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Cash for College workshops connect students to financial aid
Cash for College workshops assist students and parents in filing for state and federal financial aid.
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ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images
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Through 800-plus free Cash for College workshops, the California Student Aid Commission is walking students and their parents through financial aid options to help connect families to state and federal aid dollars.
California students have more than $2.1 billion in state aid and $20 billion in federal aid available to them to pay for higher education. The way they get access to that money: either the online FAFSA form or the California Dream Act application.
The forms mirror each other, with 130 questions each. The difference between the two is that the California Dream Act application doesn't require the student to have a Social Security number.
With deadlines for the 2016-17 school year quickly approaching, students and parents should start looking into the sometimes daunting college financial aid process, according to Patti Colston, spokeswoman for the California Student Aid Commission.
“We provide them with line-by-line assistance and help them complete the form accurately so that they can determine their eligibility for federal, state, campus-based financial aid and, in some cases, private scholarships,” Colston said.
Colston also said that, no matter who you are, she recommends filing for financial aid.
"Students whose families' income and assets reach $150,000 are still eligible for what we call a 'tuition discount' if that student is attending a California State University or a University of California campus," Colston said.
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The deadline for FAFSA and the California Dream Act application is March 2. Find a Cash for College workshop near you below, or visit the California Student Aid Commission website.
Cash for College workshops
| Date | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 14 | Desert Hot Springs High School, Desert Hot Springs | 4:30-7:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 20 | Elsinore High School, Wildomar | 6-8 p.m. |
| Jan. 20 | CSU San Bernardino, Palm Desert | 6-8 p.m. |
| Jan. 20 | Cathedral City High School, Cathedral City | 6-8 p.m. |
| Jan. 21 | Coachella Valley High School, Thermal | 6-8 p.m. |
| Jan. 22 | Desert Hot Springs High School, Desert Hot Springs | 8:30a- 2:30p |
| Jan. 26 | Lakeside High School, Lake Elsinore | 5:30-7:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 3 | Shadow Hills High School, Indio | 6-8 p.m. |
| Feb. 9 | Amistad High School, Indio | 5-9 p.m. |
| Feb. 9 | Elsinore High School, Wildomar | 6-8 p.m. |
| Feb. 10 | Cathedral City High School, Cathedral City | 6-8 p.m. |
| Feb. 16 | Lakeside High School, Lake Elsinore | 5:30-7:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 17 | Palm Springs High School, Palm Springs | 6-8 p.m. |
| Feb. 25 | Elsinore High School, Wildomar | 6-8 p.m. |
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