Future Indiana college students get free help filing FAFSA at IU Northwest

Attendees of the Feb. 22 College Goal Sunday event also have a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship

Financial aid professionals will be at Indiana University Northwest on Feb. 22 to help incoming college or technical students and their families with financial aid.

College Goal Sunday helps students in filing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This year’s event will take place on IU Northwest’s campus from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 22, in Hawthorn Hall, Room 454. Spanish interpreters will also be available.

During the event, financial aid volunteers will walk participants through the FAFSA line-by-line and will be available to answer individual questions.

Why this event is important

The FAFSA is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, loans and scholarships at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools nationwide. It is the first step in applying for financial aid. For Indiana residents, FAFSA filing must happen by April 15 to be eligible for state aid. College Goal Sunday, now in its 37th year, is a charitable program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA).

What students should bring

Students should attend College Goal Sunday with their parent(s) or guardian(s) and bring the following items:

• FSA ID username and password. Create your FSA ID at studentaid.gov before the event. The student and a parent (if applicable) need an FSA ID to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education websites and sign the FAFSA form. (IU Northwest school code: 001815)
• 2024 tax returns
• 2024 W-2 Forms
• Other 2024 income and benefits information
  

Information should be for the student, and, if applicable, their parent(s).

Attendees may win a $1,000 scholarship

Students who attend College Goal Sunday at IU Northwest and submit a completed evaluation form will automatically be entered in a drawing for one of five $1,000 scholarships. The winners will be notified in spring, and scholarships will be sent directly to the higher education institution selected by the winning students.

21st Century Scholars benefit

21st Century Scholars are income-eligible students who sign a contract in the seventh or eighth grade promising they will graduate from high school, meet grade point (GPA) requirements, fulfill a pledge of good citizenship and apply for college financial aid.

Upon high school graduation, scholars who have fulfilled the commitment and demonstrate financial need receive state funds to help cover their college tuition and regularly assessed fees for eight semesters at eligible Indiana colleges. To fulfill their pledge, scholars must complete the FAFSA form on time. College Goal Sunday can help.

For more information about College Goal Sunday, visit collegegoalsunday.org. The IU Northwest Office of Financial Aid can be reached at 219-981-5622 or on its website.

About IU Northwest

One of nine campuses of Indiana University, IU Northwest is located in metropolitan Northwest Indiana, approximately 30 miles southeast of Chicago and 10 miles from the Indiana Dunes National Park. The campus has a student population of approximately 3,000 degree-seeking students and more than 30,000 alumni, most of whom remain in the Northwest Indiana region, and has been recognized by the Department of Education as a minority and Hispanic serving institution. The campus offers Associate, Baccalaureate, and Master’s degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the School of Business and Economics, the School of the Arts, and the School of Education. The campus is also home to IU School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary, the region’s only four-year medical doctorate program. As a student-centered campus, IU Northwest is committed to academic excellence characterized by a love of ideas and achievement in learning, discovery, creativity, research and community engagement. Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring.