AKRON — Tippecanoe Valley High School seniors and their parents can get their college planning questions answered at an upcoming financial aid event.

An informational meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 in the high school lecture room. All TVHS seniors and their parents should make plans to attend. The agenda will include an overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application process. INvestED, an organization that helps Hoosiers with the college planning process, will be on-site to answer questions.

“The faster parents and students get the FAFSA done, the faster they know what their expected family contribution will be. Completing it now means they won’t have to worry about it second semester,” said high school counselor Sarah Tillman.

The U.S. Department of Education is encouraging people to pay attention to the FAFSA deadlines. There are federal and state deadlines, and colleges may also have their own. In Indiana, the state deadline to file is by midnight on March 10. Students have been able to file a 2017– 2018 FAFSA since Oct. 1, 2016, rather than beginning on January 1, 2017.

“The federal government opened it earlier so it was more in line with college application deadlines. For this year, parents will use 2015 taxes so that way everyone submits a tax return,” said Tillman.

Representatives from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, the Northern Indiana Community Foundation and the Questa Foundation for Education will also be at the meeting to discuss scholarships and how students can apply for them.

“If students have the scholarship information now, they can start asking teachers and community members for letters of recommendation. They can also start working on general essays for those scholarships,” said Tillman.

There is no charge to attend the event. Light refreshments will be served.