VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University will host College Goal Georgia from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 21, in the Health Sciences and Business Administration Building.

Families of college-bound high school seniors and other students who need help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are encouraged to attend this event. Financial aid professionals from VSU, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, and Georgia Military College will be on hand to help attendees complete and submit their FAFSAs onsite.

“The financial aid process is often a barrier for individuals pursuing higher education,” said Ryan Hogan, director of VSU’s Office of Admissions. “The goal of this event is to help lower this barrier and assist our community with attending college.”

Filling out the FAFSA is the first critical step in applying for federal and state grants, loans, and scholarships to help cover the costs of tuition, fees, supplies, and more at colleges and universities across the country. Research has shown that students who complete FAFSAs are more likely to enroll in college.

It is projected that over 60 percent of jobs in Georgia will require a certificate, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree by 2020. Approximately 42 percent of the state’s young adults, its developing workforce, are currently prepared to such a level, which means that Georgia must not only maintain current graduation levels but also produce an additional estimated 250,000 graduates in upcoming years to remain competitive.

College Goal Georgia is sponsored by the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which helps students achieve their educational goals by administering financial aid programs and advocating for Georgia students and other state institutions on issues relating to financing higher education. It administers the HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship and Grant programs, as well as other state- and lottery-funded scholarship, grant, and service-cancellable loan programs.

VSU’s Health Sciences and Business Administration Building is located on the Rea and Lillian Steele North Campus, at the intersection of North Patterson Street and Pendleton Drive.

Contact Hogan at (229) 333-5791 or rmhogan@valdosta.edu to learn more.

Attendees should bring the following items with them to the College Goal Georgia event:

• Social Security numbers for student and parent(s) and/or step-parent(s).

• Date(s) of birth, marital status, and date(s) of marital status for parent(s) and step-parent(s). 

• Student’s FSA ID. Go to https://fsaid.ed.gov to create FSA ID. Make sure to use a different email address than parent. The FSA ID is how you will electronically sign your FAFSA form.

• Parent FSA ID if student is a dependent. Go to https://fsaid.ed.gov to create FSA ID. Make sure to use a different email address than student. The FSA ID is how you will electronically sign your FAFSA form.

• Student driver’s license, if any.

• Documentation that states the student is a U.S. permanent resident or other eligible non-citizen, if student is not a U.S. citizen. 

• A 2015 federal tax return for the student and parent(s) and/or step-parent(s). This may be retrieved electronically in the FAFSA using the Data Retrieval Tool; however, bring a copy just in case.

• Any W-2 forms for 2015 or other records of money earned, if student or parent(s) and/or step-parent(s) were not required to file a federal tax return.

• Balance in cash, checking, or savings accounts; amount of assets, not including the value of the family home or family farm, if applicable; and value of business, if applicable, for student and parent(s) and/or step-parent(s). 

Note: For the 2017-2018 FAFSA, families and students, as applicable, will report their 2015 income and tax information, rather than waiting for their 2016 forms to be filed.