Would you like help paying for college? Who wouldn’t?
Your attention might be focused on filing your income tax return, but if you or dependents will be going to college in August, you should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – the FAFSA – separate applications for each student, including yourself.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Just like your tax return, the FAFSA can seem daunting, but there’s help. It’s called College Goal Sunday – 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21. Financial Aid experts will help you with the FAFSA
College Goal Sunday at a College Campus near You.
The FRCC campuses located in Westminster, Fort Collins and Longmont are College Goal Sunday sites. But you can find sites in Colorado from Gunnison to Sterling, Rifle to Lamar. College Goal Sunday is a national program.
- Westminster Campus: Entrance 2 – Get map
- Larimer Campus: Blanca Peak Building – Get map
- Boulder County Campus: C Building – Get map
It doesn’t matter what college you are attending or plan to attend. You can come to our or any College Goal Sunday site.
What to Bring to College Goal Sunday.
To complete the FAFSA at College Goal Sunday, the student and parents/guardians will need their 2015 federal tax records. And you may need to refer to these records, too:
- Social Security numbers
- Driver’s licenses (if any)
- 2015 W-2 Forms and other records of money earned
- 2015 untaxed income records – Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veterans benefits records
- 2015 bank statements
- 2015 business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records
- Alien registration cards (if you are not U.S. citizens)
Spanish translation will be available to families, and a drawing at each campus location will take place for a $1,000 scholarship for later use.
Everyone Needs New Federal Student Aid ID.
If possible, before you come to College Goal Sunday, register for your Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID). Parents/guardians and students will need their own FSA IDs. This will allow an electronic signature on the FAFSA for faster processing.
Even if this isn’t your first FAFSA rodeo, you still need a FSA ID. It replaces your previous Federal Student Aid PIN.
With records gathered and FSA ID in hand, you are ready for College Goal Sunday.
FAFSA: Your Starting Point for Financial Aid for College.
Why is the FAFSA so important? It’s the starting point for all college financial aid. All of it – grants, scholarships, work study, and student loans. No FAFSA, no financial aid. No FAFSA, and paying for college is all on you.
Make Tax Time FAFSA Time.
February is the best time to file the FAFSA. You’ve got your income records from 2015. You’ve started your tax returns – you have started, haven’t you? Sure, you’ve got to April 15, but that’s the IRS deadline for taxes.
OK, bring your 2015 records or your 2014 tax information so make estimates can be filed, if necessary.
File FASFA as Early as Possible.
The priority deadline to file FASFA can vary by college, but you should file as early as possible. The priority deadline for FRCC is April 1, but some colleges may have March 1 deadlines. College Goal Sunday comes at the right time to keep you on schedule with college financial aid offices.
