On Saturday, Feb. 20, college financial aid officers and other volunteers will help students complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms. The program is open to students who plan to attend college in the 2016-17 academic year.
FAFSA Day is a program offered by College Foundation of North Carolina, the North Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the State Employees'Credit Union each February.
"FAFSA Day is a day in which we invite all high school seniors and parents across the state to get assistance with completing the FAFSA form," explained Sarita Broadway, a representative with the College Foundation of North Carolina. "Most of our FAFSA Day sites are held on college campuses as well as universities."
Following FAFSA Day, State Employees' Credit Union Staff will be available to help students and parents complete the FAFSA at some branches across the state.
To register for FAFSA Day, click on one of the blue counties on this map.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1) FAFSA Day takes place before most deadlines for submission of the form, but you should check with the institutions you are considering to make sure their deadlines are not earlier (and if they are earlier, you should not wait until FAFSA Day to submit your form!)
2) Some colleges require additional documents, such as institutional financial aid forms or the CSS PROFILE. The financial aid representatives on site the day of the program will provide general guidance about forms other than the FAFSA; however, they may not be as familiar with other forms and they may advise students to contact the financial aid offices at the colleges the students are considering for additional assistance.
3) Complete Your Taxes Early! Filing 2015 federal taxes early simplifies the FAFSA completion process, and it is to your advantage to submit your federal tax return prior to FAFSA Day, if possible. If a student or parent hasn't yet filed taxes and needs to estimate income information on the FAFSA when they first fill it out, they can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to submit corrections at a later date once their taxes have been filed.
PREPARATION:
1) Participants should bring student's and parents' federal 1040 tax forms for 2015 to the FAFSA Day program.
2) Each student AND one parent should obtain an FSA ID prior to FAFSA Day from the Department of Education.
3) It will be helpful (though not required) for you to complete as much of the FAFSA on the Web worksheet as possible and bring it with you on FAFSA Day. Don't worry if you don't know all the answers; the experienced financial aid officers will help you. The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet for 2016-17 will be available online after Jan. 1, 2016.
FAFSA Day is a free service provided by College Foundation of North Carolina, the North Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the State Employees' Credit Union.