Grants

A Cal Grant award is money for college which students will not need to repay. To qualify, students must meet specific eligibility and financial requirements, as well as any GPA requirements. Eligibility is based on the student's FAFSA responses, their verified Cal Grant GPA, their residency, and whether they're a recent high school graduate or not. There are three types of Cal Grant:

There are three types of Cal Grants awards, which are;

Cal Grant A: Cal Grant A award is not available at California Community College (CCC). If you receive Cal Grant A but decide to attend CCC, your award will be held up in reserve for up to two years until you transfer to a four-year institution or attend private colleges. Exception: see Students with Dependent Children.

Cal Grant B: up to $1648 for an access award (living allowance) ONLY to help pay for books, supplies, and other college costs at CCC. The awards are available at CCC as well as UC, CSU and private colleges. The award is higher if you receive it at UC/CSU/Private college (Access Award and Tuition/Fee Assistance starting second year). It is recommended that you save some of your eligibility for use at UC/CSU. You must enroll in a program that requires at least 24 semester credits or more.

Cal Grant C: up to $1094 for students enroll in an approved Occupational/Technical Program at least 4 months in length to be used to pay for books, supplies, equipment, and other college costs.

Students with Dependent Children under the age of 18: (available starting 2019-2020) Cal Grant students who provide more than 50% or more financial support to a dependent child that is less than 18 years old by July 1, 2022 for the 2022-2023 award year may be eligible for an access award of up to $6000 for Cal Grant A/B and up to $4000 for Cal Grant C at UC, CSU, and CCC.

More information about Cal Grant amounts can be found at https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/what-are-cal-grant-award-amounts
 

• submit the FAFSA or CADAA application and your verified Cal Grant GPA by the deadline
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen or meet AB540 eligibility criteria
• be a California resident for 1 year
• attend a qualifying California college
• not have a bachelor’s or professional degree
• have financial need at the college of your choice
• have family income and assets below the minimum levels
• be enrolled or plan to enroll in a program leading to an undergraduate degree or certificate
• be enrolled or plan to enroll at least half time
• Effective with the 2021-22 academic year, registration with the Selective Service System (SSS) for males 18-25 years of age is no longer required to receive state financial aid in California. Although registration is not required to receive state financial aid in California, failure to register may impact future opportunities and/or benefits. Check with the U.S. Selective Service System for more information at https://www.sss.gov/register/benefits-and-penalties/
• not owe a refund on any state or federal grant or be in default on a student loan
• not be incarcerated
• maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards as established by the school. Recipients who do not meet the standards are ineligible for Cal Grant payment and will not use eligibility during the terms they are ineligible for payment.

When will I know if I am qualified for a Cal Grant?

After you apply, you can track the status of your Cal Grant application online by using WebGrants for Students. Log on to set up your personal, confidential account.

If you met the Cal Grant application requirements and qualify for a Cal Grant, you’ll receive an award letter, also known as the California Aid Report, or CAR. If you qualify for a Cal Grant Entitlement award and your application was received on time and needs no corrections, you should receive a CAR by the end of March or early April. If you have not heard from the Commission by April 30, please call toll free 888.224.7268 or e-mail studentsupport@csac.ca.gov(link sends e-mail) to check your application.

If you’re applying for a Cal Grant Competitive award (you aren’t a high school senior and you didn’t graduate from high school the previous year or you plan to attend a California Community College and missed the March 2 deadline), you should receive a CAR by the end of May. If you have not heard from the Commission by mid-June, please call toll free 888.224.7268 or e-mail studentsupport@csac.ca.gov(link sends e-mail) to check on the status of your application.

If you’re applying to renew your Cal Grant, you should receive your notification for renewal by mid-July. If you are a renewal Cal Grant student and you have not heard from the Commission by August 1, please call toll free 888.224.7268 or e-mail studentsupport@csac.ca.gov.(link sends e-mail)

Grant C award offers will be made by the end of June.
 

Once file is complete, Cal Grant will be packaged as an estimated status and will be updated to accepted status once the disbursement date comes and students meet all eligibility criteria.

Cal Grant awards can only be released once the fiscal’s year budget has been passed by the Legislation and signed by the Governor. Cal Grant refund dates are pre-scheduled prior to the academic year starts.

Cal Grant is disbursed once per semester for Fall and Spring ONLY and after the institution’s census date for full length courses. Students must maintain enrollment in at least 6+ Title IV units at the time CAL Grant funding is disbursed. To receive the maximum award, students must enroll full time.

The first Cal Grant disbursement will occur four weeks into the term and is based on the active enrollment status at the time of disbursement. After the first disbursement, the Cal Grant will be disbursed biweekly throughout the term as students become eligible for the funds.

Disbursement made after term completion, the award will be based on the number of units completed for the term including Fs and Is.

