The College Planning Center of Rhode Island (CPCRI) has expanded hours at its three Rhode Island locations to help students and parents meet college financial aid deadlines. 

Many students and parents find the financial aid process intimidating. The CPCRI, the state’s leading non-profit resource for college planning, helps remove barriers to higher education by providing much needed help in navigating the complex financial aid process. All services are provided free of charge.  

“Each year as the cost of college grows, we have more and more families making appointments to get help completing their financial aid forms,” said Stacy Crooks, director of the Center. “Offering extended hours will help us serve more families during this busy time of year.” 

The financial aid experts at the CPCRI are available to provide free one-on-one help to families completing college financial aid forms such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS/PROFILE.

“Last academic year our College Planning Center helped nearly 13,000 students and so far this year we are up 15 percent from where we were at this time last year,” Noel Simpson, deputy director of the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA), the agency that sponsors the CPCRI, said in a statement.

All services offered by the College Planning Center are free to Rhode Island residents. Along with helping complete financial aid forms, the CPCRI also provides academic, admission, financial literacy and college selection advice to students. The Center is managed by Stacy Crooks, a former college financial aid and admissions officer. Additional help is available online through the CPCRI’s Financial Aid 101 tutorial and students can sign up for free email reminders (Ed Alerts) containing important deadlines and financial aid tips at www.collegeplanningcenter.org.

The College Planning Center’s locations and hours of operation are:

l Warwick Mall, 400 Bald Hill Road, Warwick, RI: Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 12-7 p.m. and Sunday 12-6 p.m.

l East Bay Office, 576 Metacom Ave, Bristol: Monday through Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

l Northern RI Office at the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland Lincoln, One James McKee Way, Cumberland: Monday, Tuesday and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Parents and students are asked to call ahead for an appointment at 736-3170 or book an appointment online at www.collegeplanningcenter.org.