Georgia high school seniors will be shown how to apply for college financial assistance during the annual College Goal Sunday event at Dalton State College on February 15.

Financial experts will be on hand to meet with students and their families and to show them how to fill out the necessary forms to get access to the billions of dollars in federal funds available for college students.

“Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that can qualify students for federal funding for their college educations can be a daunting task,” says Dianne Cox, Director of Financial Aid at Dalton State.

“But for high school seniors across the state, College Goal Sunday provides a chance to receive guidance from those who can make the process easier.”

Georgia has 22 regional sites for College Goal Sunday, with one at Dalton State College to serve students who live in the northwest corner of the state. Students who attend an event at any of the regional sites do not have to plan on applying to that particular school, Cox stressed, noting that the event is specifically to aid all Georgia students in their financial aid process no matter which school they plan to attend.

And, students who attend the Sunday afternoon program have a chance to win a $500 scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The event will begin at 2:00 pm in the Goodroe Auditorium located in Memorial Hall on campus. There is no cost to attend.

“We find that many people are intimidated by filling out the necessary financial aid forms that are required when applying for federal student aid,” says Cox, who also serves as this state’s coordinator for College Goal Sunday.

“For many families, the forms are much more complicated to complete than their tax returns, so it can be a frustrating experience. As a result, many students and their families become overwhelmed by the process and don’t meet the priority deadlines, which are March 1 for most institutions.”

During the event, financial aid officers will explain the process of filling out the FAFSA form, line by line. Seniors and their families who have all of the necessary paperwork available will be relocated to a computer lab where they will receive personalized assistance in completing the forms online.

“Seniors and their families who attend will have two options,” says Cox. “They can either participate in the presentation, which will explain the FAFSA process in detail, or they can bring the necessary paperwork with them and work on their applications online.”

Those students and their parents who would like to work on their FAFSA applications online should bring copies of their completed 2008 tax returns, copies of the student’s and parents’ W-2 forms, and balance statements from the family’s non-retirement investment accounts. Volunteers will be stationed in the computer labs to help those who have brought in the relevant paperwork.

During the event, a drawing will be held for a $500 scholarship to be given to a senior who attends the event, Cox said.

The College Goal Sunday program currently exists in 35 states with a mission of providing answers to questions that students and their families have about completing the FAFSA forms. The volunteer program was started 1989 by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association with funding from the Lilly Endowment and with supplemental support from Lumina Foundation for Education.

For more information, please call 706-272-4545.