March 29, 2024

Free help available for college financial aid

volunteers to help families with FAFSA

Iowa students and their families are invited to get free assistance with forms required to file federal financial aid at Southwestern Community College (SWCC) later this month. The assistance is part of Iowa College Goal Sunday event from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, in room 119 of the SWCC Technical Center in Creston. Students planning to attend any college are welcome to participate in this event.

“Iowa College Goal Sunday events provide opportunities for students and families to receive professional guidance and assistance with financial aid forms, helping ensure a student has the best chance at the maximum amount of financial aid available to them,” said Brittania Morey, state coordinator of Iowa College Goal Sunday. “For many the financial aid process is a scary thing, and getting free help from a professional financial aid expert helps them relax a bit and reduces the overall stress planning for college can have on a family.”

Volunteers for Iowa College Goal Sunday will help students and their families fill out and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as part of a national program that helps students qualify for federal financial aid. The FAFSA, which is available in free paper and electronic forms from the U.S. Department of Education, is the first step in the qualification process.

Students or parents may attend individually, but it’s best if the student and at least one parent or guardian come together. Certain paperwork is required to fill out the forms.

To complete the FAFSA, families should bring, for both the student and parent, the following:

• Social Security number, driver’s license number and date of birth.

• Most recent federal and state tax returns.

• W-2 forms or other records of income earned last year.

• Current bank statements and investment records.

• Records of untaxed income received last year.

• 2014 business and farm records.

• Alien registration numbers if not a U.S. citizen.

Students and parents may also register in advance for federal personal identification numbers (PINs) to electronically sign the forms and make future changes. To request a PIN, visit www.pin.ed.gov. For information on other locations, dates and times, please visit www.IowaCGS.org. Details are also available from the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) at 877-272-4692 or CGS@ICANsucceed.org.