Many barriers exist that prevent individuals from seeking higher education, but Ohio University Southern is once again doing its part to help overcome one of the biggest ones: money.

Again this year, the university is hosting “College Goal Sunday,” an event designed to help educate prospective college students — regardless of where they plan on attending school — and their parents about applying for financial aid. This may sound like a relatively minor thing. It certainly isn’t.

Money is one of the primary factors that deter people from going to college. Oftentimes, help is out there if you know how to seek it.

The Federal Application for Financial Student Aid, commonly called the FAFSA, can be intimidating by itself. This event and others like it are designed to make the application process less overwhelming and educate those thinking about attending college.

We applaud Ohio University Southern for participating in this program again and hope all students and their parents even considering attending higher education take advantage of this opportunity at 2 p.m. Feb. 10 to learn about the help that is available.

Many factors — educational background, peer pressure, family history, — help keep some individuals from attending college. Financial concerns can often be the most tangible and the easiest to overcome, with the help of programs like this.