College Access Convention, held in Plymouth on May 5, educates students on affording tuition

CONCORD — Back by popular demand, several hundred high school students from schools all around the northern half of New Hampshire, which historically are underrepresented at colleges and universities, will attend the 9th Annual College Access Convention in Plymouth on May 5.

This is part of a statewide effort to educate students on strategies for paying for college. College tuition remains a difficult hurdle for many families; the cost to gain entrance is keeping many high school graduates from accessing their own hopes and dreams for the future. The College Access Convention empowers students and their families with useful and practical tools they can use to get into the school of their choice and pay for it.

In 2016, more than 1,500 students around New Hampshire participated in these conventions around the state, many of whom took what they learned and were accepted to college. The convention's goal is to encourage New Hampshire's underrepresented and first generation students to pursue their higher education studies in New Hampshire. Registration is free for students.

Participant students will attend panel presentations, a financial aid workshop, and will take part in a campus tour to help them pave the way to college. Many of these students will be immersed in a college atmosphere for the first time.