We appreciate your interest in assisting with FAFSA Day! You may visit the Volunteer link on the left-hand side to register as a volunteer for a location and date most convenient for you.

FAFSA Day Massachusetts, a College Goal Sunday Program, is a non-profit, volunteer-driven program providing free assistance to students and families seeking to complete the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The FAFSA is the federally required form for ALL students seeking federal financial aid for higher education. Students attending college during the 2019-2020 academic year, must complete the 2019-2020 FAFSA, available after October 1, 2018, at www.fafsa.gov, if they are interested in receiving federal and state financial aid. Students attending college during the 2020-2021 academic year, must complete the 2020-2021 FAFSA, available after October 1, 2019.

The primary FAFSA Day Massachusetts events for the upcoming academic year 2019-20 will primarily take place on November 3, 2019 as well as on a number of alternative dates at over 30 locations around Massachusetts. Some sites will hold their events on other dates and times. Please check our Locations periodically for the latest site specific information.

Students, families, and adult learners who want help applying for financial aid for the 2020-2021 academic year should attend a FAFSA Day Massachusetts site during the upcoming fall 2019/winter 2020 cycle.

Students and parents should EACH bring the following. Students born before January 1, 1997 do not need to bring parental information.

• FSA ID (please sign up and bring both your Student FSA ID and Parent FSA ID, available at fsaid.ed.gov)
  • BE SURE to sign up for your FSA ID prior to FAFSADay! Parent needs a FSA ID as does the Student. Sign up at fsaid.ed.gov in advance of FAFSADay and remember to bring your FSA ID User Name and Password for both parent and student to the event! THIS IS A HUGE TIME SAVER!
• Social Security Number
• Driver’s License Number (if any)
• 2018 Federal Tax Return
• 2018 W-2 or Year-End Pay Stub
• 2018 Untaxed Income Records
• Current Bank Statement(s)
• Current Business and Investment Records
• Alien Registration Card (if not a U.S. Citizen)

A list of documents to bring will also be available in the confirmation email that you will receive less than 10 minutes after you register – please save this for your records.

Yes! In order to provide the best possible services to attendees, students are strongly encouraged, but are not required, to register on the Registration Page.

You may click on either the Register or Locations pages on the left-hand side to register to attend a FAFSA Day event at a location and date most convenient for you.

Many students are not sure if they will be attending right after high school or have been out of high school for some time. By filling out the FAFSA, there is no obligation to attend, nor decide, which college you plan on attending. However, by completing the FAFSA early deadlines will not be missed if you decide later this year to apply to college.

Worry not! If you are not able to attend a FAFSA Day event but need assistance with completing your FAFSA, we encourage you to visit an Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) location in Massachusetts, listed on our Information page. They can provide you with free help on on the college Financial Aid and Admissions processes.

The EOC is funded by the TRIO Office of the U.S. Department of Education and offers FREE career and educational counseling/advising services for eligible people over the age of 19 who are considering postsecondary educational options. Locations exist in Boston, Lynn, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Greater Springfield and Worcester through a project of the Massachusetts Education & Career Opportunities, Inc. (MassEdCO); in Brockton through a project of ASA; and in Leominster through a project of Mount Wachusett Community College.

FAFSA Day Massachusetts a College Goal Sunday program is supported and administered by a volunteer committee comprised of members of the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA), as well as members of various community organizations that work with underserved populations. Funding for the FAFSA Day Massachusetts program comes in part from our various partners: American Student Assistance (ASA), Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), and the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA). 

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram for additional tips and tricks on the college Financial Aid and Admissions processes, as well as postings on outside scholarships.

Of course! Be sure to visit the Information page for additional tips and guides including a breakdown on how aid is calculated, myths about financial aid, learning the Admissions and Financial Aid lingo, searching for Outside Scholarship opportunities, and much more!

Anyone interested in learning more about FAFSA Day Massachusetts may email us at fafsaday@gmail.com or call 877-424-7627 (September to February each year).

Program Background

The College Goal Sunday program was established in 1989 and evolved from a one-time event in Indiana to a national effort including 40 state programs and the District of Columbia and more than 10,000 volunteers assisting students and families in accessing financial aid for college. College Goal Sunday supporters included the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association, the Lilly Endowment, Lumina Foundation and USA Funds.

College Goal Sunday’s national grants to states ended after the 2015-16 school year, but all state programs continue to operate autonomously, some using the CGS name and some under other names such as FAFSA Frenzy or FAFSA Days. Based on the tremendous legacy of College Goal Sunday, in 2016 the National College Access Network launched Form Your Future, a national FAFSA completion campaign intended to increase students’ awareness of financial aid and to rally more communities around FAFSA completion activities. Schools, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies can use the Form Your Future campaign materials for free by visiting www.formyourfuture.org.

Over the past 18 years, over 20,000 Massachusetts residents have been assisted through College Goal Sunday and FAFSA Day events. In the first year, there were 10 sites statewide, and by 2017 there were 34 sites across 33 Massachusetts cities and towns. 320 individual volunteers offered their time and talent.  Similar number of sites and volunteer support continues into this current cycle. Exit surveys prove that it helps the targeted population complete a vital and often difficult task, that volunteer support continues to be vibrant and committed, and the more Massachusetts communities want to initiate their own sites.

If your question has not been answered here, please email us.