Date: January 15, 2010
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Assists Students in Completing, Filing Financial Aid Forms

Westville – Purdue University North Central Financial Aid Office is offering a series of events intended to help students and their parents complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) paperwork. Completing and filing the FAFSA is required for students to apply for most forms of financial aid.

Students planning to attend any Indiana college or university must file their FAFSA by the March 10 deadline if they hope to receive financial aid for the 2010 - 2011 academic year.

PNC will present a series of financial aid information nights at high schools, open to all potential college students and their parents. Each session will last about one hour and there will be time for questions and answers. Upcoming sessions include:

Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. - Chesterton High School

Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. - South Central High School

Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. - Portage High School

Wednesday, Jan. 27at 6 p.m. - New Prairie High School

Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. - La Porte High School

Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. - Boone Grove High School

Monday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. - North Judson High School

On Sunday Feb. 21, PNC will join the statewide College Goal Sunday event for all Indiana college-bound students and their families, from 2 to 4 p.m., in the PNC Library-Student-Faculty Building , Room 144. College Goal Sunday is free and is open to potential Indiana college students of all ages. Online capabilities and Spanish interpreters will be available.

There will be 37 College Goal Sunday sites throughout Indiana , taking part in the 21-year-old public financial aid awareness program.

PNC will host a Financial Aid Marathon that will run from 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, through 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb 28 in the PNC Library-Student-Faculty Building . This event is free and open to all Indiana college students. Students, prospective students and their families may stop in at any time during that period to speak with a trained professional member of the PNC Financial Aid staff for assistance in filling out the FAFSA paperwork.

E-mail, instant messenger and phones will be available to take incoming questions. The email address is pnctoday@pnc.edu ; AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is pnctoday and telephone, 877-PNC 2010 (762-2010).

Those who intend to complete the FAFSA online must have an electronic Personal Identification Number (PIN). That can be obtained online prior to filing at www.pin.ed.gov , or can be obtained online at the Financial Aid Marathon. Both the parent and the student will need a PIN in order to sign and complete the FAFSA.

Those who intend to complete the FAFSA at College Goal Sunday or the Financial Aid Marathon should be sure to bring:

1. A copy of student and parent 2009 completed Federal taxes - 1040, 1040a,1040ez and 2009 W-2 forms. If the tax forms have not been completed, numbers can be estimated for the FAFSA using the W-2, if necessary.

2. Statements showing the value of investments such as stocks and bonds.

3. Statements of the student's and parent's balances of checking, savings and cash on hand.

4. Any other income, including Social Security benefits.

5. Both the student and parent birth dates and social security numbers.

The student's financial aid award is based on a formula derived by the federal government.

For more information about these financial aid events or financial aid in general, contact the PNC Financial Aid Office, 785-5200, ext. 5493 or finaid@pnc.edu .

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