UC Davis will host a series of public workshops Feb. 8 to 12 to help students and their families meet the challenge of paying for college -- including two sessions on filing the application that is the key to most financial aid.

UC Davis Financial Aid Awareness Week takes place as state cutbacks in funding for higher education and increased fees mean that students and their families are shouldering more of the cost of their education.

FAFSA workshops

In two evening workshops, financial aid staff will help participants to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), required for most forms of student financial aid including Cal Grants. The FAFSA deadline is March 2.

"The FAFSA is the critical piece," said Katy Maloney, interim director of Financial Aid at UC Davis. "Without it, we are unable to provide federal, state or university aid."

The FAFSA workshops will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and Thursday, Feb. 11. Participants should bring a laptop to access the FAFSA Web site as well as parents' and students' income tax returns and/or W-2 statements of wages for the 2009 tax year.

Other workshops during the week will focus on:

• managing money on a student budget;
• searching and applying for on- and off-campus scholarships and jobs;
• financing summer study; and
• making study abroad affordable.

The week's activities are sponsored by the Associated Students of UC Davis and other student groups and campus offices. For a complete program including times and locations, visit http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/NewsStories/faawarenessweek.html.

Debunking myths about financial aid

During one workshop, Maloney will debunk some common myths about financial aid:

Only certain students receive financial aid. In fact, two in three of UC Davis' 24,000-plus undergraduates received some sort of financial assistance during the 2008-09 aid year, and about one in three undergraduates received a Pell Grant, a form of federal aid for students with the most need.

Financial aid means just loans. The truth is, financial aid includes grants, which are not repaid, and scholarships. Of the almost $226 million in aid that UC Davis dispersed to undergraduates last year, about 58 percent was in grants and about 35 percent in loans.

There are hard-and-fast limits on family income that affect a student's eligibility. No, eligibility depends on several things. The calculation of a family's expected contribution -- and therefore a student's need -- includes not only family income, but also the number of dependents in the household and the number of children in college, among other factors.

Scholarships are for entering students. Not so. Current students should apply for scholarships. While continuing students make up only 12 percent of the applicant pool for scholarships, about 60 percent of them receive a scholarship.

Loans are loans. Not all loans are created equal. Interest on federally subsidized student loans does not begin accruing until six months after a student graduates, and interest rates are much lower than for private loans.

UC is taking major steps to address the growing financial needs that many college-bound and college-going Californians are experiencing.

For the 2010-11 academic year, UC has increased the income limits for its Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan. The plan will cover systemwide fees for a California resident whose family earns less than $70,000, (up $10,000 from the current year). Recipients may also be eligible for additional aid.

UC is also boosting efforts to provide more scholarship support. The 10 campuses aim to raise $1 billion in the next four years for student support -- double the amount raised during the last five years.