Financial aid professionals from across Indiana will be volunteering at 40 sites on Feb. 27 to help college-bound students and their families open the door to financial aid during College Goal Sunday.

The free program assists students in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is required for students to be considered for federal and state grants, scholarships and federal student loans at most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools nationwide. The deadline to file is April 15 to be eligible for Indiana financial aid.

College Goal Sunday will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 27 at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, 4601 Central Ave., Columbus.

Students are urged to attend with their parents or guardians, and parents should bring completed 2020 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 forms and other 2020 income and benefits information.

Students who worked should also bring their income information. Students 24 and older may attend alone and bring their completed 2020 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 form or other 2020 income and benefits information. Students and parents are encouraged to apply for their U.S. Department of Education FSA IDs at studentaid.gov before logging into the event.

Volunteers will walk through the online form line by line and answer families’ questions as needed. All sites offer FAFSA online capabilities, and many have Spanish interpreters.

Students who attend the event and submit a completed evaluation form will automatically be entered in a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship. The winners will be notified in the spring, and scholarships will be sent directly to the higher education institution selected by the winning students.

Information: collegegoalsunday.org