Students with questions on how to apply for financial aid programs can direct inquiries to a toll-free hotline this month.

This is the fifth year the Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has offered the hotline, said Mary Frances Woodall, hotline coordinator. Last year, more than 2,000 parents took advantage of the service, she said.

The free service, available from Jan. 22-26, was created to aid the application process for federal and state financial aid and inform callers about unused funds.

The toll-free number for Central Pennsylvania is 1-800-692-2644.

Professional financial aid counselors will answer questions from 5 to 9 each night that week, Woodall added.

She said volunteers will answer questions about application forms, the types of aid available, and student aid eligibility. People with questions should call one of three toll-free numbers, she said.

"The governor has proclaimed January 'Financial Aid Awareness Month,' " said Woodall.

January is the best time of the year to offer this service because, although every school has different deadlines for financial aid forms, many are due at the beginning of February, Woodall said. Many families are just starting to look at the complicated forms and have questions, she added.

"One of the things we strive to do is to let people know that we're there and we're willing to help," Woodall added.

Carol Maravic, public information writer for Sen. J. Doyle Corman, R-Centre, said PASFAA is striving to provide one source of accurate information people can call. Often, people hear things secondhand and are confused by the information, Maravic added.

"There's always more money than people who apply for it," Maravic said.

Woodall said the hotline was first offered in Harrisburg five years ago and lasted for two weeks. After a successful response, PASFAA expanded the hotline to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

This year, PASFAA is receiving financial assistance from Pittsburgh National Corporation, Woodall said. This assistance is paying for the toll-free lines.

Woodall said response to the hotline has increased over the past five years.

This is the first year the program has used paid advertisements to gain publicity, and Woodall said she hopes the added attention will draw even more people to the service.