Help Available for Federal Student Aid Application
Help Available for Federal Student Aid Application
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA – Feb. 2, 2009 – Iowa students can get free assistance with the
form required for federal financial aid at Iowa College Goal Sunday in five Iowa locations in
February.
Volunteers for Iowa College Goal Sunday will help students and their families fill out and file the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as part of a national program that helps
students qualify for federal financial aid. The FAFSA, which is a free form available in paper and
electronic forms from the U.S. Department of Education, is the first step in the qualification
process.
“Our main focus is students who are low-income or are the first generation of their families to
attend college, or both,” says Juan Garcia, manager of the Iowa College Access Network
(ICAN) and state coordinator of the 2009 Iowa College Goal Sunday. “Of course, we’d also like
anyone who has questions or wants help with the FAFSA to come out for free assistance.”
This year’s event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following locations and dates:
Saturday, Feb. 14 Saturday, Feb. 21 Saturday, Feb. 28
Des Moines Public Library Indian Hills Community College Iowa Western Community College
1000 Grand Avenue 525 Grandview Ave 2700 College Road
Des Moines Ottumwa Council Bluffs
Iowa College Access Network UNI Talent Search – Western Iowa Tech
College Planning Center UNI Center for Urban Education Community College
160 S. 68th Street, Suite 1101 800 Sycamore Street 4647 Stone Avenue
West Des Moines Waterloo Sioux City
Students or parents may attend individually, but it’s best if the student and at least one parent or
guardian are present. Certain paperwork is required to fill out the forms. (See sidebar.)
For more information, please visit the Iowa College Goal Sunday Web site, www.IowaCGS.org.
Details are also available from ICAN by calling (877) 272-4692 or e-mailing
CGS@ICANsucceed.org.
Iowa College Goal Sunday is part of the national College Goal Sunday program, currently held
in 36 states and funded by grants from Lumina Foundation for Education. A number of Iowa
organizations are partnering to plan and implement Iowa College Goal Sunday, including the
Des Moines Schools GEAR UP program, Iowa Association of Student Financial Aid
Administators, Iowa College Access Network, Iowa College Student Aid Commission, Iowa
Department of Education, Iowa Dollars for Scholars, Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates, Iowa
TRIO programs and Scholarship America.
[Sidebar]
To complete the FAFSA, families should bring, for both the student and parent, the following:
• Social Security number, driver’s license number and date of birth
• Most recent federal and state tax returns
• W-2 forms or other records of income earned last year
• Current bank statements and investment records
• Records of untaxed income received last year
• 2008 business and farm records
• Alien registration numbers if not a U.S. citizen
Students and parents may also register in advance for federal personal identification numbers
(PINs) to electronically sign the forms and make future changes. To request a PIN, visit
www.pin.ed.gov.