College Goal Sunday
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Third floor, Mosler Hall, Miami University Hamilton
Cost: No charge
HAMILTON — If you’re befuddled by the college financial aid system and dread filling out the notorious FAFSA forms, help is at hand.
Financial aid professionals will offer free assistance for students and parents in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms at College Goal Sunday at Miami University Hamilton.
The FAFSA is the federal application that is required to receive federal financial aid, including the federal Pell grant and student loans as well as the need-based state grants.
“We will have counselors from all three campuses and computers set up so that if people bring the proper information, we can actually file the FAFSA form online at that time,” said Kim Fields, coordinator of the event and a counselor at Miami University Oxford.
The event begins at 2 p.m. Advance registration is available online at www.ohiocollegegoalsunday.org or by calling (888) 833-1133. Those who do not register in advance should come at 1:30 p.m. to get set up.
Fields said that people should bring all of their tax information, even if they haven’t filed yet, and should be prepared to “sit down and plug all that in.”
“If they have everything with them, it will only take 45 minutes to an hour,” she said.
If they don’t have all the information, they can estimate, Fields said, but would have to revise the form at a later date.
College Goal Sunday will be held at 40 sites in 35 counties around Ohio.
“It’s our hope that students and parents will take advantage of this free service that will enable them to complete their FAFSA on time and accurately so that they may secure as much financial aid as possible for college,” said MorraLee Holzapfel, state co-chair of the event.
In Ohio, more than 22,000 people have participated in College Goal Sunday since it started 8 years ago. In addition to Ohio, College Goal Sunday is held across the nation in 38 states and Puerto Rico.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.
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