TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Financial aid professionals from Ivy Tech, Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology will be volunteering from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 at Ivy Tech Community College Terre Haute to help college-bound students and their families learn more about financial aid during the “College Goal Sunday” event.
The free program assists Indiana students in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The FAFSA form is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, scholarships and federal student loans at most colleges and universities nationwide.
The FAFSA must be filed by April 15 to be eligible for Indiana financial aid, a news release said. The “College Goal Sunday” was created because many families perceive the form to be too complicated and time-consuming to complete, the release said. In less than one afternoon during College Goal Sunday, students and their families can get free help and file the form.
“Completing the FAFSA is the first step to getting assistance covering the cost of your college education. Information captured on the FAFSA could qualify you for up to $6,495 just from the Federal Pell Grant,” Ivy Tech Community College Terre Haute’s Director of Financial Aid Julie Wonderlin said. “And there are other grants and scholarships that you might qualify for, but you have to complete the FAFSA.”
What students should bring
High school students should attend “College Goal Sunday” with their parent(s) or guardian(s), and those people should bring completed 2020 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 forms and other 2020 income and benefits information. Students who worked should also bring their income information.
Students 24 years of age or older may attend alone, a release said, but should bring their completed 2020 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 Form or other 2020 income and benefits information.
“We are here to walk through the online form line-by-line and answer families’ individual questions,” Wonderlin said. “It doesn’t have to be stressful. We’re here to help regardless of where you plan to attend college.”
Attendees may win a scholarship from “College Goal Sunday“
Students who attend “College Goal Sunday” and submit a completed evaluation form will be automatically entered in a drawing to win one of five $1,000 scholarships. The winners will be notified in Spring, the release said, and scholarships will be sent directly to the higher education institution selected the students.
For more information about College Goal Sunday, visit CollegeGoalSunday.org.
