College Goal Sunday offers free financial aid help

VALPARAISO | Valparaiso University will provide free information and assistance Sunday to families in Northwest Indiana who are filing the free application for federal student aid, or FAFSA, during College Goal Sunday.

Families are invited to the Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources on campus from 2 to 4 p.m. to receive assistance from the university's financial aid professionals in working through the FAFSA line by line and answering families' questions. The session will be in the community room, which is inside the Christopher Center's main entrance.

College Goal Sunday is a charitable program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association. Now in its 23rd year, College Goal Sunday has helped more than 87,000 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 2012, it is important to file the FAFSA — the form required by institutions of higher education nationwide — so 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, scholarships and other financial aid.

VU is one of 39 sites statewide hosting College Goal Sunday events and the only Porter County location. For a complete list of sites, visit www.CollegeGoalSunday.org.

Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parent(s) or guardian(s) and bring their parents' completed 2011 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 Forms and other 2011 income and benefits information. Students who worked last year also should bring their income information.

Students 24 years old or older may attend alone and bring their own completed 2011 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 form or other 2011 income and benefits information. Students and parents may apply for their U.S. Department of Education personal identification numbers at www.pin.ed.gov before coming to the event.

Students attending College Goal Sunday also qualify for a chance to win a scholarship prize to help with their higher education expenses.

For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid at (219) 464-5015.