College Goal Sunday provides free help to students filing for financial aid
Comet staff report

College Goal Sunday is a charitable program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA) that provides free information and assistance to Indiana families filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Now in its 19th year, College Goal Sunday has helped more than 70,000 Indiana students and families complete the complicated FAFSA form properly and on time, and has been cited as a valuable resource for first-generation college students and at-risk youth.

For Indiana students seeking undergraduate admission to a college or technical school in 2008, it is important to file the FAFSA - the form required by educational institutions nationwide - so that it is received by the federal processor by March 10. By filing on time, students have an improved chance of receiving federal and state grants, loans and scholarships, as well as other financial aid.

College Goal Sunday 2008 is at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at 36 sites statewide, including Indiana University Kokomo, 2300 S. Washington St., in the Kelley Student Center room KC130 and the student commons. At the event, financial aid professionals from Indiana colleges and universities walk through the FAFSA line-byline and answer families' individual questions. This year, select sites offer FAFSA online capabilities and Spanish interpreters. To locate that information, visit www.CollegeGoal- Sunday.org.

Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parent(s) or guardian(s) and bring their parents' completed 2007 IRS 1040 tax returns, W- 2 Forms and other 2007 income and benefits information. If students worked last year, they should also bring their income information. Students 24 years of age or older may attend alone and bring their own completed 2007 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 Form or other 2007 income and benefits information. Pens and FAFSA forms will be provided, but students are encouraged to bring their own FAFSA forms and their U.S. Department of Education Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) if filing online. Parents will also need to obtain PINs to file online. To obtain a PIN, go to www.pin.ed.gov.

Students attending College Goal Sunday qualify for a chance to win an educational prize to help with their higher education expenses. Three educational prizes, worth $300 each, will be awarded statewide - one for northern Indiana, one for central Indiana and one for southern Indiana. The winners will be notified in March; prizes will be sent directly to the higher education institutions selected by winning students. To enter the drawing, students must attend College Goal Sunday and submit a completed evaluation form.