Workshops Offered
College Access Fairfax offers seven different workshops throughout the school year. Each is described below. Details of dates & locations and the ability to register for each workshop can be found on our Calendar page. There is no cost associated with any of our workshops and students & parents are welcomed to attend any location.
This program is designed to help current seniors and their families understand the financial aid process. Included is a step-by-step guide on how to apply for financial aid (which forms are required, how to access them, what student/parental information is needed) and how the supplied information is applied (determining the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI), how need is determined, what an award might look like).
View the PowerPoint slideshow here. (Please note we will update this PowerPoint as new information is released).
This program is designed for seniors and parents of seniors who will be attending college in the fall of 2024.
This is not a FAFSA completion event (where counselors can help you individually complete the FAFSA), but rather an explanation of what information is needed for each line of the FAFSA. FAFSA completion events will be held beginning in December 2024.
While we will have a question and answer period, we will not be able to address individual questions at this presentation.
FAFSA Completion Workshops are offered for seniors and parents of seniors on multiple Saturdays and some weekday evenings from December through February at high schools throughout Fairfax County. Parents and students who bring the required FAFSA documents to the workshop receive one-on-one assistance completing and submitting the FAFSA online. Spanish and Korean translation is available on request.
Prerequisite: Attendance at a FAFSA Line-by-Line workshop or previous experience with FAFSA.
This program is designed for seniors and parents of seniors who have applied to a school which requires the CSS profile.
Not all schools require this form.
The CSS/Financial Aid Profile (often written as CSS PROFILE) is an application distributed by the College Board allowing college students to apply for financial aid. It is primarily designed to give private member institutions of the College Board a closer look into the finances of a student and family. It is much more detailed than the FAFSA. Colleges and universities are able to customize the questions asked.
Along with the FAFSA, the CSS Profile is the most common financial aid application in the United States. Each CSS Profile costs a fee, varying from year to year.
This program is designed to help current underclassmen (Grades 9-11) and their families understand the financial aid process. Information provided includes understanding Cost of Attendance (COA), when to apply, types and sources of financial aid, forms and financial information required, and how need is determined.
View the PowerPoint slideshow here. (Please note we will update this PowerPoint as new information is released)
This program is designed for middle and elementary school parents to give them a “30,000 feet” view of the basics of post-secondary education, college savings plans and the resources available through FCPS. This program will be held in each of the FCPS areas and will be held in the spring.
View the presentation slides here.
View the recorded presentation here.
Financial Aid Nights are sponsored by individual high schools in Fairfax County and are not part of the College Access Fairfax programs. For more information about these, programs, please contact the individual schools. These programs are open to all students and parents and you may attend any session, not just the one at your child’s school.
This presentation will help families understand the terminology and funding being offered by schools to accepted students in their financial award letters. Students are presented with information on how to compare award letters from different institutions (determining how much is being offered in the form of grants, scholarship, work-study and loans) to see which school best fits the family’s financial situation.
**This presentation is given by MEFA (the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority). Although some information is pertinent only to Massachusetts residents only, the general information on financial aid award letters to relevant to all student regardless of state of residence.**
View the MEFA YouTube Presentation here
View the MEFA Presentation Slides here