About Us
What is College Goal Sunday?
Filling out financial aid paperwork can be complicated and time-consuming, but College Goal SundaySM makes it easy.
College Goal Sunday is a program that helps college-bound students, and their families, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Most colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools in the nation require students seeking federal financial aid, including grants and loans, to complete the FAFSA. This form should be completed as soon as possible after January 1 because many types of aid are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. March 15 is the priority deadline in North Dakota. While forms may still be submitted after this date, students may miss out on aid opportunities – so don’t wait. At College Goal Sunday financial aid experts, primarily from North Dakota colleges and universities, will help students complete the FAFSA properly and before important deadlines.
College Goal Sunday 2011 will take place Sunday, February 20, at eleven sites in North Dakota. This is a free event provided through the collaborative efforts of the North Dakota Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NDASFAA), TRIO and other volunteers. Funding has been provided from Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private foundation dedicated to expanding access and success in education beyond high school.
Why you should attend?
Don't let the cost of college stop you from applying! Did you know most higher education students receive financial aid? Every year, more than eight million college students receive financial aid to pay for education after high school. However, hundreds of students do not receive the money they need to pay for college, simply because they don't apply. To apply for financial aid you must complete the FAFSA. Information from the FAFSA is used for awarding all forms of federal aid including student grants, work-study, loans and many state, college-specific and private funding. Even if you haven't made a decision about college, attend College Goal Sunday. Filling out the FAFSA doesn't obligate you to anything. Whether you choose a traditional college, community college, vocational or technical school, College Goal Sunday can help you get the money you need.
Partners
The key success factor for College Goal Sunday is the generous support from higher education institutions, college access agencies and community organizations. Volunteers from these groups coordinate sites, direct outreach and publicity, raise funds and staff events. Thank you to the following partners for their involvement:
- Dakota Association for College Admission Counseling (DACAC)
- High School Counselors
- Job Service
- North Dakota Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NDASFAA)
- VITA and other Tax Preparers
- Tribal Higher Education Grant Programs
- TRIO/Aspire
- Vocational Rehabilitation
History
College Goal Sunday began in Indiana in 1989 as a joint project of the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association (ISFAA) and the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI), with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Like most successful projects, it was designed to meet a specific need. Research had shown that Indiana families often cited high cost as the main barrier to college attendance, even though tens of millions of dollars in various forms of financial aid were available to Indiana students. Too many families — particularly those of color, low income and no tradition of pursuing an education beyond high school — simply were not applying for those funds. It was clear that the mere availability of funds wasn’t enough to push these students over the threshold to higher education.
These students and their families needed two more things: First, they needed to receive more information through a variety of channels about the availability of financial aid; second, they needed expert assistance in filling out the paperwork required to qualify for that aid. A two-part strategy was devised to address the problem. First, ISFAA members, who primarily staff college financial aid offices throughout the state, volunteered their expertise on one particular day of the year. On College Goal Sunday (traditionally, a week or two after Super Bowl Sunday), these professionals would fan out to selected community sites in Indiana to help families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the universally required financial aid application. Second, as a prelude to College Goal Sunday, the group implemented an extensive public information campaign to reach low-income Indiana residents.The campaign used the news media, direct mail and celebrity appearances at key high schools to inform the public about the importance of an education beyond high school, the availability of financial aid, and the existence of College Goal Sunday to help them complete the FAFSA.
College Goal Sunday also has garnered generous financial support beyond that of Lilly Endowment. For several years, USA Group (then the nation’s largest guarantor and administrator of student loans) and its affiliates co-funded the program with the Endowment. Also, employees of USA Group and its philanthropic division, USA Group Foundation, served as College Goal Sunday volunteers. In addition, the Foundation provided matching grants to replicate the College Goal Sunday program in Arizona in 1997, in Kansas in 1999, in Kentucky in 2001, and in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area and California in 2002. Since 2001, Lumina Foundation has provided funds and the model to help establish College Goal Sunday in other states. To get information about other College Goal Sunday states visit the National College Goal Sunday Web site at www.collegegoalsundayusa.org.
