This month, high school seniors will begin their final semester of school.  As these students eagerly prepare to graduate and look ahead to college, they will face a most daunting challenge. How will they pay for a college education? How students and their families meet this challenge will determine whether or not they attend college.
 
Given the rising cost of college, eighty-two percent of college applicants and their parents polled in the Princeton Review's 2014 "College Hopes & Worries Survey" estimated that the cost of college would be more than $75,000 and eighty-nine percent indicated that as a result, financial aid will be "extremely" necessary to pay for college 

Thousands of students don’t go to college simply because they believe that they can’t afford it. For the past three years, the Ed Fund has coordinated a district-wide campaign to increase financial aid application completion. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (for undocumented students) are the primary applications that students complete in order to receive federal and state financial aid.

An increase in financial aid received by WCCUSD students enables more of them to go to college and dramatically increases their likelihood of graduating from college. The Ed Fund would like to thank the College Access Foundation of California for their support that has enabled the development of our College Access Initiative. We would also like to thank all of our partners in the West County College Access Network, including West Contra Costa Unified School District. The Ed Fund looks forward to the continued growth of this program so that our students will secure the financial aid they need to attend and succeed in college.

We are so grateful to you for supporting our efforts to ensure that every student receives the financial aid to which they are entitled.