Ivy Tech offers free FAFSA help during College Goal Sunday

Financial aid professionals will be volunteering in Greencastle at Ivy Tech Community College (915 S. Zinc Mill Rd.) and 38 other sites in Indiana to help college-bound students and their families open the door to financial aid during College Goal Sunday.

The event is set for 2 p.m. Oct. 28.

The free program assists Indiana students in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA form is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, scholarships and student loans at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools nationwide. The FAFSA must be filed by April 15 to be eligible for Indiana financial aid.

College Goal Sunday is so important since completing this required form correctly and by the deadline is sometimes perceived to be complicated and time consuming. In less than one afternoon at a College Goal Sunday event, students and their families can get free help and file the form online.

Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parent(s) or guardian(s), and parents’ should bring completed 2017 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 Forms and other 2017 income and benefits information. Students who worked last year should bring their income information as well. Students 24 years of age or older may attend alone and bring their own completed 2017 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 Form or other 2017 income and benefits information.

Students and parents are encouraged to apply for their U.S. Department of Education FSA IDs at fsaid.ed.gov before coming to the event.

Volunteers will walk through the online form line-by-line and answer families’ individual questions as needed.

Attendees may win educational prizes

Students may also win one of five $1,000 scholarships. Students who attend any of the College Goal Sunday sites and submit a completed evaluation form will automatically be entered in a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship. Winners will be notified in December, and prizes will be sent directly to the higher education institution selected by the winning students.

For more information about College Goal Sunday, visit CollegeGoalSunday.org.