(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Oct. 6, 2016) - - - Columbia State Community College is offering free on-site assistance to help students and families fill out the 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid during the "FAFSA Frenzy" event.

Financial aid professionals and other enrollment services staff will be available to assist students and families with completing the 2017-2018 FAFSA online prior to the Tennessee Student Assistance Award and Tennessee Promise deadlines. Applying early increases opportunities to receive state funds.

Representatives will be available from noon - 4 p.m. at the Columbia Campus located at 1665 Hampshire Pike on Oct. 5 in Jones Student Center, Room 103.

Representatives will be available from 2 - 5 p.m. at each of the following locations.

Each of these one-day events will help current and prospective college students, as well as parents and guardians, take the first step in applying for financial aid by helping them complete the federally required form for students who seek financial assistance, including grants, scholarships and loans.

Although not required to attend, the following information is helpful when completing the FAFSA. Students and their parents or guardians should bring:

• 2015 Federal Tax Return
• Social Security card
• Driver's license
• 2015 W-2 forms or year-end pay stubs and other year-end records of money received
• 2015 untaxed income records - Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veterans benefits records
• Alien registration card (if not a U.S. citizen)
• AND if planning to fill out the FAFSA online at the event also go ahead and apply for a Federal Student Aid ID at https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm for the student and at least one parent if dependent.

The deadline for Tennessee Promise students to complete their FAFSA application is Jan. 17, 2017.

For additional information, please call (931) 540-8267, or email FinancialAid@ColumbiaState.edu.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.