As a new Cal Grant A/B recipient, you may receive up to the equivalent of four years of full-time grant payments if you are a first-time college student. The duration of your eligibility may be adjusted based on the Education Level listed on your application.

Student's EL is determined below:

• Freshman: A student who has earned 0 to 29.5 units;
• Sophomore: A student who has earned 30 units or more

Cal Grant C recipient can receive up to two years of full-time grant payments.

Refunds are applied directly toward your account balance and a credit balance will be transferred to BankMobile.

Cal Grant funding is limited to 4 academic years. In order to graduate in 4 years, you must complete 15 units or more per semester or the equivalent quarter units. Create a plan with your academic counselor to ensure you will graduate in four years.

Note: Cal Grant award amounts are disbursed based on the number of units you are actively attending at the time of the Institutional Census date

A Federal Pell Grant is provided by the U.S. Department of Education to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree yet. (In rare cases, students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher certificate program may also qualify for a Pell Grant.) Unlike loans, a Pell Grant does not have to be repaid except under certain circumstances. Your eligibility and the amount you'll receive is based on: Your financial need The calculated cost of attendance Your current course load (whether you're going to school full-time or part-time) The amount of the award varies every academic year and you cannot receive a Federal Pell Grant award from more than one school at a time. A student can receive Federal Pell Grant for no more than six award years (also known as 600%).

Senate Bill 840, the 2018 Budget Act education trailer bill, was signed by the Governor on June 15, 2018, and included language initiating a new grant program for Community College students, the Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG). The program consolidated the Full Time Student Success Grant (FTSSG) and the Community College Completion Grant (CCCG). The new SSCG program came with $131 million to augment students receiving a Cal Grant B or C who are enrolled in at least 12 units per term. 

The Legislature and Governor sought to simplify and streamline the administration of the program to better serve the needs and interests of full-time students completing their education goals. When implementing the amended provisions, colleges are reminded to honor the intent of this legislation. Amendments include: 

• No requirement to monitor a complicated multi-year student education plan 
• No specific rules for additional required coursework 
• Allows for change of majors and pre-requisites 
• Simplifies progress made by aligning new program with federal SAP

The intent of the Student Success Completion Grant program (SSCG) is to support student persistence, retention and success by providing full-time and greater than full-time students additional assistance to help them complete their programs timely and to offset the total cost of attending community college. 

1. Pay all eligible Fall and Spring term students that are actively attending courses in alignment with the same enrollment status determined for Cal Grant Eligibility. This means the amount disbursed to a student is based on courses actively attending at the time of institutional census.
2. If a student is attending 12+ units per semester term, they receive half the award year-based amount of the SSCG or the quarter equivalent – see tables above. 
3. After awarding all eligible students during Fall and Spring, a community college may grant additional summer awards to students who take a sufficient number of units during the summer term to bring their total number of academic units to 24 units or more for the academic year. 
4. After awarding all eligible students for the Summer term, a community college may grant additional awards to students who take a sufficient number of units of 30 units or more for the academic year

The California College Promise Grant, formerly known as the Board of Governors Enrollment Fee Waiver (BOGW), waives enrollment fees for qualified students for the entire school year. Students may receive a waiver for any number of units, with no minimum. You may qualify if you have some financial need, receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (AFDC/TANF), Supplemental Security Income/SSP or General Assistance and those who meet certain income standards.

The California College Promise Grant (Board of Governors Fee Waiver) ONLY waives ENROLLMENT FEES ($46 per unit)*. You are responsible to pay any fees not covered by your award at the time of registration to avoid being dropped for non-payment.

The California College Promise Grant (CCPG/BOGW) is awarded through Financial Aid. 

• Be a California resident, or have an AB540 status as determined by the Admissions Office and
• Meet the annual qualifying income standards for one of the methods below.

How do I Apply?

Complete the application and submit it to the Financial Aid Office.

We will let you know if you qualify for an automatic California College Promise Grant on your Award Notification. Even if you do NOT qualify using the simple method, you should file a FAFSA. Many students do not qualify for a Method A or Method B or Method D, but will qualify for a Method C California College Promise Grant (BOGW) and additional financial aid funds by completing the FAFSA. If you are an undocumented student, you can complete the California Dream Application instead of the FAFSA. The Dream Application will gather information about your family's income and assets and will issue you and your college information that will help determine eligibility for the California College Promise Grant.

Enrollment Fees

The California College Promise Grant (BOGW) ONLY waives ENROLLMENT FEES ($46 per unit)*. You are responsible to pay any fees not covered by your award at the time of registration to avoid being dropped for non-payment.

Parking

The California College Promise Grant (BOGW) reduces the cost of the PARKING PERMIT down to a maximum of $30.00 per term for Method B or Method C or Method D eligible students. The cost of the PARKING PERMIT is waived for Method A students.

2024-2025 California College Promise Grant Income Standards

Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025, Summer 2025

Application Deadline: Last Day of Summer 2025