Spoon River College employees in the financial aid office will be presenting free workshops for students, parents, and any adult learners interested in obtaining information about aid programs available, and in getting assistance filling out and filing the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The majority of the visits will be conducted virtually, and schools are limiting attendance to high school seniors and the parent completing the FAFSA
Completing the FAFSA is now a State of Illinois high school graduation requirement for 2021.
“FAFSA applications can be filed beginning October 1 using 2019 income tax information rather than waiting until January 1 or after,” said Jo Branson, financial aid director at Spoon River College. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the FAFSA completed accurately and on time in order to obtain federal and state aid for college.”
Branson noted that information about other financial assistance programs such as funding for veterans, scholarships, student loans, and payment plans will also be presented, and even those not planning on attending Spoon River College are welcome to attend.
The visits are scheduled as follows:
October 1: Farmington High School at 5:30 and 7 p.m. in the Auditorium. Students will be required to bring their Chromebook, and should sign up with high school counselor, Emily Smith.
October 7: VIT High School from 4−7 p.m. Students should sign up for a time with high school counselor, Carly Taylor.
October 14 and October 28: Macomb High School – Meeting time for October 14 is 5:30 -7:30 p.m., and the meeting time for October 28 is from 12−4 p.m. Students should sign up for a time and date with high school counselors, Jason Johnson or Shawnee Huston.
October 19: Astoria High School from 4−7 p.m. Students should sign up for a time with high school counselor, Sadie Keefauver.
October 20—Cuba High School from 6−8 p.m. Students should sign up for a time with high school counselor, Logan Link.
October 21—Lewistown High School from 6−8 p.m. Students should sign up with high school counselor, Kerry Hatfill.
October 28—Havana High School event will be hosted at the Spoon River College Havana Center from 2−8 p.m. Students should sign up for a time with high school counselor, Adam Wherley.
Families are encouraged to bring their own charged device to the events and to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID prior to attending the event. A how-to video on creating the FSA ID is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ihhGk8mCY&feature=youtu.be, and more information is available at StudentAid.gov.
Documents needed to fill out the FAFSA are the student’s Social Security and driver’s license numbers, 2019 W-2s, 2019 federal income tax return, parent’s 2019 federal income tax return and W-2s (if required), and any additional untaxed income such as veteran’s benefits, child support (paid or received) and worker’s compensation.
For more information, visit www.src.edu and click on the Financial Aid link under the Student Services tab or call (309) 649-7030 in Canton or (309) 833-6073 in Macomb.