WCC and MOC to help with FAFSA forms on Saturday
By Staff Reports
Published in News on February 18, 2013 1:46 PM
Both Wayne Community College and Mount Olive College are offering opportunities this weekend to help individuals and families of those planning to attend college in the 2013-14 academic year obtain financial assistance. Both locations will be holding free workshops to provide help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms.
At WCC, the event will run from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday in the Spruce Building at Wayne Community College.
At MOC, the event will run from 9 a.m. to noon in the W. Burkette and Rose M. Raper Hall.
Financial aid professionals will assist with completing and submitting the forms which are required to be considered for all federal and most state financial aid, including scholarships and grants, for college.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Contact the College Foundation of North Carolina at 866-866-2362 or www.cfnc.org to register for this free program. Or, at Mount Olive College, more information can be obtained through Tim Woodard in admissions at 1-800-653-0854.
To better prepare for that day, participants are encouraged to either file their 2012 federal taxes in advance or bring the following items: both the student's and parents' federal 1040 tax forms for 2012 (or W-2 forms and other income and asset documents if completed tax forms are not available); the student's and one parent's personal identification numbers obtained in advance from the U.S. Department of Education website, www.pin.ed.gov; and a FAFSA on the web worksheet with as much information entered as possible.
The online worksheet is available at www.fafsa.gov.
"It's important to complete the FAFSA early to take advantage of all of the financial aid opportunities available for North Carolinians," said Robbie Schultz of the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority and CFNC coordinator of the FAFSA Day program. "Students and parents don't need to worry if they aren't sure how to answer all of the questions on the form. That's why we have arranged to have experienced financial aid specialists to help at each FAFSA Day site."
Having filed tax forms in advance also helps, he added.
"Filing 2012 federal taxes early really simplifies FAFSA completion," he said. "Those who file well in advance of FAFSA Day can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA form to transfer their tax information directly onto their FAFSA.
"If a student or parent hasn't yet filed taxes, they can estimate income information on the FAFSA, and then use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to submit FAFSA corrections at a later date. See the video section on the Pay page at cfnc.org."
Another option for students and parents is the FAFSA Phone-In offered every Tuesday in February from 5-8 p.m. Financial aid specialists and experts will be on hand to answer specific FAFSA questions on the toll-free number, 866-866-CFNC (2362).