College financial aid officers and specialists will be available at more than 100 locations across North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 19, to help high school seniors and families complete and submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.
There will be free FAFSA Day programs in all 100 counties with most sites open from 9 a.m. until noon.
Programs in Rowan will be at Catawba College and at the State Employees Credit Union, 1030 Mooresville Road, but for members only.
Completing the FAFSA form is a requirement to be considered for all federal and most state financial aid for college, including scholarships and grants.
This yearís statewide FAFSA Day is sponsored by College Foundation of North Carolina, the North Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the State Employeesí Credit Union.
Sites include certain colleges and credit union locations and are open to any high school senior; the student participating at a college site does not need to be planning to attend the host college.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. A list of all locations and registration is available at CFNC.org/FAFSAday or by calling 866-866-CFNC toll-free.
To be fully prepared to complete the FAFSA on Feb. 19, event participants should bring the following items: both the studentís and parentsí federal 1040 tax forms for 2010 (or W-2 forms and other income and asset documents if completed tax forms are not available); the studentís and one parentís personal identification numbers (PINs) obtained in advance from the U.S. Department of Education website, www.pin.ed.gov; and a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet with as much information entered as possible. The online worksheet is available at www.fafsa.gov.
ěItís important to complete the FAFSA early to take advantage of all of the financial aid opportunities available for North Carolinians,î said Robbie Schultz, of the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority and CFNC coordinator of the FAFSA Day program.
ěStudents and parents donít need to worry if they arenít sure how to answer all of the questions on the form. Thatís why we have arranged to have experienced financial aid specialists to help at each FAFSA Day site.î
Another option for students and parents with questions on completing the FAFSA is the FAFSA Phone-In offered every Tuesday night in February. Financial aid specialists and experts will be available to answer specific FAFSA questions on the toll-free number, 866-866-CFNC (2362), between 5-9 p.m.
Additional free college planning information is available at the College Foundation of North Carolina website, CFNC.org. Families can find college cost estimators, listings of scholarship, grant and loan opportunities, information about North Carolinaís 529 college savings plan, career information, virtual tours of more than 100 of the stateís college campuses and online college admission and financial aid applications.