Apple Federal Credit Union is offering free workshops to helpfamilies of local college-bound high school students navigate theoften complex process of filling out applications for federalfinancial aid. The next workshop will take place Wednesday eveningat the Fairfax, Va.-based credit union's Fair Oaks branch, with twomore to follow next month before the March 15 deadline for aidapplications. An interpreter will be on hand to help non-nativeEnglish speakers.

The credit union is also offering a private student loan to helpfamilies bridge the gap between what they can pay and what federalaid will cover. The loan is a line of credit so parents only needto apply once. Interest rates are comparatively low, Apple said,and payments can be deferred until after graduation. Additionally,through the Apple Federal Credit Union Education Foundation, thecredit union is sponsoring $52,000 in scholarships.

"Our mission is to serve the education community and we believestudent lending is a valuable way to do that," said Eric Stegner,student services coordinator for Apple. "We have many students inour branch network. If we can take the mystery out of the loanapplication process and make their families aware of the variousresource options, more students will be able to attendcollege."