Current and incoming students can learn about financial aid opportunities and seek help with applications this Sunday in Oklahoma Memorial Union.

College Goal Sunday will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Molly Shi Boren Ballroom at the union. Financial aid advisers will be available to increase students' awareness of what aid is and how to apply for it.

"The goal is to get as many students to apply for aid as possible," Brad Burnett, director of Financial Aid Services, said.

Financial aid will present three informational sessions for students and their parents in the ballroom. They will also be able to visit one-on-one with financial aid advisers and receive individual help filling out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

"It's a relaxed atmosphere where they can come in and ask any questions they might have," Pam McConahay, associate director of Financial Aid Services, said.

Burnett and McConahay said the main idea of the event is to identify financial need not only for current students, but incoming students as well.

"They can learn all about financial aid and the entire college experience," McConahay said.

Representatives from Prospective Student Services, the Office of Admissions, the Center for Student Life, Project Threshold, XPC University and Oklahoma Money Matters will also speak with students. Spanish and sign language translators will be there in case they are needed, McConahay said.

College Goal Sunday is a national event that occurs on the second Sunday of February each year. It was started in the early 1990s by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association, McConahay said.

Oklahoma City Community College is co-sponsoring the local event, which is in its third year at OU. In past years, between 200 and 300 current and incoming students have attended OU's College Goal Sunday, McConahay said.

The event will take place at over 30 different sites statewide and more than 1,500 students are expected to attend, said Donna Spain-Bryant, a public relations coordinator with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

"Its been very successful in the past and we're just going to continue and build upon our success," she said.

The regents coordinate College Goal Sunday for the state with funding from the Lumina Foundation for Education and other organizations, Spain-Bryant said.

The event is free and no registration is required. Free parking will be available in the union parking garage.

Financial Aid asks students to bring a copy of their latest income tax forms if they want help filling out their FAFSA.

College Goal Sunday usually occurs on the second Sunday of each year at colleges and universities across all across Oklahoma. This year, more than 30 higher education institutions are participating in the program, according to the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program Web site, www.ogslp.org.

OGSLP serves as the primary guarantor for Oklahoma students and post-secondary institutions, according to the Web site. The group recently reporting a record-breaking year by guaranteeing its largest number of loans in the thirty-nine years it has been in service.

The College Goal Sunday program was created by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association, according to the Web site. It is sponsored by Lumina Foundation for Education, Oklahoma GEAR UP, the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program, Oklahoma Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Sonic, and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
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