College Goal Sunday to help with confusion of college financial aid for local families Feb. 12; FAFSA forms due March 10
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
College Goal Sunday to help with confusion of college financial aid for local families Feb. 12; FAFSA forms due March 10
GOSHEN, Ind. – For families of college-bound high schoolers — or students returning to college — the financial aid process can be confusing and difficult, but it should not be a barrier to the advantages that come with a college degree. College Goal Sunday can help make the financial aid process easy to understand and easy to complete, as well as make families aware of financial awards available to them that they might not have been aware. Seven Goshen College financial aid professionals will help local families understand and fill out paperwork, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and answer financial aid questions on Sunday, Feb. 12 at LaCasa of Goshen, 202 N. Cottage Ave., anytime from 2 to 4 p.m. The assistance is free and Spanish translators and speakers will be available.
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Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006 2-4 p.m. La Casa, Goshen, Ind. Learn more about Goshen College’s financial aid opportunities. |
Most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools in the nation require students seeking federal financial aid, including grants and loans, to complete the FAFSA, which must be received by the federal processor on or before March 10. Twenty-first Century Scholars must complete and submit a FAFSA form to claim their scholarships. At 34 sites in 29 Indiana communities, College Goal Sunday will help all college-bound students, including Twenty-first Century Scholars, complete the form properly.
Galen Graber, Goshen College Director of Enrollment, said the college has supported and worked with this venture since its inception 16 years ago. While the college’s financial aid staff give a dozen seminars at area high schools each winter to help college-bound students and their families understand the process of applying for financial aid, one of the program’s benefits is the one-on-one format between a family and an expert.
“We can sit down individually with students and parents and go through the FAFSA, or there is also an ‘express lane’ for people with specific questions,” Graber said. “We especially want to help families for whom this process may be particularly challenging – perhaps those who are facing financial difficulties or are sending their first student to college. We also recognize this as an opportunity for our administrative faculty to demonstrate our school motto, ‘Culture for Service,’ beyond campus.”
Students should attend with a parent or guardian and bring their completed IRS 2005 1040 tax return, W-2 Form or other 2005 income and benefits information. Students who attend without a parent should bring their parents’ completed 1040 tax returns, W-2 Forms or other 2005 income and benefits information. Participating students may receive one of three $300 College Goal Sunday educational awards.
College Goal Sunday is a charitable collaboration involving the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA), in cooperation with the Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center (ICPAC), the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI), and the Twenty-first Century Scholars program. College Goal Sunday is co-funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., Lumina Foundation for Education and USA Funds. For more information, log on to www.CollegeGoalSunday.org or call (800) 992-2076.
Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.