Starting this month, the Central Coast Cal-SOAP Consortium at Allan Hancock College and Cuesta College are holding free virtual Cash For College workshops to help students and parents fill out and submit financial aid forms that can get them thousands of dollars for college.
According to a news release, there will be a total of 30 workshops running from this month to February 2021.
During the workshops, staff will help high school seniors and their students fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or a California Dream Act Application. Students will also have the opportunity to apply for state and federal grants like a Cal Grant, which offers cash for college and doesn’t have to be paid back.
FAFSA applications can be found online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, the California Dream Act application at www.caldreamact.org, and the Cal Grant GPA verification form at www.csac.ca.gov. Part of the Cal Grant GPA verification form must be filled out by a high school counselor.
The application process during the workshops will take approximately one hour.
FAFSA applications, California Dream Act applications, and Cal Grant GPA verification forms must be postmarked and sent to the California Student Aid Commission by March 2, 2021.
Students and parents who want to attend the virtual workshops should bring several pieces of documentation. These include completed income tax forms from 2019 including W2’s, both the student’s and parent’s Social Security Number, if they have one, and Social Security benefits or child support payments.
If the student isn’t a U.S. citizen, they should bring his or her permanent resident or DACA card.
Optional pieces of documentation that parents and students can bring include bank statements, business records, and records of untaxed income like welfare benefits.
Students and parents should also bring a list of colleges the student is interested in attending.
The virtual worship dates can be found online at the Allan Hancock College website hancockcollege.edu by clicking on the “Financial Assistance” in the bar at the top of the screen and then clicking on “Financial Aid Workshops” on the left side menu. Click on “Cash for College,” then will generate a dropdown menu with the dates of the workshops and links to a registration page.
email: jgrega@gmail.com
