ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 28, 1997 TAG: 9702280078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder
Today is the last day that parents may request an application form to enroll their child in Virginia's prepaid college tuition program this year. The state set this year's enrollment period from Dec. 2 to Feb. 28 for the program, a financial plan which allows parents to make payments now to ensure they can afford future tuition and fees at a public college in Virginia.
But even though applications should be postmarked by tonight, people who request a form today will be allowed to send it in and enroll this year, said Diane Cantor, executive director of the Virginia Higher Education Tuition Trust Fund. Sign-up periods will be held annually.
Cantor said she would not comment until next week on how many people have enrolled in the first-year program, saying she expects to receive a number of applications early next week.
But she said about 78,000 people have called to request information. ``I'm really happy, because my goal this year was to gain name recognition,'' Cantor said. ``I think we have made people focus on the need to plan ahead.''
Cantor said the number of enrollees is ``many thousands. It's not tens of thousands, but it's a lot of people.''
The prepaid tuition program offers a variety of payment plans to cover the future cost of a public college in Virginia, or part of the cost of a private school or an out-of-state school. It does not cover the cost of room, board and books. Refunds are available under certain conditions.
Some financial planners have said stocks and mutual funds would make more money for an investor, but Cantor says the education fund is a safer way to guarantee a child's education. Virginia is the 13th state to offer a higher education trust fund.
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB