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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (February 19, 2026) — Financial Aid Offices from across Santa Barbara (including Santa Barbara City College, UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College) will participate in a hands-on event to help local students and their families complete their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) or CADAA (California Dream Act Application). SBCC’s Financial Aid Fest will be held Wednesday, Feb. 25, at SBCC’s East Cliff Campus (details below).
Financial aid professionals with laptops will be ready, waiting and eager to help local students meet upcoming state-wide deadlines for Cal Grant/CADAA and FAFSA. (The priority deadline for both are on March 2, 2026, for the 2026-2027 academic year.) Hosted by SBCC, the event will also feature representatives from the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara in addition to the SBCC Promise and Raíces programs, who will also be available to answer questions.
“Millions of dollars are left ‘on the table’ every year by students who miss important financial aid deadlines by not filing the FAFSA/CADAA on time,” said SBCC Director of Financial Aid Maureen McRae Goldberg. “This event hopes to rectify that.”
“We are excited to host this area event,” McRae Goldberg continues. “It’s a great opportunity for the Santa Barbara educational community to provide an important hands-on service for college-bound students. We hope all students leave the event with their FAFSA/CADAA filed and ready to take on the financial journey to make college a reality.”
Read more on The Santa Barbara Independent
