Fill out financial aid form on College Goal Sunday

HAMMOND | Applying for financial aid to attend college is not complex.

That's the message of College Goal Sunday, a free, financial aid application assistance program, scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday at Purdue University Calumet and other statewide sites.

College Goal Sunday programs are intended for parents/guardians and 2012-13 academic year, college-bound students who want to be considered for financial assistance.

During the programs, PUC financial aid specialists, other university staff members and service organizational specialists will lead attendees in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) step-by-step, line-by-line. To be considered for most scholarships, federal and state grants, loans and other financial awards, a completed FAFSA must be filed with the federal processor by March 10.

PUC College Goal Sunday programs will be held in Room 130 of Lawshe Hall, north of 173rd Street, on the Hammond campus, and at the Academic Learning Center in Merrillville, 9900 Connecticut Drive, two miles south of U.S. 30 and just east of Broadway Avenue.

Any student who attends a College Goal Sunday site and submits a completed evaluation form will be entered in a drawing for a $1,000 educational prize.

More than one-half of PUC students received financial assistance during the 2011-12 academic year.

Online FAFSA worksheets will be provided at each College Goal Sunday site. To file online, a U.S. Department of Education Personal Identification Number (PIN) is required for each student and a parent. The PIN serves as an electronic signature and can be obtained by accessing www.pin.ed.gov.

Twenty-first Century Scholars must complete a FAFSA to claim their Twenty-first Century Scholarship.

Students 23 or younger should attend with a parent(s) or guardian(s) and bring their family's completed 2011 IRS 1040 tax return or a draft, W-2 statement(s), and any other 2011 income and benefits-related information.

Students 24 or older may attend alone and bring their own completed 2011 IRS 1040 tax return/draft, W-2 statement(s), and any other 2011 income and benefits-related information.

For more information, visit www.collegegoalsunday.org or phone (800) 992-2076.