Santa Clara County Library to Offer Free FAFSA Workshop

 

The Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) and Mission College Financial Aid Office will hold a hands-on workshop for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students (undergraduate and graduate) in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid (including the Pell Grant, Federal student loans and Federal Work-Study).

 

The workshop will be held in an open house format. To fill out the FAFSA online as completely as possible (www.fafsa.gov), attendees should bring the following information:

 

• Applicant / Applicant parents’ Social Security number

• Applicant/ Applicant spouse’s or parents’ financial records, which includes forms 1040 (A-EZ) or W-2 (if income tax forms have not been filed yet, previous year’s can be used to estimate), bank statement, and business and investment records

• Applicant driver’s license number

• Applicant Alien Registration number

 

Presenters: Financial Aid Advisors from the Mission College Financial Aid Office.
Audience: Anyone planning to attend college or graduate school in the 2013-14 school year.

 

Monday, February 11, 6 to 8 pm: Saratoga Library (English and Mandarin)

Tuesday, February 19, 6 to 8 pm: Gilroy Library (English and Spanish)

Monday, February 25, 6 to 8 pm: Milpitas Library (English and Vietnamese)

 

According to a recent College Board report, steep funding cuts to higher education in California and elsewhere have sent tuition and fees soaring the past few years. To make matters more complicated, families with children in public colleges often don’t know what the cost of tuition will be until the end of the summer, when state budgets are finalized. This can result in last minute fee increases for which families are not prepared. Presentations will provide insightful information on resources and services to finance college education with minimal debt and surprises.

 

The deadline to submit a FAFSA application for priority consideration of Cal Grants is March 2, 2013. Students may still apply after the March 2nd deadline. For more information about this and other smart investing workshops, visit http://www.sccl.org/smart-investing

 

Known as one of America’s best 100 public libraries, the Santa Clara County Library District promotes knowledge, ideas, and cultural enrichment. Its collection includes 1.8 million books, videos, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, eBooks and extensive online resources that users can access from home or work.

 

For eleven years, the Library has ranked as one of the best in the nation for its size by Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings, which uses 15 different benchmark measures such as collections, circulation, visits and customer service. Also recognized as one of America’s 2011 Star Libraries by Library Journal and with more than 3.8 million visits each year, the Santa Clara County Library District is one of the most-used public resources in the region.

 

The Santa Clara County Library District includes two book mobiles, an online library, seven community libraries and one branch library serving, Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. In 2011, Santa Clara County Library had 366,035 library card holders, recorded 3,341,593 visitors, and a circulation of 10,945,949 items. Visit Santa Clara County Library online at www.sccl.org