Agency a guide for college maze

Agency a guide for college maze
Tucked into a bland office building near Lloyd Center, Jim Eddy is offering for free what affluent families pay thousands of dollars for each year:
College counseling. Scholarship searches. Career exploration.
All of that, plus help with applying for federal financial aid, are available for the taking at the NELA Center for Student Success.
The center, which opened last month, is operated by the not-for-profit Northwest Education Loan Association, one of several agencies nationwide that administer the federal student loan program and guarantee the loans against default.
The first NELA community center opened in Seattle last year. The Portland center is the first in Oregon. All students and families from around the state are welcome.
The target audience, however, is low-income students and young people who would be the first in their families to attend college, who may not have the background or money to successfully navigate the college search.
At the center, students also can apply online for federal financial aid, a complicated process that turns off or trips up many students. The American Council on Education concluded in a recent study that 850,000 undergraduates who likely would have qualified for Pell grants in 2000 never filled out the forms.
The NELA center is in Suite 135, 1500 N.E. Irving St. Walk-in hours are Monday to Friday, 1 to 5 p.m., and mornings and weekends by appointment.
Information: 503-488-6000 or www.centerforstudentsuccess.org.