WKU News

WKU will be one of 22 sites hosting College Goal Sunday events on Jan. 29.

College Goal Sunday, which provides free help to families applying for college financial aid, will begin at 2 p.m. at WKU’s Mass Media and Technology Hall Auditorium. (For a list of all locations, visit www.kasfaa.com/cgs/locations.htm)

All attendees will be eligible to enter into a drawing for a chance to win a scholarship that can be used at any Kentucky school.

At College Goal Sunday, financial aid professionals from Kentucky will help students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the form students must submit to receive federal and state student aid.

College Goal Sunday is sponsored by the Kentucky Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (KASFAA). It is funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education, the YMCA, KnowHow2GoKY.org, and the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).

“This is a premier event that provides Kentuckians with both informational and financial resources to reach their postsecondary educational goals,” said KASFAA President Aaron Gabehart. “With the assistance of the financial aid experts at College Goal Sunday a student can submit the FAFSA in timely manner enabling them to qualify for thousands of dollars in financial aid, as well as, a variety of grants and loans.”

In Kentucky, grant and scholarship programs help thousands of students every year. Students who file the FAFSA before early February have the best chance of receiving these funds.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, KHEAA disbursed $195.6 million in higher education grants and scholarships to nearly 100,400 students.

What to bring: Students are encouraged to attend College Goal Sunday with a parent or guardian. They should bring their and their parents’ completed 2011 IRS 1040 tax return and any other 2011 income and benefits information. If families haven’t completed their taxes, they should bring their 2010 IRS 1040 tax forms and last paycheck stubs from 2011 so a financial aid professional will be able to show the families how to use estimated information and then give instructions of how to go back and update their information. Everything else — pens, pencils and FAFSA worksheets — will be provided.

For information about College Goal Sunday, call 1-888-4-KASFAA (1-888-452-7322).