California Cash for College Line-by-line, step-by-step, a brighter future for all students…

January & February 2005FAFSA Community Workshop Series

CA Cash for College Overview

Now entering 4th Year

More than 18,000 students statewide estimated to have attended workshops since 2002

Community coalitions work directly with high schools and higher education financial aid offices to conduct workshops

Workshops extremely well received by students

68%67%

29%28%

3% 2% 0%0% 3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Excellent Good Fair Poor NoAnswer

2003 2004

Students Rate Workshops: 2003-04

Benefits to Counselors

CA Cash for College offers: An additional opportunity to help students and

their families line-by-line with the FAFSA Professional and knowledgeable hands-on

assistance with FAFSA completion $1,000 Scholarship drawing – 10 statewide Resource materials, tips and guides Coordinated outreach materials to publicize

workshops Enhanced relations with members of local

community

When are Workshops held?

Workshops begin the third week of January and continue through to the March 2nd Cal Grant deadline.

Workshops begin in January when the FAFSA can be filed and W-2 information is more likely to be available to students and their families.

Who Attends Workshops?

300 target high schools identified based on Participation in the National School Lunch Program Lower academic achievement (bottom half of the Academic

Performance Index) Lower college going rates (lowest quartile)

High school seniors and those students who would qualify for the Cal Grant Entitlement program.

Families of students While focus of workshops is to serve low income and

first generation college goers, all students who attend receive assistance

CA Cash for College Partners High School Counselors/Western Association for

College Admissions Counseling (WACAC) All higher education segments Community organizations Internal Revenue Service – Volunteer Income

Tax Assistance (VITA) Statewide labor groups Statewide coalition of faith-based groups

Pacific Institute for Community Organizing Elected officials Foster care program representatives

2003-04 FINDINGS: Most workshop participants (77%) said they had limited or no knowledge of how to apply for financial aid prior to the workshop.

Student’s Previous Knowledge ofApplying for Financial Aid

20% 22%

48% 45%

32% 32%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Yes A little, but not allI needed to know

No

20032004

Q: Before you heard about this workshop,

did you know how to apply for financial

aid?

2004 FINDING: Slightly more respondents will be the first in their family to attend college than those who will not. Statewide, 42% of high school seniors would be the first generation in their families to attend college. Among low income households, 57% would be first generation college-goers.

First to Attend College - 2004

52%

45%

3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Yes No No Answer

Q: Will you (the student) be the first member of your family

to attend college?

Impact of Attendance with Parent or Guardian on FAFSA Completion Rates

2004 FINDING: Student attendance at the workshop with a parent or guardian had a positive impact on FAFSA completion rates

34%

51%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Parent Did NOTAttend

Parent Attended

CompletedFAFSA

Note: Total does not equal 100% because data is derived from two different sets of respondents -- those who did attend with parents and those who did not.

How Did They Hear About the Workshops?

Word of Mouth10%

Other19%

Organizer21%

School50%

(2,083

Respondents)

(808 Respondents)

(415 Respondents)

(888 Respondents)Overall Results

How Did They Hear About the Workshops?

General Campus Info (1,406)67%

Counselor/Advisor (335)16%

Teacher (181)9%

FA Individual (8)0%

Other Individual (54)3%

FA Office (99)5%

Breakdown of SCHOOL-BASED

Communication (2,083 respondents)

Communication Vehicles (top 5 ways people heard about the workshops, by region)

BAY AREA (out of 926 surveys) CENTRAL COAST (out of 149 surveys) 1. School – General, Campus (279) 1. School – General, Campus (49) 2. Organizer – Letter, Mail, Postcard (175) 2. School – Counselor, Advisor (18) 3. Organizer – Flyer, Poster (92) 3. Organizer – Letter, Mail, Postcard (15) 4. School – Counselor, Advisor (91) 4. Cal-SOAP (13) 5. Word of Mouth – Friend, Other (61) 5. Word of Mouth – Friend, Other (10) CAPITOL (out of 471 surveys) CENTRAL VALLEY (out of 524 surveys) 1. Organizer – Letter, Mail, Postcard (102) 1. School – General, Campus (145) 2. School – Counselor, Advisor (63) 2. Newspaper (69) 3. Radio (55) 3. School – Teacher (41) 4. School – General, Campus (51) 4. School – Counselor, Advisor (35) 5. TV (30) 5. Organizer – Letter, Mail, Postcard (30) 5. Radio (30)

Communication Vehicles (top 5 ways people heard about the workshops, by region)

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (out of 65 surveys)

SO. CALIF. (out of 530 surveys)

1. School – General, Campus (17) 1. School – General, Campus (164) 2. Newspaper (8) 2. Organizer – Letter, Mail, Postcard (133) 3. School – Other Individual (7) 3. Organizer – Flyer, Poster (45) 3. Financial Aid – Office, Workshop (7) 4. Newspaper (37) 4. Organizer – Flyer, Poster (5) 5. Radio (24) Riverside-Inyo-Mono-SB (out of 127 surveys)

LA COUNTY (out of 1,553 surveys)

1. School – General, Campus (24) 1. School – General, Campus (675) 2. Other (16) 2. Cal-SOAP (139) 3. Word of Mouth – Friend, Other (13) 3. School – Counselor, Advisor (103) 4. School – Teacher (11) 4. Word of Mouth – Friend, Other (93) 5. Organizer – Letter, Mail, Postcard (10) 5. School – Teacher (87) 5. Organizer – Flyer, Poster (10)

13.1% 10.7%

76.1%

Workshop Phone Follow UpDid students follow through to meet March 2nd Deadline?

13.1% 10.7%

76.1%

2170, or 76.1%, Submitted FormsBy March 2nd

373, or 13.1%, Undecided/Refused to Answer

308, or 10.7%, Did NOT Submit Formsby March 2nd

Overall Call Results (2851 contacts)*

*Results include complete contacts and refusals, “no answers” not included

2005 CCFC WORKSHOP SERIES

SAVE THE DATES!LA Free Cash for College – College and

Career Convention – Nov. 3-4, 2004LA Free Cash for College Workshops –

Saturday, January 22, 2005San Diego Cal-SOAP Cash for College

Workshop – Saturday, January 22, 2005

2005 CCFC WORKSHOP SERIES

For information on statewide CCFC efforts, email Despina Costopoulos: cashforcollege@csac.ca.gov

This FALL, contact coordinators:In the LA region, email:

asalazar@unitela.comIn San Diego and Imperial counties, email:

ldoughty@ucsd.eduIn the Central Valley, email:

ccruz@csufresno.eduIn the Bay Area region, email:

ecnningham@chelafin.org