Staff Report
Parents and students can reduce the cost of college attendance by taking advantage of free Cash for College workshops, including one from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in the library at Santa Ynez High School.
The Central Coast Cal-SOAP Consortium at Hancock and Cuesta colleges are co-sponsoring the series of workshops to help high school seniors and their parents complete and submit financial aid forms that could result in thousands of dollars for college. More than half of community college students receive financial assistance each year.
There will be 34 workshops from this month to February 2019 throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Spanish-speaking staff will be available at all locations. No reservations are required. The application process takes about one hour to complete.
At each workshop, staff will be on hand to help students fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form or a California Dream Act application, as well as apply for state and federal grants, including Cal Grants that offer thousands of dollars for college that does not have to be repaid.
Students can find the free FAFSA application online at www.fafsa.ed.govand the California Dream Act application at www.caldreamact.org. The Cal Grant GPA verification form is available at www.csac.ca.gov, but high school counselors are required to fill out part of the form.
Those planning to attend a workshop should bring the following information and items with them:
– Completed income tax forms from 2017 for parents and high school seniors
– Students Social Security number and driver’s license (if available)
– Parents Social Security number (if available)
– Records of untaxed income such as welfare benefits
– Social Security benefits, or child support payments
– Bank statements from 2017
– Business records
– Permanent resident or DACA card (if a student is not a U.S. citizen)
– A list of colleges the student is interested in attending
In addition to grants, the FAFSA and California Dream Act applications may also provide an opportunity for low-interest loans.
For more information about the local workshops, email Diana Perez at dperez@hancockcollege.edu; call the Central Coast Cal-SOAP office at 1-805-922-6966, ext. 3710; or call Hancock toll free 1-866-342-5242, ext. 3710.
To learn more about Cal-SOAP, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/cal-soap.
For more information on Cal Grants, log on to www.calgrants.orgor call toll-free 1-888- 224-7268.
