The March 10 deadline for those complicated FAFSA forms is quickly approaching. Luckily, financial aid professionals will be on hand February 21st at IPFW to help individuals from the community decipher the forms and get them in on time. According to Gerald Curd from IPFW’s financial aid office, “The event is mostly geared towards first-generation college bound seniors and students from lower income families.” He adds “We don’t turn individuals away who are wanting assistance with FAFSA so college students could come that day”.
The event is called College Goal Sunday (CGS) and is hosted by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA). College Goal Sunday is in its 21st year and has helped over 75,000 families get their forms turned in before the deadline. Currently, they are attempting to expand their efforts to promote aid within minority communities and other groups that are under-represented in the Indiana collegiate community.
The meeting will be held in the lobby of Neff Hall at 2:00 PM on Sunday the 21st. There will be trained financial aid professionals available to answer questions on finding aid but the primary focus of the meeting will be to help filling out the FAFSA online. It is important to meet the March 10 deadline because it allows families to qualify for federal grants, loans and scholarships. Students will also have the opportunity at the meeting to qualify to win a $1000 scholarship offered by LearnMore Indiana and CGS.
College Goal Sunday will be taking place at many different locations across the state of Indiana on Sunday. The program encourages students to be accompanied by parents and for everyone to bring their tax information from 2009. Spanish interpreters will be available to help with language barriers in counseling sessions. More information about College Goal Sunday and the opportunities it offers can be found at Collegegoalsunday.org.
