How to Find Help for Financial Aid
College Goal Sunday
Accessing financial assistance for college can be trying and even so for families going through the process for the first time. A national program was created first by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association to assist students and families with financial aid assistance. As time passed more and more state associations have joined the movement to provide on-site, professional guidance through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
How College Goal Sunday Works
College Goal Sunday program varies state to state. Every state has an association for financial aid counselors, usually called association for financial aid administrators. The associations set up an on-site workshop for families for free. At the workshop families access the FAFSA form and learn how to complete it for processing. Information on locations offering workshop are posted on the College Goal Sunday website.
Families interested in attending a workshop need only to find the time and location of the event and show up. The workshop is staffed by financial aid counselors who volunteer their time to assisting families. These professionals work daily with college financial aid resources and can greatly assist families through the complicated process. As professionals the volunteers will practice confidentiality and privacy for each family's financial situation.
What to Bring to a College Goal Sunday Event
The College Goal Sunday website outlines the items that families need to bring to the workshops. The first time to bring is a Social Security number, alien registration or permanent resident card for the student and each parent. If a card is not available, then the number can just be provided at time of the meeting. Additionally, a driver's license or state Identification Card is also helpful.
Tax returns for the previous year and the year prior are also needed at the time of the meeting. The returns are needed for both the student, if filed, and for the parents. If the family received untaxed income, such as welfare or Social Security, then those records also need to be brought to the workshop.
The last type of information needed is records of assets. Families that own multiple properties, have stocks, utilize savings accounts or Certificate of Deposits, or other types of investments, need to provide that information as well.
Common Questions about the FAFSA Answered by College Goal Sunday
High schools around the country hire school counselors to support students and families. One such support is assistance with college investigation and planning; however, school counselors are not experts in financial aid. Most of the school counselors have some background with the financial aid process, but they are not financial experts.
Families usually have the same types of questions about the FAFSA that school counselors can not answer. School counselor will often suggest that families access the financial aid counselor at the selected college or to the family's financial advisor.
At College Goal Sunday, the volunteers will assist families to answer common questions. The following are some example of common questions:
- Can the student claim himself as independent?
- In the case of a divorce, which parent fills out the FAFSA?
- Is financial aid automatically denied to students who have a past drug conviction of selling or possessing illegal drugs?
- What is the FAFSA deadline?
- How does a student create a FAFSA online account?
Overall, families can obtain solid assistance for FAFSA completion; however, families need to access the opportunity. Forty-three states offer this type of assistance, so families need to set aside time to meet with volunteers if they need further help.
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