Financial aid professionals from across Indiana will be volunteering at 37 sites on Feb. 26 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 state financial aid.

The event will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 26 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 2021 IRS 1040 tax returns, W-2 forms and other 2021 income and benefits information.

Students who worked should also bring their income information. Students 24 and older may attend alone and bring their completed 2021 IRS 1040 tax return, W-2 form or other 2021 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 and answer questions as needed.

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

Now in its 34th year, College Goal Sunday has helped more than 94,000 Indiana students and families complete the FAFSA properly and on time. College Goal Sunday is a charitable program of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association.

For information, visit collegegoalsunday.org.