A program recently put into place will give Calhoun and Lafayette County seniors graduating in 2009 an opportunity to apply for tuition- free assistance to attend Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Over the past year, the Boards of Supervisors for Lafayette and Calhoun Counties gave their approval for the Community College Tuition Assistance Program (CCTAP), which is coordinated with federal aid, state aid and scholarship funds to assure that Calhoun and Lafayette County residents’ tuition will be paid for four consecutive regular semesters.

“This is a great opportunity to assist graduating seniors from these two counties,” said Joe Boyles, director of Financial Aid at Northwest.

In order to apply for the program, Calhoun and Lafayette County seniors must have graduated from high school before May 31, have taken the American College Test (ACT) by June 30, applied for the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant (MTAG) by July 1, completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by July 1 and applied for Northwest Institutional scholarships by April 1. Students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 academic hours) at Northwest following high school graduation or after completing military obligation if entered immediately following high school graduation.

CCTAP assistance will be used after all applicable federal grants, state grants and scholarship funds have been awarded and applied toward tuition. If a  Northwest scholarship is refused, that amount will still be included in the CCTAP calculation. Work study awards and student loans will be excluded from the calculation.

The CCTAP is available for four consecutive semesters (not including summer school) beginning with the fall semester of the freshman year following high school graduation. The student must apply again during the sophomore year. In order to continue to receive CCTAP assistance, the student must pass a minimum of 12 semester hours with a 2.0 grade point average. Calhoun and Lafayette County seniors applying for CCTAP must show proof of county residence, and must apply by July 1.

For more information, contact the Northwest Financial Aid Office at 662-562-3271 or the Northwest Recruiting Office at 662-562-3222 or visit the CCTAP section of the Northwest Web site at http://www.northwestms.edu/cctap/program.html .