Apple Federal Credit Union is offering free workshops to help families of local college-bound high school students navigate the often complex process of filling out applications for federal financial aid. The next workshop will take place Wednesday evening at the Fairfax, Va.-based credit union's Fair Oaks branch, with two more to follow next month before the March 15 deadline for aid applications. An interpreter will be on hand to help non-native English speakers.

The credit union is also offering a private student loan to help families bridge the gap between what they can pay and what federal aid will cover. The loan is a line of credit so parents only need to 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, the credit union is sponsoring $52,000 in scholarships.

"Our mission is to serve the education community and we believe student lending is a valuable way to do that," said Eric Stegner, student services coordinator for Apple. "We have many students in our branch network. If we can take the mystery out of the loan application process and make their families aware of the various resource options, more students will be able to attend college."