Financial Aid
You apply for a Cal Grant by completing the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application and have your current school submit your GPA to the California Student Aid Commission. Your completion of the FAFSA also enables consideration
for federal grants and loans.
Community college students who are California residents and who miss the March 2 deadline can apply by September 2 to receive consideration for competitive Cal Grant awards. Students completing the Dream Act
Application must apply by March 2 in order to receive Cal Grant consideration. But it is important to point out that students can apply year-round for the California College Promise Grant formerly known as the Board of Governors Fee Waiver.
What else do i need to know?
Full-time attendance is 12 units per term. However, to earn a college degree in four years, you will need to take more than 12 units per term. Students should talk to their college counselor to set up an education plan.
Your education plan is your path to completing your degree program and outlines the classes you need to take to meet your educational goal.
Web Grants for Students
Are you wondering if your Cal Grant GPA has been received by the Commission? After you have filed a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, you can go on-line and check the status of your Cal Grant application by logging on to WebGrants for Students and creating an account. This secure site provides you with resources, information and tools to assist you with the college financial aid process. It will also let you view the status of your Cal Grant or Chafee Grant application, update your address, submit corrections, view your payment history, update your college of attendance, or satisfy outstanding requirements.
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) Contact Information
„ Internet Access: www.csac.ca.gov or www.calgrants.org
„ E-mail: studentsupport@csac.ca.gov Telephone: Toll-free (888) 224-7268
„ Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
What is a Cal Grant?
A Cal Grant is money for college you don’t have to pay back. To qualify, you must meet the eligibility and financial requirements as well as any minimum GPA requirements. California Dream Act students are eligible for Cal Grant funding, and should visit caldreamact.org for additional information.
Cal Grants can be used at any University of California, California State University or California Community College, as well as qualifying independent and career colleges or technical schools in California.
There are three kinds of Cal Grants — A, B and C — but you don’t have to figure out which one to apply for. Your eligibility will be based on your FAFSA\Dream Application responses, your verified Cal Grant GPA, the type of California colleges you list on your FAFSA and whether you’re a recent high school graduate. To learn more about the qualifications, go to http://www.csac.ca.gov/
Cal Grant A
- does not offer offer assistance at California Community College (CCC)
- will help pay for tuition and fees at four-year colleges
- award amounts vary by type of college
- has a GPA requirement. If you’re applying using your high school GPA, you must have at least a 3.0 GPA; if applying using your college GPA, you must have at least a 2.4 GPA
- requires that your course of study leads directly to an associate or bachelor’s degree, or qualifies you for transfer from a community college to a bachelor’s degree program
Cal Grant B
- provides a living allowance of up to $1,672, in addition to tuition and fee assistance after the first year, at a two- or four-year college
- pays most first-year students a living allowance only, which may be used to pay living expenses, books, supplies and transportation, as well as tuition and fees
- when renewed or awarded beyond your first year, you’ll receive the living allowance as well as a tuition and fee award (up to $12,192 at a UC campus, up to $5,472 at a CSU campus and up to $9,084 at independent colleges for 2015-2016)
- requires at least a 2.0 high school GPA or 2.40 college GPA
Interested in a technical, vocational or career education?
Cal Grant C
- assists with the costs of a technical or career education
- as of 2017-2018 provides up to $1094 for books, tools and equipment—and up to $2,462 more for tuition and fees if you’ll be attending a school other than a California Community College (community colleges don’t charge tuition and your fees will be waived as a Cal Grant recipient)
- is available for up to two years
If you qualify, you’ll receive an e-mail or letter notification to complete the online Cal Grant C Supplement in Web Grants for Students by the deadline. Even though a GPA is not required to apply for a Cal Grant C, you’re still encouraged to submit yours because it can only help your chances of receiving an award.
Filing for the March 2, Cal Grant Award Deadline
To be considered for a Cal Grant award, you must have completed both of these application requirements by March 2,:
1. Submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a California Dream Act Application.
2. Ensured that a certified Grade Point Average (GPA) was submitted to the California Student Aid Commission (Commission).
The Commission will not process any GPAs that may have been submitted in prior years. In order for a student to be considered for a Cal Grant award, a new GPA form must be received by the Commission by the stated deadline.
The March 2, Cal Grant filing deadline has passed. The next filing deadline, for community college students only, is September 2. If circumstances beyond your control prevented the submission of your March 2 Cal Grant GPA, you may file an appeal.
Filing a March 2 Late GPA Appeal
State law and Commission regulations allow students to file appeals if they were not able to submit their GPAs on-time due to circumstances beyond their control. Persons wishing to file an appeal to submit a late March 2 GPA must follow the instructions on the form. All late GPA appeals and the calculated GPA must be submitted using the CSAC form and must be received by the Commission.
Filing for the September 2, Cal Grant Award Deadline
This deadline is for students attending California Community Colleges only.
For the September 2, deadline for community college students, Cal Grant GPAs will be accepted only if certified by a school electronically or submitted on the paper GPA Verification form. No transcripts are accepted. The fastest and most secure way for students to submit their Cal Grant GPAs is to have their school electronically upload the GPAs directly to the California Student Aid Commission’s system. Please ask your school to submit your GPA electronically to the Commission by the September 2, filing deadline.
If the school cannot submit electronically, the paper Cal Grant GPA Verification form must be printed and certified by the school. Click on the following links to download the necessary paper forms.