(605) 773-3134

TENNESSEE

Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation
Parkway Tower, Suite 1950
404 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0820
in-state (800) 342-1663
out-of-state (800) 257-6526

TEXAS

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
7745 Chevy Chase Drive
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 483-6101

UTAH

UHEAA
P.O. Box 45202
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0202
(801) 321-7200

Utah State Board of Regents
355 West N Temple
3 Triad Center, Suite 550
Salt Lake City, UT 84180
(801) 321-7100

VERMONT

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation
Champlain Mill
P.O. Box 2000
Winooski, VT 05404
(800) 642-3177

VIRGINIA

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
James Monroe Building
101 N 14th Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 225-2141

WASHINGTON

Higher Education Coordinating Board
917 Lakeridge Way
P.O. Box 43430
Olympia, WA 98504-3430
(360) 753-7800

WEST VIRGINIA

Central Office of the State College and University Systems of West Virginia
1018 Kanawha Boulevard E
Suite 700
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
(304) 558-2101

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board
131 W Wilson, Room 902
P.O. Box 7885
Madison, WI 53707-7885
(608) 267-2206

WYOMING

United Student Aid Funds
1912 Capitol Avenue, Suite 320
Cheyenne, WY 82001
(307) 635-3259

Regional Offices

These offices can also be called upon to help students find appropriate college funding programs. Choose the regional office that matches the state you currently reside in and/or the state in which you will be attending college.

REGION I:

(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

Office of Student Financial Assistance
United States Department of Education
J.W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse Building, Room 502
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 223-9338

REGION II:

(New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Panama Canal Zone)

Office of Student Financial Assistance
United States Department of Education
75 Park Place, 12th Floor, Room 1206
New York, NY 10007
(212) 264-4022

REGION III:

(Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)

Case Management Division NE
Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square E
Suite 511
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 656-6442

REGION IV:

(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)

Secretary’s Regional Office
United States Department of Education
Suite 19T20
100 Alabama Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 562-6006

REGION V:

(Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)

Office of Student Financial Assistance
United States Department of Education
111 N Canal, Suite 830
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 886-8767

REGION VI:

(Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)

Office of Student Financial Assistance
United States Department of Education
1200 Main Tower Building Room 2150
Dallas, TX 75202-4309
(214) 767-3626

REGION VII:

(Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)

Office of Student Financial Assistance
United States Department of Education
10220 N Executive Hills Boulevard, 9th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64153
(816) 880-4053

REGION VIII:

(Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)

Office of Student Financial Assistance
United States Department of Education
1391 N Speer Boulevard
Suite 800
Parkway Center Office Building
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 844-3676

REGION IX:

(Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Wake Island)

Case Management Division
San Francisco Team
50 United Nations Plaza, Room 266
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 437-8293

REGION X:

(Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)

SFAP – CMD NW
Seattle Team
1000 2nd Avenue, Suite 1200
Seattle, WA 98104-1023
(206) 287-1770