Cash for College events to help students and parents apply for financial aid.
Visit santarosa.edu/cash for a current list of local workshops.
See link below for which documents to bring to a workshop.
| documents_you_need_to_help_complete_the_fafsa_2022.pdf |
There are many different types of financial aid available from federal and state government, college and private sources.
The major types of financial aid include:
Grants are awards typically based on financial need that do not need to be repaid. An example is the Federal Pell Grant. Eligibility often depends on your EFC and/or financial need. For example, the Federal Pell Grant is based on your EFC.
Scholarships are awards usually based on achievement or talent that also do not need to be paid back. You can search for scholarships for free at www.fastweb.com. Fastweb adds and updates scholarships every single day, and will send you email notification when there’s a new scholarship that matches your personal background profile. Also, your prospective college(s) may offer scholarships based on academic merit and/or financial need. Call the financial aid office to find out which scholarships are available to you and how you can apply. See the Scholarships tab above for more information.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for students with financial need. The jobs are usually available on or near campus. A list of available jobs can be found at the college’s financial aid office or student employment office.
Loans are funds that must be paid back, usually with interest. There are federal student loans, federal parent loans, and private or alternative loans. The good news is that interest rates for education loans are currently at historic lows.
However, you must demonstrate financial need for some loans, like the Federal Perkins Loan or the Federal subsidized Stafford Loan. Other loans, such as the Federal unsubsidized Stafford loan and the Federal Parent PLUS loan, do not depend on financial need. Private student loans may depend on your credit history. To find out more about loans, visit www.finaid.org/loans.
Education Tax Benefits are available to you and your parents when you file your federal income tax returns based on amounts you paid for college. The most popular education tax benefits are the American Opportunity tax credit, Lifetime Learning tax credit and the student loan interest deduction.
The major types of financial aid include:
Grants are awards typically based on financial need that do not need to be repaid. An example is the Federal Pell Grant. Eligibility often depends on your EFC and/or financial need. For example, the Federal Pell Grant is based on your EFC.
Scholarships are awards usually based on achievement or talent that also do not need to be paid back. You can search for scholarships for free at www.fastweb.com. Fastweb adds and updates scholarships every single day, and will send you email notification when there’s a new scholarship that matches your personal background profile. Also, your prospective college(s) may offer scholarships based on academic merit and/or financial need. Call the financial aid office to find out which scholarships are available to you and how you can apply. See the Scholarships tab above for more information.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for students with financial need. The jobs are usually available on or near campus. A list of available jobs can be found at the college’s financial aid office or student employment office.
Loans are funds that must be paid back, usually with interest. There are federal student loans, federal parent loans, and private or alternative loans. The good news is that interest rates for education loans are currently at historic lows.
However, you must demonstrate financial need for some loans, like the Federal Perkins Loan or the Federal subsidized Stafford Loan. Other loans, such as the Federal unsubsidized Stafford loan and the Federal Parent PLUS loan, do not depend on financial need. Private student loans may depend on your credit history. To find out more about loans, visit www.finaid.org/loans.
Education Tax Benefits are available to you and your parents when you file your federal income tax returns based on amounts you paid for college. The most popular education tax benefits are the American Opportunity tax credit, Lifetime Learning tax credit and the student loan interest deduction.
THE FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): studentaid.gov
THE CADAA (California Dream Act Application): https://dream.csac.ca.gov/register
The California Dream Act Application allows students interested in attending eligible California Colleges, Universities and Career Education Programs to apply for state financial aid. This application is unrelated to the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Here's a video about the FAFSA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUis5lityCQwww.youtube.com/watch?v=gUis5lityCQ
Parents and students must complete a FAFSA application in order to be eligible to receive any financial aid provided by the federal government. States and colleges also use the FAFSA or the CADAA to determine eligibility for state (Cal Grants A, B, C) and institutional financial aid. The FAFSA or CADAA must be completed in order to receive need-based financial aid.
Through the information provided on the FAFSA/CADAA the amount a family can afford to pay for college is determined. Everyone should complete a FAFSA/CADAA, even if they believe they are not eligible for need-based financial aid.
