College Goal Sunday Helps Students Find Funding

Armando Montano
The Paw Print

This past Sunday, Feb. 12, many students were able to take advantage of College Goal Sunday.  The event helped students to find sources of funding for their education through various financial aid programs set up through the college, both from the state and nationally.
From 2 to 4 p.m. students were offered free professional help in setting up their financial aid for college. Whether they were first-time students, returning students from last semester, or students returning to college after taking time off. College Goal Sunday was an effort to make sure that all students were able to get all the help they can when it comes to their educational career at Adams State College.
College Goal Sunday is a national program instituted to aid families and students in completing and maintaining their Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, a form that determines eligibility for student financial aid from the government. The financial aid offered to students is comprised of multiple financial aid programs including the Pell Grant, Federal student loans and Federal Work-Study. The U.S. Department of Education accepts FAFSA applications at the beginning of each year for the upcoming academic year, and covers a period of 18 months. The FAFSA program is a first come, first served program and applicants are encouraged to start their application as soon as possible.
Those who have completed a FAFSA in previous years need to review and resubmit a their FAFSA application. The application consists of various questions concerning the applicant’s accessible assets, income, and level of dependency, as well as other questions to help formulate their need for financial assistance. Some students do need guidance in filling out their application as soon as possible and as accurately as possible.
The FAFSA program is meant to really help those who are serious about continuing their college education and need financial assistance get the help they need, so while the application is somewhat laborious and can be intimidating, going through all the steps accurately is very important.
Students that took part in the free professional help with establishing their financial aid said that the clarity gained from having people who knew more about the process and could help explain the questions in better detail really did remove the stress and confusion of the application alone. Some students even claimed that if the professionals and volunteers who were at College Goal Sunday were not around while they completed the application alone, that mistakes would have been made and possibly have their application rejected; a rejected application could mean no financial aid at all.
The day was busy and rather fun for those who participated, even giving those who were present a chance to enter a drawing to win a $1,000 scholarship to ASC.