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COLLEGES TO ASSIST STUDENTS IN FILING FORMS FOR FEDERAL AID

Several colleges in the Piedmont area are among the nearly 300 schools which have college financial aid officers and specialists available on Saturday (Feb.18.) to help high school seniors and families complete and submit their free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) forms online.

There will be free FAFSA Day programs in all 100 counties with most sites open from 9 a.m. until noon. Among the colleges participating in this area:
•    Alamance Community College, Graham.
•    Caswell County: Piedmont Community College, Yanceyville.
•    Davidson County: Davidson County Community College, Lexington
•    Forsyth County: Forsyth Tech, Winston-Salem.
•    Guilford County: NC A&T, Greensboro; GTCC, Jamestown.
•    Rockingham County: Rockingham Community College, Wentworth.

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 year's statewide FAFSA Day is sponsored by College Foundation of North Carolina, the N. C. Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and State Employees' Credit Union.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. More than 300 sites will be available, including campus sites and State Employees' Credit Union branches.
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 year's statewide FAFSA Day is sponsored by College Foundation of North Carolina.
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, participants should either file their 2011 federal taxes in advance or bring the following items: both the student's and parents' federal 1040 tax forms for 2011 (or W-2 forms and other income and asset documents if completed tax forms are not available); the student's and one parent's 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.

"It's important to complete the FAFSA early to take advantage of all of the financial aid opportunities available for North Carolinians," said Robbie Schultz, of the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority and CFNC coordinator of the FAFSA Day program.
"Students and parents don't need to worry if they aren't sure how to answer all of the questions on the form. That's why we have arranged to have experienced financial aid specialists to help at each FAFSA Day site,"  he said.
Schultz added, "Filing 2011 federal taxes early really simplifies FAFSA completion. Those who file well in advance of FAFSA Day can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA form to transfer their tax information directly onto their FAFSA."

"If a student or parent hasn't yet filed taxes, they can estimate income information on the FAFSA, and then use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to submit FAFSA corrections at a later date. "

Another option for students and parents with a few 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 p.m. - 8 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 Carolina's 529 college savings plan, career information, virtual tours of more than 100 of the state's college campuses and online college admission and financial aid applications.

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Contact: ROBurchette@gtcc.edu (Released 2/8/12)