Carol Langston, PhD, will discuss financial aid possibilities for college students at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This presentation is free of charge and is open to the public. Registration is not required.

Dr. Langston will discuss the College Scholarship Service Profile, generally referred to as the CSS Profile, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program, generally referred to as FAFSA, and Louisiana’s Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, generally referred to as TOPS.

The CSS Profile is an application distributed by the College Board that allows college students to apply for financial aid. It is designed to give private member institutions of the College Board a closer look into the finances of a student and family. The information provided in the CSS Profile is sent to colleges or universities that the student specifies. This document is required at more than 300 U.S. colleges.

FAFSA is a form that can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students (undergraduate and graduate) to determine eligibility for student financial aid. In addition to demographic and financial information, applicants are asked to list as many as 10 schools to receive the results of the application once it is processed.

TOPS provides Louisiana high school graduates meeting specific eligibility requirements with a scholarship if they choose to attend a Louisiana public or private college or university. It has four award components. Students must apply for TOPS using the FAFSA.

The above forms must be completed and submitted before March in order for students to receive scholarships at most colleges in Louisiana and around the country.

Carol Langston, PhD, has more than 30 years of college counseling experience. She is the owner of Langston Educational Consulting (http://collegepronto.com). She has served as a College Board essay consultant, an AP Spanish reader, and has authored a chapter in a college counseling textbook that is used to certify counselors as college counselors.

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jplibrary.net.