Students planning on going to the Des Moines Area Community College in the fall are encouraged to attend one of the free FAFSA workshops at the DMACC Perry VanKirk Career Academy Monday, Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 3 from 2-6 p.m.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a free form available either in paper or online from the U.S. Department of Education. It is a standardized application used to determine eligibility for federal grants, loans and work-study funds from the US government.
Many colleges and states, including Iowa, also use FAFSA information when determining eligibility for institutional and state financial aid programs.
Rick Carpenter, director of the VanKirk Career Academy, said financial-aid experts from the Iowa Colleges Access Network (ICAN) will be on hand at the workshops to answer questions about college financing in general and FAFSA in particular and will tell you exactly what information and documents you will need in order to fill out the FAFSA application.
Students and families who come with the proper tax and income information could even complete the FAFSA application at the event, Carpenter said.
The following documents are needed to complete FAFSA:
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license or state identification
- 2015 W-2 forms (for the 2015-2016 school year)
- 2015 Federal Income Tax return (for the 2015-2016 school year)
- Alien registration care or permanent resident card (for non-U.S. citizens)
- Parents’ 2015 Federal Income Tax return (if you are a dependent student less than 24)
- Parents’ 2015 W-2 forms
- parents’ Social Security numbers and dates of birth (if you are a dependent student less than 24)
No appointment is necessary to attend the workshops. Walk ins are welcome. The DMACC Perry VanKirk Career Academy is located at 1011 Second St. in downtown Perry.
For more information about what information is needed to file the FAFSA, visit the ICAN website.
