Local students looking for the right college or university to attend need to go no farther than the Earl Warren Showgrounds on Nov. 3 to talk to representatives from more than 80 universities and career technical schools, including campuses of the University of California and California State University.

The annual Santa Barbara College Fair will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. next Wednesday at the showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara. The event is free and open to the community.

Sponsors include SBCC, Westmont College, UCSB and the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.

“This event can save families quite a few road trips to check out different colleges,” said Michael Medel, SBCC’s coordinator for student outreach and orientation, adding that the fair normally draws upward of 1,000 participants. “In one setting, we will have more than 80 admission representatives who can discuss course offerings, admission requirements, college life and other information pertinent to the college selection process with students and their parents.”

In addition, the fair will offer two workshops by local financial professionals who will cover strategies on securing scholarships, grants, loans, and federal and state aid for educational costs.

Local high school counselors are encouraged to send all interested students to the fair.

“I think it’s great that SBCC, Westmont, UCSB and the Scholarship Foundation sponsor this event every year,” said Susan Snyder, a counselor at Santa Barbara High School. “We depend on these four organizations throughout the year, not just for the college fair. They each send staff to the high schools on a regular basis to assist counselors with such relevant workshops as filling out college applications and critiquing college essays for our students.  This is so helpful, especially in these difficult budget times.”

Click here for more information and an up-to-date list of participating universities and career technical schools.

— Joan Galvan is a public information officer for SBCC.