Northwest to host financial aid workshop

If you’re a high school senior, or if your child is, now is the time to start thinking seriously about government financial aid.

A free event designed to assist college-bound high school students in the completion and filing of important financial aid documents will take place on the Northwest Missouri State University campus in February, and all seniors and their families are urged to attend.

College Goal Sunday is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at Northwest and other locations across the state. Financial aid experts will be on hand to assist students and their families with filling out the FAFSA -- the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The Northwest workshop will take place in Colden Hall. Students and families visiting the campus for the first time should take 4^th Street west from the courthouse square in Maryville, then turn north at the University's main south entrance and follow the signs.

This year, $15,000 in scholarships will be given to students attending the event statewide. One attendee at each of the 30 Missouri College Goal Sunday locations will receive a $500 scholarship. The money can be used during the 2008-’09 academic year at any college, university or post-secondary technical school in the United States, provided the recipient is a first-time freshman at the start of the fall 2008 semester.

The U.S. Department of Education makes more than $67 billion in post–secondary financial aid available every year to students nationwide. College Goal Sunday is one of the best ways to learn how to qualify for federal assistance.

Families who bring completed 2007 income tax returns to College Goal Sunday will be able to finish the FAFSA. Those still working on their returns will receive important information about completing the FAFSA at home.

For a complete list of Missouri locations and other information about College Goal Sunday, visit www.collegegoalmissouri.org or call Mindy Beckley-Hager, chairperson, at 913.681.1791.

“The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the document necessary to qualify for federal, state and, in some cases, institutional funding,” Beckley-Hager said.

College Goal Sunday Fast Facts

One $500 scholarship will be given away at each College Goal Sunday location. Scholarship winner must be a first-semester freshman in the fall of 2008.
Students and their parents (or guardians) should plan to spend 30 minutes to an hour at College Goal Sunday. They will get help from a financial aid professional to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Before the event, students and parents can register for a PIN (personal identification number), which is required for the electronic filing of the FAFSA, at www.pin.ed.gov.
Families should bring their 2007 income tax returns and/or 2007 W–2 forms or their 2007 year–end pay stubs and 2006 tax returns.
Families who have not completed their 2007 income tax forms will receive important information about finishing the FAFSA at home.
Most colleges and vocational schools require the FAFSA to assess students’ financial need.
Seven out of 10 full-time students receive some form of financial aid. Typically, financial aid covers about 40 percent of the costs for full–time students.
About 20 percent of traditional-aged undergraduates come from families with incomes below $20,000 per year.
A college degree is necessary to compete for the best jobs, and College Goal Sunday can help students get there.
Log on to www.collegegoalmissouri.org for more information.

The College Goal Sunday program was created by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc., and with supplemental support from the Lumina Foundation for Education. In Missouri, College Goal Sunday is a non-profit event coordinated by the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel. Sponsors include the Missouri Department of Higher Education, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and the Lumina Foundation for Education.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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