February 21 is College Goal Sunday in Louisiana

Posted: Feb 17, 2010 11:42 AM by PRESS RELEASE

BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana's third annual College Goal Sunday will be held on February 21, 2010, from 2-4 p.m. at seventeen locations around the state. The purpose of College Goal Sunday is to provide students and their families with free professional assistance in completing the primary student financial aid form, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Completing the FAFSA is the first step to take in order to receive most forms of federal student aid including Pell grants, low-interest federal student loans and to participate in the federal Work Study program. In addition, several state student financial aid programs, including the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarship program and the Louisiana Go Grant need-based aid program, require completion of the FAFSA in order to qualify and access funds.

College Goal Sunday is a national program designed to help students navigate the paperwork barriers that stand between them and the money they need to attend college. Completing the form correctly with detailed income, tax and other information can be a difficult task. On College Goal Sunday, financial aid professionals from Louisiana colleges and universities will be on hand to provide free line-by-line assistance.

As an added bonus for participants, education scholarship funds have been donated to further aid in the funding of a student's education. Louisiana College Goal Sunday participants can submit their names for a drawing that will award one such scholarship per location.

Anyone, from soon-to-be high school graduates to returning non-traditional students, who is planning to attend a two or four-year college or university or community or technical college during the 2009-2010 academic year can benefit from attendance.

Pre-registration for the event is encouraged to ensure that each site has the resources needed to assist all participants. To pre-register, log on to www.osfa.la.gov and "click" on the Louisiana College Goal Sunday link. The website will also provide detailed information including specific records and documentation that participants will need to bring to the event.

College Goal Sunday Louisiana is sponsored by the Louisiana Association of Financial Aid Administrators (LASFAA) and the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) with assistance from the Louisiana Gear-Up and Trio programs and the Louisiana Department of Education. Funding for Louisiana College Goal Sunday is provided by a grant from Lumina Foundation for Education.

The seventeen College Goal Sunday site locations in Louisiana are:

Alexandria
Louisiana State University-Alexandria
Technology Center (Weldon "Bo" Nipper Building), Room 107

Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge Community College
Bienvenue Student Center

Southern University
Smith Brown Memorial Union
The Royal Cotillion Ballroom

Bossier City
Bossier Parish Community College
Building D, Room 215

Grambling
Grambling State University
Jacob T. Stewart Building, Rooms 138 and 335

Hammond
Southeastern Louisiana University
Fayard Hall, Main Lobby

Houma
Fletcher Technical Community College
Main Building, Rooms 103, 104 and 105

Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Moody Hall, Room 103

Lake Charles
SOWELA Technical Community College
Administration Building

Monroe
Louisiana Delta Community College
Eastgate Location

Natchitoches
Northwestern State University
The Student Union
President's Room

New Orleans
Delgado Community College - West Bank Campus
Building #1, room 130

Dillard University
DUICEF HALL, Room 106

Southern University - New Orleans
Knights Café on the Park Campus

Ruston
Louisiana Technical College
1010 James Street

Sorrento
River Parishes Community College
7384 John LeBlanc Blvd.
Building E- The Computer Lab, Room 110

St. James
St. James High School
Library

For more information, visit www.osfa.la.gov or contact the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance at (225) 922-1012 or (800) 259-5626, Ext. 1012 or by e-mail at custserv@osfa.state.la.us.