Free Application For Student Aid

Financial aid experts are holding free Cash for College workshops at local schools and community colleges this month to help incoming college students meet the March 2 deadline to apply for assistance.
Their one-on-one guidance eases completion of the daunting Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The paperwork is vital to determining how much college will ultimately costs families: financial aid from the federal and state governments, as well as scholarships from many private colleges, is based on the form.
"It was very helpful. It helped me realize that no college is impossible," said Jazmine Lashmett, 18, a senior at Woodside High School who attended a recent workshop at Foothill Community College. She hopes to attend Culinary Institute in San Francisco to become a chef.
One major source of help is a federal Pell grant, which will provide up to $5,350; another is a state-based Cal Grant, which offers up to $9,700 annually. Some private scholarships are also available.
The notoriously complicated FAFSA form has been shortened and simplified. About 28 percent of the questions have been eliminated. The form is simplest for low-income students, who can skip questions about assets.
But it is still intimidating. The four-page document requires data from multiple forms, including tax forms and family