The FAFSA should be completed online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Both parent and student will need to create a unique FSA ID so they can electronically sign the FAFSA. This is a free service. There are some websites that claim to be FAFSA sites and they charge for completing the form – DO NOT pay for this service.
Need help? Federal Student Aid Information Center: (800)433-3243
The CDAA, or California Dream Act Application form can be completed online at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.
All students that complete a FAFSA or CADAA need to create a WebGrants 4 students account to view their Cal Grant award. Go to: https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov. In the student account, you need to log back in in June to verify your graduation and select the college you plan to attend.
The Middle Class Scholarship is an extension of the Cal Grant and is only used for public California universities (UC's and CSU's), if the family income is higher than the Cal Grant income ceiling. Students must attend college at least half time.
Estimate your Federal student aid to get an estimate of what your federal student aid would be. Click: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/estimate/student-information
Net price calculators are available on a college’s or university’s website and allow prospective students to enter information about themselves to find out what students like them paid to attend the institution in the previous year, after taking grants and scholarship aid into account.
Visit the EDIT:ME website for information on understanding your college financial aid package: https://www.edmit.me/resources/how-to-read-and-evaluate-your-financial-aid-award-letter
There's a form below to help you compare different college financial aid packages.
For more information on applying for financial aid for the California State University system, visit this website: https://www.calstate.edu/attend/paying-for-college/financial-aid
Check out these social media sites: Twitter.com/FAFSA, Facebook.com/FederalStudentAid or YouTube.com/FederalStudentAid
For more information, visit the I Can Go To College website: https://icangotocollege.com/financial-aid
THE CADAA (California Dream Act Application): https://dream.csac.ca.gov/register
The California Dream Act Application allows students interested in attending eligible California Colleges, Universities and Career Education Programs to apply for state financial aid. This application is unrelated to the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Here's a video about the FAFSA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUis5lityCQwww.youtube.com/watch?v=gUis5lityCQ
Parents and students must complete a FAFSA application in order to be eligible to receive any financial aid provided by the federal government. States and colleges also use the FAFSA or the CADAA to determine eligibility for state (Cal Grants A, B, C) and institutional financial aid. The FAFSA or CADAA must be completed in order to receive need-based financial aid.
Through the information provided on the FAFSA/CADAA the amount a family can afford to pay for college is determined. Everyone should complete a FAFSA/CADAA, even if they believe they are not eligible for need-based financial aid.
The FAFSA should be completed online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Both parent and student will need to create a unique FSA ID so they can electronically sign the FAFSA. This is a free service. There are some websites that claim to be FAFSA sites and they charge for completing the form – DO NOT pay for this service.
Need help? Federal Student Aid Information Center: (800)433-3243
The CDAA, or California Dream Act Application form can be completed online at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.
All students that complete a FAFSA or CADAA need to create a WebGrants 4 students account to view their Cal Grant award. Go to: https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov. In the student account, you need to log back in in June to verify your graduation and select the college you plan to attend.
The Middle Class Scholarship is an extension of the Cal Grant and is only used for public California universities (UC's and CSU's), if the family income is higher than the Cal Grant income ceiling. Students must attend college at least half time.
Estimate your Federal student aid to get an estimate of what your federal student aid would be. Click: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/estimate/student-information
Net price calculators are available on a college’s or university’s website and allow prospective students to enter information about themselves to find out what students like them paid to attend the institution in the previous year, after taking grants and scholarship aid into account.
Visit the EDIT:ME website for information on understanding your college financial aid package: https://www.edmit.me/resources/how-to-read-and-evaluate-your-financial-aid-award-letter
There's a form below to help you compare different college financial aid packages.
For more information on applying for financial aid for the California State University system, visit this website: https://www.calstate.edu/attend/paying-for-college/financial-aid
Check out these social media sites: Twitter.com/FAFSA, Facebook.com/FederalStudentAid or YouTube.com/FederalStudentAid
For more information, visit the I Can Go To College website: https://icangotocollege.com/financial-aid
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