Many college financial aid officers across the state were scheduled to assist students in completing their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on Saturday, Feb. 13. Due to inclement weather, many colleges were forced to close due to the snow. Sampson Community College has rescheduled FAFSA Day for this Saturday, Feb. 27, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon to help high school seniors and families complete and submit their FAFSA forms.

The FAFSA is required to be considered for all federal and most state financial aid, including grants, for college. All local high school seniors are encouraged to attend regardless of the college they are planning to attend.

In preparation for completing the FAFSA, participants should bring both the student's and parents' federal 1040 tax forms for 2009 to FAFSA Day. If the federal tax returns are required to be file and have not been filed, students/parents must wait until the tax returns have been filed to complete the FAFSA. Each participating student and parent also is encouraged to obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the U.S. Department of Education website, www.pin.ed.gov, prior to FAFSA Day. To save time on the day of the event, it is also helpful if participants will complete as much of the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet as possible prior to the program. The online worksheet is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

FAFSA Day is one of many free services offered by College Foundation of North Carolina to help students of all ages. At CFNC, families can find college cost estimators, listings of scholarship, grant and loan opportunities, information about North Carolina's 529 college savings plan, career information, virtual tours of more than 100 of the state's college campuses and online college admission and financial aid applications.

To learn more about planning, applying or paying for college, visit CFNC.org or call toll-free 1-866-866-CFNC.

For more information about FAFSA Day at Sampson Community College, call (910) 592-8084.