Senior citizens, do you have your backpacks ready? It's time for school.

There's a little-known (f)act that you should know. In 1974, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Senior Citizens Higher Education Act, a bill that allows Virginia residents 60 and older to audit or take courses for credit at state-supported colleges and universities without paying tuition. Although there are income guidelines for those who want to take courses for credit toward a degree, auditing courses is free, regardless of income.

Amy Widner, public relations coordinator for undergraduate admissions at Virginia Tech, said Tech has several seniors who regularly audit classes.

"We definitely do," she said. "Blacksburg has a marvelously active seniors community."

Widner said seniors have to apply for admission, either as a non-degree seeking student or a degree-seeking student, and pay the $40 application fee. As non-degree seeking students who simply want to audit a class, they must play by the rules.

"If classes are full, they get bumped," Widner noted.

Carolyn Hines, assistant registrar at Radford University, said her office has seen few take advantage of the 1974 law.

"Maybe one or two in the past few years," she said, noting that information on the tuition waiver for senior citizens is on Page 24 of the university's catalogue.

Kim Wilson, a student accounts supervisor at Radford, said there is one senior citizen, however, who regularly audits classes for free.

"He had done it every semester for the last seven or eight years," she said.

To qualify, students must be at least 60 years old and have lived in Virginia for one year. Enrollment for tuition-free academic credit is limited to seniors whose income for the previous year didn't exceed $10,000 for federal income tax purposes. But enrollment for non-credit or audit is free for all income levels, subject to space availability. At Radford University, Hines said, the annual income guideline for degree-seeking students is $15,000.

Seniors interested in attending a state-supported school can get more information by calling the school's admissions office or going online. At Virginia Tech, information is available at www.admiss.vt.edu and at Radford University, it's www.radford.edu/admissions.html.

Senior shorts

Poison control program: Today, 10-11 a.m., Christiansburg Recreation Center Senior Activities Room. Judi Yon with the American Red Cross will lead the free workshop. 382-5775.

Musical jam day: Today, 1-3 p.m., Pulaski Senior Center. 994-8627.

Dine Round: Thursday, 10:30 a.m. Depart from the Pulaski Senior Center to the Smokehouse Restaurant in Galax. Transportation is $3 per person. 994-8627.

Shuffleboard: Thursday, 10 a.m., Radford Senior Center. Bring a lunch and watch the video "Winning Shuffleboard with Glenn Peltier." 731-5517.

Bingo: Aug. 24, 1-2 p.m., Pulaski Senior Center. 994-8627.

Watermelon social: Aug. 26, 1 p.m., Pulaski Senior Center. Free. Registration deadline, Monday. 994-8627.

One-finger keyboard class: Aug. 29. Depart from the Pulaski Senior Center at 9 a.m. for Ridenhour Music at Roanoke's Towers Mall. $6, transportation fee. Lunch on your own. Registration deadline, Monday. 994-8627.

Floyd RSVP 30th anniversary celebration: Aug. 29, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Floyd Baptist Church. Event includes lunch and recognition of volunteers. 745-2105.

Disaster preparedness workshop: Aug. 30, 6-8 p.m., Elliston Fire Department. Seminar is sponsored by the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Montgomery County and Radford. Registration deadline is Tuesday. A second seminar is planned Sept. 13, 6-8 p.m., in the Longshop-McCoy Fire Department. 382-5775.

End-of-summer picnic: Sept. 8 at the Nellie's Cave Park shelter, Blacksburg. Registration begins Aug. 25 at the Blacksburg Senior Center. $8, includes a buffet catered by Country Kitchen. 961-1134.

Tai Chi classes: Registration begins Aug. 25 at the Blacksburg Senior Center for beginning, intermediate and advanced level martial art fall classes. Fees range from $42 to $70. 961-1134.

Computer classes: Registration begins Aug. 25 at the Blacksburg Senior Center for eight computer classes: Basic Computer Essentials for Windows XP Platform, Computer Personal Training, Creating Merge Letters and Mailing Labels with Word, Basic Word Processing, Printing Digital Pictures with Microsoft Word, Basic Internet for Windows XP, Excel for the Math Impaired and File Management and the Windows Directory System. Fees range from $10 to $30. The Senior Computer Learning Center also offers free one-on-one help with computer usage on Mondays, 1:30-4:30 p.m., and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon. 961-1134.

Senior computing: Computer classes will be held Wednesdays during September, 10 a.m.-noon, in the Pulaski Library. Sponsored by the Pulaski County Retired Senior Volunteer Program. 980-3639.

Dance classes: Registration begins Aug. 25 at the Blacksburg Senior Center for three new dance classes: Level 1 Essential Ballroom, Ballroom Dancing Without a Partner and Level 1 Essential Latin. Fees range from $32 to $36. Seniors may try one class for free. 961-1134.

Country line dancing: First session will be held Thursdays, Sept. 15-Oct. 6, 2-3 p.m., at the Blacksburg Senior Center activities room. $4 for residents and $8 for non-residents, payable to the Town of Blacksburg, plus $28, payable to Sapphire Ballroom Dance Center. 961-1134.

Education and leisure classes: Registration begins Aug. 25 at the Blacksburg Senior Center for five new classes: Senior Art, Shakespeare for Retirees, Knitting Workshop, Intro to Shuffleboard and Spanish. Fees vary. Shuffleboard class is free. 961-1134.

n AARP 55 Alive Defensive Driving class: Sept. 28 and Sept. 30, 1-5 p.m. Those who complete the driver safety program are eligible for an automobile insurance discount under Virginia law. To register, call Ben Crawford, 961-5733, or Jim Moore, 552-4688.

n Personal training and fitness classes: Available at the Blacksburg Senior Fitness Center. Registration is ongoing for Personal Training, Fit over Fifty, Healthy Backs, Pilates for Seniors and Stretch, Balance and Tone classes. Fees vary. Free orientations to the fitness center available by appointment. 961-1134 or 961-1149.

n Fun & Fit Fridays: Sessions begin Sept. 3, 8 a.m.-noon, at the Blacksburg Senior Center. Billiards, table tennis, shuffleboard, basketball free throws, Frisbee, croquet, horseshoes, bocce and planned outings for other activities. Registration not required. No programs during holiday weeks. 961-1134.

n Novice Knitters: Mondays, 2-4 p.m., Blacksburg Senior Center social room. Informal group works on a variety of needle projects. Free. 961-1134.