Help available Sunday to apply for financial aid for college

MAT-SU — Alaska’s eighth annual College Goal Sunday includes two locations in the Mat-Su Valley where people can get help completing the free application for federal student aid. The application, also known as FAFSA, is a required step toward receiving financial aid.

Other groups offering financial aid, such as grants, loans, work-study and the new Alaska Performance Scholarship, also use the FAFSA form. Students should aim to complete the FAFSA by mid-February, if possible, to be considered for the most available financial aid. Parents and students are encouraged not to wait to file the FAFSA until after they complete their 2011 income tax return because they may miss some opportunities by doing so.

Financial aid professionals from Alaska’s higher education institutions and the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education will be available from 2 to 4 p.m., Feb. 12 at Mat-Su College, Mile 2.2 Trunk Road, in Palmer, and at Academy Charter School, 7362 W. Parks Highway No. 725, in Wasilla. People should bring tax information to the workshops.

To register for the American Charter workshop, contact Becky Huggins at 352-0150; to register for the Mat-Su College workshop, contact Korry Dunham at 745-9762.

For more information, visit alaskacollegegoalsunday.com or call (877) 577-3367.