{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-to-host-college-financial-aid-workshop-on-monday-november-21", "Reed to Host College Financial Aid Workshop on Monday, November 21", "2016-11-15", "2016", "2016-11", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11/15/2016\u00a0\u2014\u00a0WARWICK, RI \u2013\u00a0On\u00a0Monday, November 21, 2016 at 6:00 p.m., U.S. Senator Jack Reed will hold a college financial aid workshop at Community College of Rhode Island\u2019s (CCRI) Knight Campus in Warwick.\u00a0 The free workshop will give college-bound high school students and their parents an opportunity to learn first-hand from student aid experts about how to access available financial aid for college.\r\n\"Planning ahead and doing your homework can set students up for success.\u00a0 This financial aid workshop is designed to help students who need help paying for college.\u00a0 There are financial aid opportunities out there, and I want to ensure Rhode Islanders know all of their options when it comes to paying for college,\" said Senator Reed.\u00a0 \"We as a nation also have to take steps to address college affordability in a smart, comprehensive way.\u00a0\u00a0I have proposed legislation to lower federal loan interest rates, help students refinance debt, increase grant aid, and require more accountability from colleges and universities, and I will continue working to pass these commonsense measures and increase need-based financial aid for qualified students.\"\r\nThe informational workshop is a 90-minute seminar designed to help high school students and their families get a better sense of the financial aid options available at the federal and state levels, the eligibility criteria for these different types of aid, and the application process.\u00a0 It is never too early for students and their families to begin focusing on how to pay for college, and Reed is encouraging current high school seniors to begin the process now so they can take full advantage of all available resources.\r\nFinancial aid can help reduce student loan debt, but many families don\u2019t even realize they are eligible, and never apply.\u00a0\u00a0A January 2016 study by the website NerdWallet found that Rhode Island students left nearly $6.8 million on the table in the 2014-2015 school year because they did not complete the financial aid application.\u00a0 Rhode Island students were not alone \u2014 as much as $2.7 billion in grants were not accessed by students nationwide, according to the report, including: $37.1 million in Massachusetts, $20.4 million in Connecticut, $11.5 million in Maine, $6.3 million in New Hampshire, and $5.5 million in Vermont.\r\nDuring the workshop, financial aid and education experts will offer tips and discuss the loan and grant application process, what to expect when applying for financial aid, the process of paying back student loans, and tax benefits to assist with college expenses.\u00a0 Panelists will include representatives from the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA), the College Planning Center of Rhode Island, the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner\u2019s Division of Higher Education Assistance, the Rhode Island Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants. \u00a0\r\nOne of the topics at the forum will be a new federal rule change that moved the deadline for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to October 1, three months ahead of the traditional January date.\u00a0 The FAFSA is used to help determine a family\u2019s expected annual contribution to college expenses and eligibility for need-based federal aid, such as Pell grants.\u00a0 It is also the form Rhode Island residents complete to determine eligibility for the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship, a program that is available to Rhode Island residents attending colleges or universities in Rhode Island.\u00a0\r\nSenator Reed has encouraged Rhode Island students to submit their FAFSA forms early so they can get a more complete picture of their eligibility for federal, state, and school financial aid and their future college costs.\r\nWHO:\u00a0U.S. Senator Jack Reed\r\nStudent Loan & Financial Aid Experts\r\nWHEN:\u00a0Monday, November 21, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.\r\nWHERE:\u00a0Community College of RI \u2013 Knight Campus\r\nBobby Hackett Theatre (Auditorium)\r\n400 East Ave.\r\nWarwick\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-to-host-college-financial-aid-workshop-on-monday-november-21"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.667975913733244, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}