NCTC to clarify FAFSA process

Indiana College Goal Sunday is a program that helps college-bound Indiana students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The Bloomington session, one of 36 sites in the state, will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 20 at Ivy Tech Community College.

At the session, students can get the resources they need to fill out the online application, said James Kennedy, director of University financial aid.
 
“The Department of Education has spent a lot of time making it an easy process,” he said. “Once students get on there, it is pretty straightforward. Once they do it one time, it will be very easy to do it.”

The Office of Student Financial Assistance has FAFSA tips on its website along with other resources available to students, Kennedy said.

“One of the biggest pieces of advice is to pay attention to due dates, and getting info in on time is very important,” he said.

The IU priority deadline to be considered for the most possible aid for the 2011-12 academic year is March 10, according to the Office of Student Financial Assistance website.

Financial Aid Awareness Week was this week, and it is the 2011 Financial Aid U initiative, said Marla Green, director of community building for the National Community Tax Coalition.

“It is an initiative sponsored by the Citi Foundation and our organization to encourage potential college-bound students to seek out financial aid opportunities,” she said. “Financial Aid Awareness Week is meant to increase the awareness and overall understanding among potential college students and families that financial aid is available.”

After realizing from past years that the FAFSA is difficult to fill out, Financial Aid
Awareness Week is sponsoring events and programs in 10 cities across the country, said Dan Fair, manager of member relations for the NCTC.

“We hope to raise awareness not just with the families but with the policymakers, so hopefully the FAFSA process will become easier in the future,” he said.

Green said the goal is to see an increase in the number of potential students who understand the financial aid process.

“We want to see a heightened level of awareness on the policy level,” she said. “We hope that on the local level, communities will continue to emphasize the importance of a college education as well as on the national level, the simplification of the FAFSA so it isn’t a daunting task.”