Nick Burt and Guy McClellan are seniors at San Lorenzo Valley High School with definite plans for college, but neither knows much about the CalGrant program, which aims to give away more than $600 million to college-bound seniors.

Burt says he misses out on school announcements because of his class schedule. He’s usually not on campus when they’re made.

McClellan admits he’s been lax in visiting the counseling office to get scholarship information, and he wasn’t sure if he would be eligible, coming from a middle-class family. He plans to apply to three private colleges.

It just goes to show the challenge the California Student Aid Commission faces in trying to give away scholarship money.

This past year, $662 million was earmarked for the college grant program but $50 million went unspent because not enough high school seniors applied.

This year, the grants amount to $1,968 for students who enroll at a CSU campus, $4,629 for a UC campus and $9,708 for a private school.

To qualify, students must be California residents and U.S. citizens, earn a minimum 3.0 grade point average and meet income requirements. The income ceiling for a family of four is $67,800.

Another part of the CalGrant program targets students from lower-income families. The income ceiling for a family of four is $35,500 and students need only a 2.0 grade point average to qualify.

Applications are being accepted. Instructions are online at www.calgrants.org The deadline is March 2.

Making the grade
Burt has applied to seven colleges, all of them in the CSU or UC system. His top choices are UC Davis, Cal Poly and San Diego State University.

So his college education could cost $15,000 to $20,000 a year.

His dad, who works for a video editing company, and his mom, who works for Healthy Start, have saved some, but he plans to look for scholarships, too.

He’d like to follow the example of Joe Leak, an SLV graduate at UC Riverside. He got $18,000 in scholarships.

But the competition is tougher.

"The work ethic in school has gone up a lot," Burt said. ,,,

He has a 3.67 grade point average and a 1,260 SAT score. His older sister made valedictorian with a 4.2 grade point average, but now some SLV seniors have GPAs of 4.3, so just getting admitted to college is a challenge.

"Admissions is a crapshoot," Burt said. "People with 4.0s don’t get in."

McClellan is considering three private schools, Stanford, Lewis and Clark and Puget Sound, in addition to UC Davis and the University of Oregon. Private schools can cost up to $45,000 a year.

His family isn’t wealthy; his mom is a bookkeeper and his dad is a contractor. But he figures they probably make just enough that they’re not low-income.

So he’s counting on his academic record for scholarships.

He is near the top of his graduating class with a gradepoint average of 4.17 and a 1,440 SAT score.

At Puget Sound College, he was told he’d be eligible for the top scholarship, worth $12,500 a year.

And a friend at Lewis and Clark, which costs $40,000 a year, got enough scholarship money that the cost is about the same as at San Jose State University.

"It’s one of those miracle things," McClellan said.

The CalGrant program was started in 1955 to help students with solid academic records pay for college. Three years ago, the Legislature changed the focus to high school seniors and turned it into an entitlement program.

Until three years ago, it was first-come, first-served, so students who waited to apply often lost out on the money.

Now, students who apply by March 2 who meet the academic and income requirements are guaranteed a grant.

As a result, the number of high school seniors receiving grants doubled, from 30,000 to 60,000.

Some have criticized the agency for failing to award all the grant money, but Carole Solov, communications manager for the Student Aid Commission, said it’s better to have money left over than to run out.

"We want to make sure every student is served who deserves a grant," she said.

How to apply
Applying for a CalGrant is a two-step process.

Students must file a gradepoint verification form and submit a federal financial aid form known as "FAFSA."

The financial aid form, at www.fafsa.ed.gov, can be complicated. Some students take a look at it and give up.

The Student Aid Commission is offering free workshops this month to help parents figure out how to fill out the form.

It may be time-consuming, but the advantage is that students will become eligible for not only state aid, but also federal aid. There is no application fee.

Students can apply online but they need a personal identification number. That can take two or three days, so Solov suggests students start the process by going to the Web site now.

Dates of the workshops planned in Santa Cruz County will be posted next week at www.californiacollegegoalsunday.com.

Some local teachers are taking time to make sure their students know about financial aid opportunities, too.

Pam Falke-Krueger, who teaches marketing at Scotts Valley High School, was surprised to learn some of her students did not have college plans.

"Right after finals, I’m going to give them one day to search for grants and scholarships," she said.