The 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is open, and the first of 13 free Cash for College workshops the state lists for San Francisco and San Mateo County takes place on Thursday, October 22, at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco. The last is set for Saturday, February 27, 2027.
The new FAFSA is ready
On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, announced that the 2027-28 FAFSA was available. Students file it at fafsa.gov to seek aid for attending college, or a career or trade school, between Thursday, July 1, 2027, and Friday, June 30, 2028.
The agency says it processes most forms right away, while some take one to three days. Anyone who sent in the form during its early testing period does not have to file it again. A prototype of the form for counselors and mentors went up on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the agency's announcements show.
California aid and the March 2 date
For state aid, the Cal Grant page of the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) gives March 2 as the deadline for the High School Entitlement Award and the Transfer Entitlement Award without saying which year, and it shows a later deadline for the Community College Entitlement Award. In 2027, March 2 falls on a Tuesday. As of Friday, October 9, 2026, though, the CSAC pages reviewed for this story gave no 2027-28 date, and its Cash for College site still showed the 2026-27 priority deadline of Monday, March 2, 2026. Families should confirm the date with the commission.
Students who are not eligible for the FAFSA apply for state aid through the California Dream Act Application (CADAA).
Free workshops in San Francisco and San Mateo County
Through its Cash for College program, CSAC lists free workshops around California from October through June where students and families can get help completing the FAFSA, the CADAA and the application for the Chafee Grant for Foster Youth. The commission says the program aims to see low-income and first-generation students through the application process.
These local sessions were on CSAC's workshop finder as of Friday, October 9, 2026:
- Thursday, October 22, 4:00 PM: Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School, 400 Mansell Street, San Francisco
- Tuesday, November 3, 5:00 PM: Independence High School, 1350 7th Avenue, San Francisco
- Wednesday, November 4, 5:00 PM: Abraham Lincoln High School, 2162 24th Avenue, San Francisco
- Thursday, November 5, 5:00 PM: Balboa High School, 1000 Cayuga Avenue, San Francisco
- Saturday, November 14, 10:00 AM: SFUSD Cash for College at Galileo High School, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco
- Tuesday, December 8, 5:30 PM: Raoul Wallenberg High School, 40 Vega Street, San Francisco
- Thursday, January 7, 2027, 5:00 PM: John O'Connell Technical High School, 2355 Folsom Street, San Francisco
- Tuesday, January 12, 2027, 9:00 AM: Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, 45 Conkling Street, San Francisco
- Wednesday, January 13, 2027, 3:30 PM: South San Francisco Public Library, 901 Civic Campus Way, South San Francisco
- Thursday, January 14, 2027, 5:00 PM: Mission High School, 3750 18th Street, San Francisco
- Thursday, January 21, 2027, 5:30 PM: Jefferson High School, 6996 Mission Street, Daly City
- Friday, January 22, 2027, 8:40 AM: Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco
- Saturday, February 27, 2027, 10:00 AM: SFUSD Cash for College at Balboa High School, 1000 Cayuga Avenue, San Francisco
The two weekday morning sessions, at Thurgood Marshall and Galileo, may be limited to each school's own students, so check with the school first.
Find a Cash for College workshop
College Connections at Chase Center
Mission Bit's College Connections, a free morning of college exploration and planning for San Francisco high school students in grades 9 through 12, takes place in person on Saturday, November 7, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Generation Thrive at Chase Center. According to the registration form, a general workshop walks through paths after high school, among them community colleges and UC and CSU campuses. Students also meet in breakout groups and hear from a panel of people now in college or newly graduated.
The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) includes the event in its listing of youth opportunities and suggests it will be of particular help to students who would be the first in their families to attend college. DCYF says registration closes on Tuesday, October 27.
A transition conference the same day
Also on Saturday, November 7, Support for Families holds Adulthood Ahead: Transition Conference 2026 for teens and young adults ages 13 to 26 who have a disability, along with their families and educators. Workshops, panels and an exhibitor fair take up education, jobs, independent living and public benefits, and the organizer says representatives of SFUSD, the Department of Rehabilitation and Golden Gate Regional Center attend.
The conference is in the Harry Britt Building (formerly the Multi-Use Building) on City College of San Francisco's Ocean Campus, 55 Frida Kahlo Way. Registration and coffee begin at 8:30 AM and the welcome at 9:00 AM, with workshops running into the afternoon and the exhibitor fair open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. DCYF lists it as a free event, and registration is offered in English, Chinese and Spanish.
From Saved by the Saddle
Mavericks, Saved by the Saddle's free program for at-promise youth, meets twice a month at Ocean View Stables in Daly City. Young people signed up by a school, counselor, case worker, youth organization or parent learn to read, lead, groom and care for horses from the ground. There is no riding, and a responsible adult stays for the whole session.
See dates and register For counselors and educators
Sources: Federal Student Aid, Financial Aid Toolkit announcement on the 2027-28 FAFSA (Wednesday, September 23, 2026); Federal Student Aid, Financial Aid Toolkit announcements list (accessed Friday, October 9, 2026); California Student Aid Commission, Cal Grant page (undated); California Student Aid Commission, Cash for College workshop finder (accessed Friday, October 9, 2026); Mission Bit, College Connections registration form; San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, "Opportunities for youth ages 14 to 24" (accessed Friday, October 9, 2026); Support for Families, "Adulthood Ahead: Transition Conference 2026"