Columbia State to Host College Goal Event
"This is a wonderful opportunity for students and their families to come in and file together with financial aid and enrollment services professionals present to help," said Cherry Johnson, Columbia State's financial aid director. "This is especially good for working parents who don't have time to come during the week, and we're available to answer any questions they may have."
Columbia State's financial aid and enrollment services representatives will be available in Room 103 of the Jones Student Center on the Columbia Campus. Applying early increases opportunities to receive state funds.
The one-day event will help current and prospective college students, as well as parents and guardians, take the first step in applying for financial aid by helping them complete the federally required form for students who seek financial assistance, including grants, scholarships and loans.
Although not required to attend, the following information is helpful when completing the FAFSA. Students and their parents or guardians should bring:
- 2015 Federal Tax Return (if already filed) or 2014 income tax return for estimated FAFSA filing
- Social Security card
- Driver's license
- 2015 W-2 forms or year-end pay stubs and other year-end records of money received
- 2015 untaxed income records - Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veterans benefits records
- Alien registration card (if not a U.S. citizen)
- AND if planning to fill out the FAFSA online at the event also go ahead and apply for a Federal Student Aid ID at https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm for the student and at least one parent if dependent.
Anyone planning to attend college can participate even if 2015 taxes have not been filed. The event is intended to help all students regardless of the institution they plan to attend.
The deadline for Tennessee Promise students to complete their FAFSA application is Feb. 15.
The Columbia Campus is located at 1665 Hampshire Pike.
The College Goal event is sponsored by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, along with state organizations for financial aid, admissions staff members, and statewide volunteers. The purpose is to provide free support to all students in Tennessee by helping them complete the FAFSA, which is required in order to receive any type of federal or state financial aid, including the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship and Tennessee Promise. For more information on the "College Goal" event visit http://www.tn.gov/collegegoaltn.
Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.
Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.