The first is Year-Round Pell Grant.  Students are now eligible to receive additional Pell Grant money to attend school in the summer.  Some students may not be eligible if they are enrolled less than half-time (5 or fewer credit hours).  To see if you’re eligible for summer Pell Grant, please contact the Financial Aid Office at 439-3710.

The second is Direct Lending.  Effective July 1, 2010, all student loans will come directly from the U.S. Department of Education, rather than through a bank or other financial institution.  You will have a single contact for everything related to the loans, even if you receive Direct Loans at different schools.  You will have online access to your Direct Loan account information 24 hours a day at www.dl.ed.gov.  When it comes time to repay your Direct Loans, you will work directly through the U.S. Department of Education and will be able to choose from several repayment plans.  A new master promissory note and entrance counseling session are required of all student loan borrowers.  Please visit https://studentloans.gov to complete these steps as soon as possible.

As always, the staff of the NMSU Alamogordo Financial Aid Office are here to help!  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  (575) 439-3710.

1. Go to the main campus bookstore website at http://www.nmsu.edu/nmsubookstores/.
2. Click on link for applying for a Student Book Charge Account.
3. Fill out the application.
4. Print out application for your records.
5. Submit the application.

Processing time is approximately 48 hours. Students can charge books one week before and up to two-weeks after the first day of classes.

Your charges will not be taken out of your financial aid disbursement. You will need to make your payment to the NMSU or NMSU-A Business Office. Your balance must be paid by the end of the semester or no further book charges will be allowed.

This application must be filled out each new semester.

• Go to: http://my.nmsu.edu
• Login
• Click on “Student and Financial Aid”
• Click on “Banner Self-Service”
• Click on “Financial Aid”
• Click on “Direct Deposit Enrollment”
• Follow the instructions to enroll.

This application serves all NMSU students, regardless of campus! Our goal is to provide you with a single application that will collect information and allow you to be considered for all scholarships at NMSU for which you may be eligible. The system has some great features, so feel free to look around – check out the FAQ and Tips pages!

To start the application, log in with your NMSU User ID and password (this is created when you activate your MyNMSU account). This log-in provides you with several benefits including information, security, application status, award status, deadlines and information on additional opportunities that become available throughout the year.

Your MyNMSU account must be activated in order to apply for scholarships. Complete and submit the admission application if you have not yet done so. By submitting your application and creating a MyNMSU account you are in no way making an obligation to attend NMSU or any of its campuses.

Application Deadlines:

• January 18th, midnight (MST), to be considered for the President’s Associates Excellence Scholarship (to view requirements click here)

• March 1st, midnight (MST), for all other scholarships

Note: You may log in and review/update your application as many times as you wish prior to the application deadline.

To proceed click one of the following links:

• Are you enrolled and in good standing in a teacher education program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, West Virginia University, the University of Texas, Austin or New Mexico State University? Will you be student teaching during the next school year?
• Can you justify a need for financial assistance during your year in which you will be student teaching?
• Are you looking for a mentor who can guide you through the challenge of student teaching?
If you are interested in receiving financial support and educational guidance for student teaching, the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation may be interested in providing you with assistance.
The purpose of the scholarships is to provide financial assistance to students who are completing their preparation to be teachers. The Foundation will award four scholarships in the amount of $6,000 each, to college students enrolled in teacher education programs at the University of California, Santa Cruz, West Virginia University, the University of Texas at Austin and New Mexico State University. The scholarships are for one year, provided the eligibility requirements continue to be met. A trustee of the Foundation will be significantly involved with the recipient in the successful completion of her or his degree/licensure/certificate.
Eligibility:
College students who are:
1. Full-time in the final year of the teacher education program,
2. Specializing in elementary or secondary education (undergraduate or post-baccalaureate),
3. In good academic standing at their institutions,
admin
4. Willing to work with a mentor
Please visit http://mccartheydressman.org for more information including how to apply.

Those that experienced a decline in income may then become eligible for Pell Grant or in some cases may be eligible for a larger amount of Pell Grant.  It may be possible to have the resulting change in eligibility, be retroactive to Fall 2009, if the students was enrolled.  The newly established eligibility is effective FA09, SP10 and Summer 10.   This is not something a student can go online at the FAFSA website and do himself, it requires that a Financial Aid Advisor use professional judgement to make the adjustments.

We must have the complete 2009 income and tax information.  The student does not have to have filed a 2009 tax form.  If the student can get that information to us early January,  we will be able to tell within a few working days what the new eligibility will be.  Although it will be unlikely to have their aid here by the beginning of classes, we would recommend that the student enroll in classes.  Should the student want to withdraw, there will be no charge if it is done within the 100% refund period.  The first payment is not due to the business office until February 19th.

The idea is to reach out to the people that have been so adversely affected by the down-turned economy and help them get in classes (or stay in classes) for Spring 2010.

Call (575-439-3710) or come by the financial aid office.

Contact IMMEDIATELY:
Dr. Susan Brown at 575-646-1397
O’Donnell Hall Room 136
susanbro@nmsu.edu

Contact the New Mexico Veterans’ Service Commission at 1-505-827-6300 or the Financial Aid Office at any New Mexico public or eligible private institution.