Deadlines near for grants, scholarships

 

With more than 400 high school seniors set to graduate this June from three high schools in the Santa Ynez Valley, a campaign is underway to help them apply for admission to state colleges, and for scholarships and grants before upcoming deadlines.

Workshops, incentives for extra scholarships, and volunteer assistance are all available at several locations in Santa Barbara County.

All college-bound high school seniors who qualify for a Cal Grant are guaranteed to receive one. To qualify, students must have financial need, at least a 2.0 GPA, and apply by the March 2 deadline, in addition to meeting other requirements. Cal Grants for career or technical education have no minimum GPA requirement.

Locally, the deadline is Jan. 31 for applications to the Undergraduate and Medical/Graduate General Scholarships and its accompanying loan program, both sponsored by the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Applications and information about the scholarships are available online at www.sbscholarship.org.

 

Applicants for these scholarships must be U.S. citizens or documented legal permanent U.S. residents. Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation student-aid programs assist applicants studying in standard academic programs on a traditional academic calendar.

The Foundation does not offer student aid for weekend programs, summer sessions, research, special projects, part-time studies, correspondence or off-site studies, or for any college or vocational school that has not received approval from the U.S. Department of Education for federal student-aid funding. No exceptions to the eligibility requirements are considered.

Applicants must have attended at least four of the six secondary grade school years at a Santa Barbara County school, and have graduated or will graduate from a Santa Barbara County high school. All applicants must be planning to attend an approved vocational school or a two- or four-year college full-time – 12 units minimum per term, and maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point. All eligible and qualified new applicants are required to have a personal interview in March. The criteria for award selection includes financial need, potential, and motivation.

 

Cal State deadline moved up

Possible significant cutbacks in state funding have prompted California State University to push up its application deadline to Feb. 1 for freshmen applying to most of its 23 campuses. This decision will limit the number of new students admitted in September. Only seven campuses will be allowed to accept applications until March 1. Transfer students will now have to have applications in by April 1.

“We recognize this is a difficult budget year, but these cuts will impact student access to CSU because we will not be able to admit all the students who are qualified,” Chancellor Charles Reed said.

“It’s important for students, even if they’re not sure they’re going to go to CSU, to get their name on the books,” said Kim Huggert, CSU campus director of public relations at the Hayward office. “This is not a good time for procrastinators.”

 

With the deadline set at March 2, students have only five weeks left to apply for a Cal Grant. Beginning Jan. 16, the California Student Aid Commission launched the official start of its statewide 2008 Cal Grant application period with the goal of getting more students to apply for financial aid to attend college or pursue a technical or career education.

The statewide campaign is designed to increase the number of low- and middle-income students who apply for a Cal Grant. “Now more than ever, Cal Grants are the ticket many students need to pursue an education beyond high school, whatever their goals,” said Diana Fuentes-Michel, Commission Executive Director. “Cal Grants not only open doors to higher education, but they also keep those doors open for students who otherwise could not afford college or who would have to work more – and take longer – to complete their educational goals.”

She added, “More than 90 percent of students who receive a Cal Grant re-enroll for a second year, and receiving a Cal Grant significantly increases the likelihood that students will remain in school for four years.”

Cal Grants cover tuition and fees at California’s public colleges and universities, and some Cal Grants also help students pay for textbooks and living expenses.

In addition, students pursuing a career or technical education can receive up to $576 a year for books, tuition and equipment; and up to $2,592 for tuition and fees for those who go to a school other than a California community college.

 

Community colleges do not charge tuition and students eligible for Cal Grants can apply to have their fees waived with a Board of Governor’s grant.

The Commission has joined forces with partners across California, including financial aid and outreach professionals at colleges, universities and career and technical schools, high schools, corporate and community organizations, the Legislature and the California Department of Education, to increase the number of students who want an education beyond high school.

“We’re working hard to close not only the achievement gap, but also the opportunity gap for our disadvantaged students,” said Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of Public Instruction. “Cal Grants help students maximize their financial aid options to pursue all types of education beyond high school.”

During the 2007-08 school year, the Commission offered approximately $800 million in Cal Grants and other financial aid to more than 299,000 eligible students throughout California.

Recent trends show California ranks 40th among states in the rate of high school students going directly to college and 46th among states in college completion rates.

Further research shows that the proportion of high school graduates enrolling directly into college has dropped over the past decade, from 61 percent in 1995 to 52 percent in 2005.

Only 35 percent of high school freshmen enroll in college within four years, as compared to 53 percent among the top states, according to an October 2006 Institute for Higher Educational Leadership and Policy report.

 

An October 2007 Public Policy Institute of California Statewide Survey also found that two-thirds of Californians believe that the cost of a college education prevents qualified, motivated students from pursuing higher education.

Three-fourths of Latino young adults not currently in college would have been more likely to attend college if they had been better informed about financial aid, according to a recent Tomas Rivera Policy Institute survey. More than half of all Latino parents and 43 percent of Latino young adults could not name a single source of financial aid.

However, as O’Connell pointed out in a speech before the state Joint Education Committee on Jan. 16, a college degree matters more than ever today because it is directly linked to the economy and raises the standard of living for all state residents.

 

Statistics from his office show that more education means higher income. A 2007 California Postsecondary Education Commission report says that the average income of a person with a high school diploma was $27,000, while the average income for a bachelor’s degree holder was $56,000.

That same report says that earning a degree increases the income potential of a high school graduate from 47 percent for an associate degree to 189 percent for a graduate or professional degree.

The report said that by 2025, only 32 percent of the state’s working-age adults will have a college degree, with economic projections indicating that 41 percent of jobs will require a degree.

In addition, Californians age 25-35 have lower levels of college attainment than the U.S. national average and lower levels than countries with comparable economies. And finally, California’s most educated sector of the population, those between the age of 45 and 64, are approaching retirement.

 

Applying for a Cal Grant

When students apply for a Cal Grant, they also are applying for financial aid from the federal government, including the recently increased Pell Grants and low-interest federal student loans, as well as financial aid available at most colleges, such as community college fee waivers.

To ensure students have the best chance for receiving all the financial aid for which they may be eligible, workshops have been organized in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc.

As an added incentive, those who attend the workshops and complete the application process, can qualify for an extra $1,000 scholarship. At least 500 of these extra scholarships are available statewide. Also the College Access Foundation of California is providing a grant of $800,000 to finance area scholarships.

 

Since 2005, the Foundation – the largest of its kind in California – has provided more than $7 million in scholarship program funding to Commission-related programs, such as the California Cash for College and Cal-SOAP outreach programs to encourage financially needy students to apply for state and federal aid.

To apply for a Cal Grant, students must fill out and submit two forms – a free application for Federal Student Aid and a verified Cal Grant GPA – before the March 2 deadline. Because this year’s deadline falls on a Sunday, Cal Grant GPA Verification forms received on March 3 will be accepted. Students and families can visit www.calgrants.org or call toll free (888) 224-7268.

Upcoming workshops in the county to help students and parents will be Jan. 24 at Carpinteria High School; Feb. 5, Lompoc High School; Feb. 6, Santa Maria High School; Feb. 9, and Feb. 23, Santa Barbara City College; Feb. 13, Pioneer Valley High School; Feb. 21, Righetti High School; and Feb. 28, Allan Hancock College.