Eau Claire (WQOW)- Students gathered at Chippewa Valley Technical College on Sunday to fill out financial aid paperwork.
"Filling out and giving us this financial aid information can be intimidating and overwhelming for folks, but it's so important," says UW-Eau Claire Financial Aid Director Kathy Sahlhoff.
More than 200 students participated in Wisconsin's seventh annual "College Goal;" an event that helps families understand the complexities of financial aid and gets them headed in the right direction.
"We are looking at financial aid and learning how to fill out our FASFA forms so I can get some help on getting money for colleges and everything," says Eau Claire Memorial senior Madeline Skifton.
The FASFA is a free application for federal student aid. Completing the form is the first and most important step for students seeking grants and loans to pay for college.
"Even if you don't think you are going to get any money back, just go ahead and fill it out," says Eau Claire North senior Megan Eisberner.
"More and more programs are becoming need-based as part of the criteria," explains Sahlhoff. "So we urge people to go ahead and fill out the form."
Families know any financial support their student qualifies for now will mean less debt after graduation.
"I'm going to try to prevent that," Megan says..
"I think it's huge for her down the line so she's not sitting when she gets out of school to have a huge debt that she has to start paying off right away so for her in the long term, it's huge to get as much support as we can," says Megan's mom Tami Eisberner.
