All Sinclair Community College campuses are hosting the “Big EZ” event on April 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 .m., according to Dawayne Kirkman, site coordinator of the Englewood and Huber Heights’ Learning Centers.
Students can bring their taxes and have them professionally filed at the event. Immediately after they can then be “walked through” the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, according to Kirkman. The event will also feature refreshments.
If a student has already completed their taxes, they can bring the tax return and still get assistance with their FAFSA.
“The goal is to get a larger number of students to do their FAFSAs on time,” Dani Stoll, director of Admissions, said.
The Big EZ event is part of a larger initiative to help students through the financial aid process, according to Kirkman.
“We’re trying to break it down,” Kirkman said. “We want it to be easier this year.”
There are steps to receiving financial aid. The first is applying with the FAFSA. The second is to check that the personal information on my.sinclair.edu is correct. Third, students should provide any additional information–sometimes a W2 form or a tax return–that the financial aid office requires. The fourth step is to accept any financial aid awards desired in Web Advisor, according to Kirkman and Stoll.
The fifth and final step is to maintain attendance. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete 75 percent of their classes to remain eligible for financial aid. Students who complete heir FAFSA by April 8 will be entered into a drawing to win a $2,000 scholarship from Sinclair, according to Kirkman. The winner will be announced on May 2.
Kirkman said he has seen students come into a quarter too late to register for financial aid. He noted that the FAFSA must be done yearly.
“A lot of students come in the middle of August and miss the deadline,” Kirkman said. “We think this is going to help. We want a culture change to get students to do it early.”
The incentive to get theFAFSA done early could be financial, according to Stoll.
“Students could miss out on thousands by not getting it done,” she said.