INDIANAPOLIS — College Goal Sunday 2014, held at 39 sites statewide on February 23, assisted Indiana students and their families in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and resulted in nearly 1,700 FAFSAs being filed online.
The more than 2,000 students and parents who attended the event received free, professional assistance in filling out the FAFSA, the financial aid form required by postsecondary educational institutions nationwide.
Individuals seeking grants, scholarships and loans to attend any college or technical school nationwide are required to submit the FAFSA, which must be received by the federal processor by March 10. In its 25-year history, College Goal Sunday has helped approximately 102,000 Hoosier students and families complete the form.
A total of 550 volunteers helped students and parents complete the FAFSA form at the Sunday afternoon session. These included college financial aid advisors, Twenty-first Century Scholars Program professionals, high school guidance counselors and other community volunteers with financial aid expertise.
“As financial aid professionals, our goal is to make the complicated financial aid process easier for Indiana families,” said Donette Cassman, senior account executive at Sallie Mae, Inc., and College Goal Sunday chairperson. “This year we were pleased that our efforts to reach those students who needed help culminated in an extremely successful event.”
For information about the FAFSA, financial aid or higher education, the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association encourages students and families to call The Learn More Resource Center’s Helpline at 800-992-2076 (toll free).
College Goal Sunday, sponsored by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association, is offered in cooperation with Learn More Indiana, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s Division of Student Financial Aid (formerly the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana) and the 21st Century Scholars Program. It is funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., USA Funds and Indiana Secondary Market for Education Loans, Inc.