Financial aid help available locally

Financial aid professionals will be volunteering at 40 sites, including locations in Franklin and Columbus, on Feb. 27 to help college-bound students and their families open the door to financial aid during College Goal Sunday.

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 Federal 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 will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 27 in Franklin at Ivy Tech Community College, 2205 McClain Drive, and in Columbus at IUPUC, 4601 Central Ave. Financial aid professionals from Ivy Tech and other institutions will be on hand to assist individuals.

Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parents or guardians, and parents 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 and bring their completed 2020 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 Form or other 2020 income and benefits information. Students and parents are encouraged to apply for their U.S. Department of Education FSA IDs at studentaid.gov before logging in to the event.

Volunteers will walk through the online form line-by-line and answer families’ individual questions as needed. All sites offer FAFSA online capabilities and many have Spanish interpreters. A complete list of sites is available at CollegeGoalSunday.org.