College Goal Sunday at MSU
Billings Helps Students, Parents Navigate
Federal Financial Aid Paperwork
MSU
BILLINGS
NEWS
SERVICES — For football fans, Super Bowl
Sunday is a day of preparation and anticipation.
But one week later, similar
eagerness takes place for different reasons:
college preparation.
College Goal Sunday, set for
Sunday, Feb. 10 at colleges and universities
around
Montana
, is dedicated to
guiding college-bound students and their
families through the paperwork and processes
required for application for federal financial
aid.
At Montana State University
Billings, three sessions are scheduled to help
students, parents or guardians with the process.
Those sessions on Sunday, Feb. 10 are at 1 p.m.,
2 p.m., and 3 p.m. at the
MSU
Billings
Academic
Support
Center
on the university’s
main campus,
1500 University Drive
.
No reservations are
required and students and their parents can drop
by at any one of those times.
College Goal Sunday is for
all families who want assistance in completing
the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student
Aid) form. Financial aid officers and other
qualified professionals volunteer their time to
ensure students receive assistance in
understanding and completing the paperwork
necessary to receive financial aid. Similar
sessions are held at 16 other higher education
locations throughout the state, including
community colleges and tribal colleges.
Sponsored by the Student
Assistance Foundation and the Lumina Foundation,
College Goal Sunday is open to everyone,
including students from all income levels and
college-going traditions, and traditional and
nontraditional students. It provides a good
opportunity to have many of financial aid
questions answered before the March 1 priority
date.
Students attending College
Goal Sunday can also enter to win a $500
scholarship that may be used at any accredited
college or program in the nation. At least two
$500 scholarships will be awarded at each
College Goal Sunday site.
People can use different
pieces of financial information to complete the
FAFSA. To prepare for their visit on Sunday with
financial aid specialists, they should bring tax
returns, W-2’s, other aid such as TANF, child
support or other benefits, investment
information and last year’s tax return (or even
last year’s ending pay stub).
All information reviewed by
the College Goal Sunday volunteers will be kept
private and confidential and will not be used
for any purpose other than helping the students
and families apply for financial aid.
Students and parents should bring:
- FAFSA PIN number (To obtain a PIN, log on to www.pin.ed.gov)
- Correct Social Security numbers
- 2007 Federal Tax Returns
- 2006 Federal Tax Returns, if 2007 not
complete
- W2's and other aid information (TANF, child
support, other benefits)
- Additional Asset Information (money market
funds, stocks, other investments)
For more
information, contact MSU Billings financial aid
representatives
Dee
Schafnitz at 657-2188 or Brooke Snow at 896-5920.
