PROVIDENCE, RI -- In an effort to provide Rhode Island high school students and their families with a better sense of all the college financial aid options available to them, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that he is hosting his seventeenth annual College Financial Aid Workshop on Monday, November 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Community College of Rhode Island. Senator Reed, General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio, and Ray DiPasquale, President, Community College of Rhode Island, will be on hand to talk about topics ranging from meeting key deadlines, to qualifying for loans, to correctly completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

"Applying for college can be a stressful task and deciding how you are going to pay for is even more daunting. This workshop is designed to help parents and students learn about their financial aid options firsthand from leaders in the field of higher education," said Reed, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

This year's workshop is especially timely because Congress recently passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which provides Rhode Island students with nearly $85 million in additional need-based Pell Grant aid over the next five years. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which Senator Reed helped author, was signed into law in October and provides a new pool of $7.8 million in additional grant aid that will be available to Rhode Island students for the upcoming school year.

"It is important for students to know all the financial aid options available to them, including need-based awards and other grants. This workshop will help ensure that kids do not miss out on the opportunity to apply for and receive financial aid," said Reed, who noted that a recent study by the American Council on Education found that an estimated 1.5 million students who were likely eligible to receive Pell Grants did not apply for financial aid.

"I strongly encourage parents to attend this event with their children to help ease their concerns about financing a college education. It is never too early for students and their families to begin preparing for college and their future," concluded Reed.

The College Financial Aid Workshop is open to the general public. Workshop panelists will include representatives from the Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority, the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, the Rhode Island Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants.

WHAT: Jack Reed's 17th Annual College Financial Aid Workshop

WHEN: Monday, November 26 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Community College of Rhode Island's Knight Campus, 400 East Avenue, Room 4080, Warwick, RI

WHO: U.S. Senator Jack Reed; Rhode Island General Treasurer Frank Caprio; Ray DiPasquale, President, Community College of Rhode Island; Michael Joyce, Department Manager, Scholarship and Grants Division, RI Higher Education Assistance Authority; Charlie Kelley, Executive Director, Rhode Island Student Loan Authority; Wynette Dahlquist, Loan Manager, Brown University, RI Association, Student Financial Aid Administrators; and Greg Barishian, CPA, Piccerelli, Gilstein & Company LLP, RI Society of Certified Public Accountants