Aging workers needn’t fear going back to college to finish a degree, get a new one or otherwise advance educationally – at least not for fear of finding financing, a Kansas University official says.

Brenda Maigaard, director of the KU Office of Student Financial Aid, suggests that older students take a practical approach to deciding whether to go back to school.

“It truly is an investment,” she said.

And the KU office can help connect prospective students with resources for finding potential investors – federal loans, grants, scholarships and other sources – that can help facilitate pursuing a new degree program or completing an unfinished one.

The office offers one-on-one sessions with counselors, to help review options and point prospective students in the right direction, Maigaard says. Whether it’s discussing details of specific programs or helping students work out their own goals, the idea is to help people come up with a plan that makes sense.

And dispel misconceptions.

“Many students may still think that they need to be enrolled full time to receive financial aid, and that’s not true,” she says. “You simply need to be enrolled in six hours to receive student financial aid. : That is not a barrier, and that’s really important to remember.”

The office coordinates more than $160 million in financing each academic year.

For more information, call the office at 864-4700 or visit www.financialaid.ku.edu.