Ivy Tech offering last-chance FAFSA assistance

For those confused about financial aid paperwork and the financial aid process, help is arriving soon.

A financial aid workshop is set for 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29 in Room G108 at Ivy Tech Community College, 915 S. Zinc Mill Rd., Greencastle.

The workshop, an informal help session where a financial aid representative is available on a walk-in basis, will be a last chance for students and families to obtain valuable information for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the state's March 10 deadline.

The FAFSA is an important document because most enrollees at higher education institutions must complete and submit it in order to qualify for federal financial aid, including grants and loans, from most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools in the nation. Filling out this basic form is also the necessary first step in becoming eligible for state aid. Twenty-first Century Scholars are required to complete and submit a FAFSA as well to claim their Twenty-first Century Scholarships.

Those planning to attend the workshop should follow these important guidelines. Students 23 years of age or younger are encouraged to attend with their parent(s) or guardian(s). Students 24 years of age or older may attend alone.

Those planning to attend college between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013 will fill out the 2012-13 FAFSA and should bring to the workshop 2011 tax returns, W-2 forms and income/benefit information.

Early submissions of the FAFSA often assist students in receiving greater amounts of financial aid for their postsecondary education. That is why they are encouraged to meet the earliest deadline, which is the state's deadline of March 10 at midnight. Students are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA online.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, serving nearly 200,000 students annually.