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Milligan College, TN (Jan. 28, 2011) — Tennessee high school seniors and their parents can learn how to apply for college financial aid during College Goal Sunday on Jan. 30 at Milligan College. One of 32 participating sites across Tennessee, Milligan’s free help session will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in Derthick Hall.
College Goal Sunday offers students and parents completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) expert assistance from financial planning experts equipped to answer questions concerning student loans, grants, scholarships and other types of student financial aid. Volunteers will provide free assistance completing the FAFSA and question/answer sessions to benefit students and parents in different stages of the financial aid process.
College Goal Sunday is not college-specific. Students who plan to attend a two or four-year public or private college will benefit from the general information available.
Research shows that families often list high cost as the main barrier to college attendance, even though tens of millions of dollars in various forms of financial aid is available every year. The FAFSA form, used at colleges, universities and technical schools nationwide, should be submitted before March 1 to get the maximum aid available, even if the student has not selected a college.
“We know that many families simply don’t know how to get started,” said Diane Keasling, coordinator of financial aid at Milligan College. “They are often surprised to learn about the variety of merit and need-based resources. The key is having a plan. Our staff is excited about providing this community service for students and parents and the opportunity to help them establish a well-informed plan to secure all the financial aid for which they are eligible.”
Along with being the application for federal aid, the FAFSA form also serves as the application for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship and the Tennessee Student Assistance Award programs, making it vital to the post-secondary application process in the state.
For complete information on College Goal Sunday, including all the participating sites, visit www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday. Students are encouraged to review the information on the website prior to arriving to insure they bring all of the necessary documentation, including each individual’s 2010 federal tax information, in order to fill out their FAFSA form completely. If their latest tax information is not available, they should bring last year’s tax forms and attend anyway.
For more information, contact Diane Keasling at DLKeasling@milligan.edu or 423.461.8968.