Santa Maria Sun / Biz Brief

Hancock holds grant workshops

Graduation is months away for high school seniors, and the reality of college costs is setting in. Students and their parents can eliminate some stress by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application and applying for Cal Grants and low-interest loans.

To help with the application process, Hancock and Cuesta College’s Central Coast Cal-SOAP offices are cosponsoring a series of free Cash for College Workshops to help students and parents fill out the forms.

Workshops will be held locally in the computer lab (rooms 234 and 235) at Santa Maria High School on Feb. 10 from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Pioneer Valley will host a workshop in its library on Feb. 11 from 3 to 8 p.m. and Righetti on Feb. 25 from 4 to 8 p.m. in Plato Labs (rooms 621 and 622). Attendees should bring Social Security cards and ID, recent federal income tax returns or W-2 forms, and other financial information.

Students have until March 2 to submit the required forms. To be eligible for a Cal-Grant, high school students must be seniors or recent graduates, have at least a 2.0 GPA, and meet certain eligibility and financial requirements.

To start a FAFSA application, visit fafsa.ed.gov. The Cal Grant GPA verification form is available at csac.ca.gov, and more info is available at calgrants.org or through 1-888-CA-GRANT.

For more information about the workshops, call the Central Coast Cal-SOAP office at 922-6966 or toll free at 1-866-DIAL AHC, Ext. 3710.