Bill Wozniak, director of marketing for ISM College Planning, says now is the time for students to determine their options.
“The students are getting accepted at different schools and going through that whole process,” he says. “But how they’re going to pay for college, and the award letters and all of those things about how they’re going to fund their education, those things happen now.”
In Indiana, the FAFSA form must be received by the federal processor on or before March 10. During the past 30 years, the average published tuition and fees have increased by 231 percent to more than $8,000 at four-year public schools.
College Goal Sunday 2014 will take place at 2 p.m. this Sunday in 33 Indiana communities, including Plymouth High School.
Wozniak says the easiest way to find more resources about the event, and college financial aid is online.
“The information is collegegoalsunday.org,” he says. “But then there’s multiple pages on the IN.gov website about education and financial aid.”
Wozniak points out that while some may think the high price of college makes it unattainable, in reality, most families don’t pay the sticker price for tuition and fees.
“Whether it’s the Pell Grant, whether it’s the 21st Century Scholar Program, whether it’s money that comes from the institution itself, all these ways can help to bring that number down and hopefully make it something that isn’t too burdensome on a family,” he explains.
About two-thirds of full-time students receive financial aid, with the average undergraduate receiving more than $13,000 in financial assistance.
