Navigating the tangle of rules and regulations in order to qualify for college financial aid can sometimes be a daunting experience for prospective students and their families, so state financial aid associations across the country are participating in “College Goal Sunday.” Expert assistance will be provided by hundreds of professionals in the financial aid, admissions, secondary and higher education communities.
East Tennessee State University is a host site, one of 17 in the state, for this free program on Sunday, Feb. 12. ETSU and colleges in the region will provide financial aid and other personnel who are volunteering to advise families of prospective college students and to help them complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is required nationwide for financial aid consideration.
The FAFSA form should be submitted before March 1 to obtain the maximum aid available, even if a student has not selected a college.
The FAFSA also serves as the application for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship as well as the Tennessee Student Assistance Award programs.
College Goal Sunday will be held from 2-4 p.m. in Room 124 of the Sam Wilson Hall.The event is open to all prospective college students in the region.
The initiative is an effort to provide accurate information for low-income and first-generation college students and their families while assisting them with finding state and federal financial aid for their post-secondary education.
Students should visit www.collegegoalsundaytn.org to register for the Feb. 12 event and to learn exactly what materials and records they will need to bring with them to ETSU, such as each individual’s 2005 federal tax information.
For additional information regarding College Goal Sunday, contact the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. at 1-800-342-1663 or the ETSU Office of Financial Aid at 439-4300 or 1-800-704-3878.

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