Finding finances for college made easy.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

Never assume the worst when it comes to paying for a college education.

College officials say that's a mistake many parents and students make after hearing about constantly rising tuition. As a consequence, they never apply and never find out that paying for college often isn't as tough as they think.

Two free events Saturday at Lane Community College will tackle that problem. One will teach students and parents how to hunt down scholarships, and the other will help them fill out the important federal form used to qualify students for grants. The events are for students hoping to attend a university, college or community college - public or private.

The eighth annual College Financial Aid and Scholarship Workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room 308, Building 17. The second event, College Goal Oregon, runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lobby of Building 1.

Seats are expected to be available at the scholarship workshop, although pre-registration is advised by calling LCC at 463-5252. No registration is needed for College Goal Oregon, and people should have time to visit both workshops.

Dennis Johnson, executive director of the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, said it's important that anyone interested in a college degree at least apply for financial aid before deciding whether a degree is too costly. With the amount of state and federal grant aid, scholarships and subsidized loans available, he said some help is available to almost everyone.

He said that OSAC, a unique state agency that acts as a facilitator for more than 340 private scholarship programs, receives about 7,000 scholarship applications a year and said almost half receive some kind of award.

"The chances are good that if you need help, something is available," he said.

Although the maximum federal Pell grant hasn't increased in recent years, new programs offer extra help. The Academic Competitiveness Grant, or ACG, can help students who take a rigorous academic program in high school, and the National Science and Mathematics to Retain Talent grant, or SMART grant, is aimed at juniors and seniors in certain fields deemed important to national interests.

Also, this year for the first time students attending college part-time can apply for the Oregon Opportunity Grant, the state's main need-based student aid program. Additional funding from the state Legislature now allows those grants to be made to all full-time students who qualify in addition to expanding to part-time students.

At Saturday's financial aid workshop, students and parents can learn tips for finding and applying for a variety of scholarships. It will cover the application process, writing good essays, internet research, what scholarship committees look for in applicants and how to handle an interview.

Jackie Bryson, scholarship coordinator at LCC, said past scholarship recipients will be on hand to talk about the application process. Information on a variety of scholarship programs will be presented, including those offered through the Ford Family Foundation, LCC Foundation and Oregon Student Assistance Commission.

"A big part of it is the time students spend researching," Bryson said. "We try to help students find them and then help them apply."

This will be the first year the College Goal Oregon program is offered. It's aimed at helping families fill out the important Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA form.

The FAFSA is required to receive federal Pell grants and other forms of financial aid. Students and parents will be able to ask questions and actually complete the form with the help of advisers.

To do that, parents and students need to have all their paperwork with them. That includes the most recent completed federal tax form (this year's tax form isn't required), current tax information from a W-2 form or most recent pay stub, current value of assets - such as cash, savings, investments and value of a business or farm - Social Security numbers for parents and children, driver's license (if any) and alien registration card if not a U.S. citizen.

Elizabeth Bickford, financial aid director at the University of Oregon, said the workshops offer a chance not only to get expert help filling out financial aid forms but also a chance to get them submitted early.

Although some kinds of aid are not time dependent, many programs have early deadlines or offer aid on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Many parents and students have it in their head that it's much more expensive to go to college than it actually is," Bickford said. "There's money out there if students apply early."

COLLEGE AID Students and parents can get help at two workshops Saturday at LCC. Scholarships: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Building 17, Room 308 College Goal Oregon (FAFSA help): 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Building 1 lobby On the Web: LaneCC .edu/ces/events.htm, CollegeGoalOregon.org or www.getcollegefunds.org