Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation representative Annie Trout assists with registration from the Jan. 3, 2013, College Goal Sunday at MTSU. The next College Goal at MTSU will be Saturday, Jan. 11. (Submitted photo)

Prospective college students and their parents or guardians can receive free assistance with filing the online application to receive financial aid at the upcoming College Goal at MTSU event.

However, the students and their families need to preregister for the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation-sponsored event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 11, in the Business and Aerospace Building on campus. To register, go to www.tn.gov/collegegoalsunday.

“Students need to preregister so that we can be prepared and have enough volunteers staffed for Saturday,” said Jackie Owens, MTSU financial aid counselor and the university’s on-site coordinator working with TSAC personnel and volunteers to hold the event.

“We want to be able to provide one-on-one counseling and individualized assistance for the students and families that plan to attend,” Owens added. “They need to preregister so that we can have an accurate count of attendees.”

At the eighth annual event, Bonnie McCarty, MTSU assistant director of scholarships, will discuss FAFSA and the online process.

FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the vehicle to obtain help in paying for college. Volunteers at the College Goal at MTSU event and other 24 College Goal Sunday events across the state between Jan. 11 and Feb. 9 will help steer students planning to attend any college in the right direction.

“College Goal at MTSU is an opportunity for us to offer free assistance to students planning to attend any college, not just MTSU,” Owens said. “In order to receive lottery, state or federal grants, they have to file the FAFSA.”

MTSU junior Emilee Lance, a student worker in the Office of Financial Aid, promotes the College Goal at MTSU. It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 11. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

Students and their parents or guardians could begin filing their FAFSA Jan. 1. But especially for first-time FAFSA applicants, it can be a stressful challenge.

It is important to remember to bring your driver’s license, Social Security number, 2013 federal tax return and bank statements and other documents. For a complete list, visit www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday.

All attendees will need a pin number for the FAFSA if you plan on filling out the FAFSA online at the event. To obtain, visit www.pin.ed.gov.

From parking to registration to the advice, everything about the College Goal at MTSU event is free. And should there be a schedule conflict and you not be able to attend Saturday at MTSU, there will be one Jan. 19 at Nashville State Community College and others across the region and state. Event locations can be found at http://www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday/locations.html.

Plenty of free parking will be available. A printable campus map can be found at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap13-14.

To learn more, visit www.mtsu.edu/goal or www.tn.gov/CollegeGoalSunday, or call 615-904-8215.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)