I recently hosted a town hall-style meeting where officials from the Department of Education, the Clark County School District, and Nevada's institutions of higher learning joined me to explain higher education financing options available to high school seniors in Southern Nevada.

This was the first in a series of events I plan on hosting that will help provide parents and students with the tools they need to prepare for the costs of post-secondary education. For more information on future events, please contact my office or visit my website at www.house.gov/porter.

For your reference, I have included the following brief descriptions of some of the financing options that were covered during the meeting:

FEDERAL PELL GRANTS:

Financial aid you don't have to repay. Generally, you must be an undergraduate student, and the amount you receive depends on your need, cost of attendance, and enrollment status (full time or part time).

Federal Pell Grants for the 2004–2005 award year (July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005) range from $400 to $4,050.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs) range from $100 to $4,000.

For more information, visit studentaid.ed.gov or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243), TTY users (for the hearing-impaired) can call 1-800-730-8913.

FEDERAL LOAN PROGRAMS:

You can be an undergraduate or graduate student. Parents may also borrow to pay the education expenses of their dependent undergraduate students. Maximum loan amounts depend on your grade level in school.

Federal Perkins Loans are offered by participating schools to students who demonstrate the greatest financial need. You repay the loan to your school.

Stafford Loans are made to students and PLUS loans are made to parents through two loan programs:

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program: Eligible students and parents borrow directly from the federal government at participating schools. Direct Loans consist of Direct Stafford Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Direct Consolidation Loans. You repay these loans to us (the U.S. Department of Education).

Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program: Private lenders provide federally guaranteed funds. FFELs consist of Federal Stafford Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, and Federal Consolidation Loans. You repay these loans to the bank or other private lender that made you the loan.

NEVADA STATE MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIPS

In 1999, Governor Kenny Guinn's Millennium Scholarship initiative was enacted into law by the Nevada Legislature; the legislation created the Millennium Scholarship trust fund to be administered by the State Treasurer. As a student, you will become eligible for a Millennium Scholarship when all of the following conditions are met:

1) You must graduate with a diploma from a Nevada public or private high school in the graduating class of 2000 or later;

2) You must complete high school with at least a 3.1 grade point average calculated using all high school credit granting courses. The grade point average may be weighted or unweighted. You must pass all areas of the Nevada High School Proficiency Examination;

3) You must have been a resident of Nevada, as defined by the Board of Regents' policy, for at least two of your high school years.

For more information contact:

Millennium Scholarship Program

555 E Washington Ave, Ste. 4600, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Phone: 1-888-477-2667 or 1-702-486-3383 (Las Vegas)

Fax: 1-702-486-3246