Governor Announces GAcollege411.org

Web Site is most Comprehensive Resource in Georgia for Students Planning to Attend College

ATLANTA, GA - Today Governor Sonny Perdue launched a powerful new educational web site that will help Georgia high school students and others who are interested in attending college explore careers, prepare for college and learn about financial aid opportunities. GAcollege411.org, a free resource, is now available online.

“I hope that every person in Georgia who is thinking about attending college will go online to GAcollege411.org today,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This web site is the most comprehensive resource in our state to help students get ready for a brighter future, by achieving a college degree.”

GAcollege411.org users can:

• Create secure, personal accounts providing access to all GAcollege411 resources and ensuring efficient management of online activities. High school students can grant access to their school counselors, so the counselors can help the students stay on track;

• Engage in personalized, online tutorials for the SAT, ACT, and GRE. Test preparation includes practice sessions, a vocabulary builder, test-taking tips and timed SAT sample tests. Tutorials cover every subject area on the new SAT including the essay writing section, which will be administered for the first time in March 2005. Spanish translations are provided for SAT tutorials;

• Access hundreds of career descriptions and take interactive tests that match individual skills and interests with specific careers;

• Plan and track high school coursework to ensure it meets college entrance requirements;

• Compare entrance requirements, programs, costs, and campuses of nearly 100 public and private colleges in Georgia; and

• Access a catalog of federal and state financial aid resources. Applications for aid can be downloaded from the site. Students can apply for HOPE and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.

Over the next year, additional features will be added to the site, including electronic transfer of student high school transcripts and online applications for admittance to Georgia colleges.

“This is an incredible resource for anyone who wants to ‘get the 411’ about going to college in Georgia,” said Shelley Nickel, Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) president. “The site is comprehensive, user friendly, and best of all- it’s free.”

GAcollege411 is a collaboration of the GSFC, the University System of Georgia, the Department of Technical and Adult Education, the Foundation for Independent Colleges, the Department of Education, the School Counselors Association, the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services, Georgia Public Broadcasting, the Professional Standards Commission and the Georgia Public Library Service.