WARSAW — Financial aid professionals will be participating in College Goal Sunday at 38 locations in Indiana including Ivy Tech Community College Warsaw, Sunday, Feb. 23.

Ivy Tech Warsaw’s event is set for 2-4 p.m. at the Ivy Tech Warsaw campus, 2545 Silveus Crossing, Warsaw. Ivy Tech Fort Wayne will be hosting the event during the same hours at its campus, 3800 North Anthony Boulevard, Fort Wayne.

Financial aid professionals will be onsite to help college-bound students and their families open the door to opportunities for financial aid, said a news release from Ivy Tech Community College.

The free program assists Indiana students in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA form is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, scholarships and student loans at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools nationwide. The FAFSA must be filed by Apr. 15, 2020 to be eligible for Indiana financial aid. College Goal Sunday is so important since completing this required form correctly and by the deadline is sometimes perceived to be complicated and time-consuming. In less than one afternoon at a College Goal Sunday event, students and their families can get free help and file the form online.

Now in its 31st year, College Goal Sunday has helped more than 94,000 Indiana students and families complete the FAFSA properly and on time. College Goal Sunday is a charitable program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association.

“The event on February 23rd will be the second College Goal Sunday ISFAA is offering this FAFSA filing season.” said Bill Wozniak, co-chair of College Goal Sunday. “We hope all Hoosiers who have not filed already, take advantage of College Goal Sunday events across Indiana, file the FAFSA, and get one step closer to fulfilling their educational goals.”

According to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, programs like College Goal Sunday are reaching first-generation college students.

In recent years, according to CHE statistics, more single-parent Hoosier families have filed for financial aid, indicating programs like College Goal Sunday are reaching high-risk students and their families.

“Students who don’t complete their financial aid paperwork properly and on time are often very disappointed when they find out how much financial aid they lost,” said Wozniak. “This is why the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association not only continues to provide College Goal Sunday but offers two events during the year. If our assistance gives students a better chance at higher education and less debt, we’re fulfilling our mission.”

Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parent(s) or guardian(s). Parents should bring completed 2018 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 Forms and other 2018 income and benefits information. Students who worked last year should bring their income information as well. Students, 24 years of age or older, may attend alone and bring their own completed 2018 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 Form or other 2018 income and benefits information. Students and parents are encouraged to apply for their U.S. Department of Education FSA IDs at fsaid.ed.gov before coming to the event.

Volunteers will walk through the online form line-by-line and answer families’ individual questions as needed. All sites offer FAFSA online capabilities and many have Spanish interpreters. A complete list of sites is available at CollegeGoalSunday.org.