FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2010
Contact: Cathy Hendricks, 812-232-2875
General information:
Learn More Resource Center Helpline
1-800-992-2076 (toll free)
www.CollegeGoalSunday.org
Financial aid experts helped more than 4,200 Hoosier families
complete the financial aid form at College Goal Sunday 2010
Event offered FAFSA online and Spanish interpreters
INDIANAPOLIS — Attendance at this year’s College Goal Sunday was down slightly from 2009, but the February 20st event, offered to make filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) easier for Indiana students and families, still assisted 4,211 Hoosiers. Of those attending, more than 1,900 were students.
Students and families seeking free, professional assistance in filling out the FAFSA, the financial aid form required by postsecondary educational institutions nationwide, were able to file the form online at each of the 37 event locations statewide. Online filings in 2010 were up 5 percent over 2009.
Individuals seeking grants, scholarships and loans to attend any college or technical school nationwide are required to submit the FAFSA, which must be received by the federal processor by March 10. In its 21-year history, College Goal Sunday has helped approximately 84,000 Hoosier students and families complete the form.
A total of 604 volunteers helped students and parents complete the FAFSA form at the Sunday afternoon session. These included college financial aid advisors, Twenty-first Century Scholars Program professionals, high school guidance counselors and other community volunteers with financial aid expertise.
“As financial aid professionals, our goal is to make the complicated financial aid process easier for Indiana families,” said Sue Allmon, Account Executive, USA Funds Services, and College Goal Sunday co-chair. “This year we were pleased that our efforts to reach those students who needed help culminated in an extremely successful event.”
Attendance at the Elkhart College Goal Sunday site was up 550% over 2010. Other sites showing increases in attendance from last year included Columbus, Evansville, Goshen, Indianapolis Beech Grove, Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Marion, Merrillville, Plymouth, Rensselaer and Warsaw. Jasper was a new site this year and had 118 attendees.
For information about the FAFSA, financial aid or higher education, ISFAA encourages students and families to call The Learn More Resource Center’s Helpline at 800-992-2076 (toll free). From February 1 through College Goal Sunday on February 20, the Helpline received nearly 400 calls from individuals inquiring about College Goal Sunday. Families may continue to call the Learn More Helpline with their financial aid questions.
College Goal Sunday is sponsored by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association, in cooperation with Learn More Resource Center, the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana and The Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. It is funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., Lumina Foundation for Education and USA Funds, three Indiana-based nonprofits with a particular interest in higher education.
