Cal Grants and the California Dream Act of 2011

1. Cal Grants and the California Dream Act of 2011 Presented by the California Student Aid Commission

2. First…..An Overview of the California Dream Act of 2011 which was made law by the passage of 2 bills

3. AB 130 - Dream Act Part I • Signed into law on July 25, 2011 • Becomes effective January 1, 2012 • Allows students who meet AB 540 criteria to apply for & receive private scholarships administered by the public colleges and universities, including • scholarships funded through private donors • alumni contributions • individual departmental efforts • For information about how and when to apply, AB 540 students must contact their financial aid offices

4. AB 130 - Dream Act Part I For Current AB 540 High School Seniors: NOW: Check with your college or university financial aid or scholarship offices to find out about scholarships available for incoming freshmen for Fall 2012 Fall 2012: Seek out scholarships given out at colleges and universities beginning in the Fall 2013 Term

5. AB 130 - Dream Act Part I For Current AB 540 College Students: NOW: Check with your college or university financial aid or scholarship offices to find out about scholarships available starting this term Fall 2012: Seek out scholarships given out at your college or university for use in the Fall 2013 Term

6. AB 131 - Dream Act Part II • Signed into law on October 8, 2011 • Becomes effective January 1, 2013 • Allows students who meet AB 540 criteria to • Apply for & receive institutional grants like UC Grant, State University Grant, Educational Opportunity Program and Educational Opportunity Program & Services fee waivers • Apply for & receive Board of Governors fee waivers at the California Community Colleges • Apply for & receive state financial aid, including Cal Grants and Chafee Foster Youth Grants for use at eligible public and private institutions

7. AB 131 - Dream Act Part II For Current AB 540 High School Seniors: NOW: Keep your grades up, so you can apply for a Cal Grant next January as a college freshman Spring/Summer 2012: For information about how and when to apply for institutional grants and fee waivers at colleges and universities, contact their campus financial aid offices January-March 2013: Apply for a Cal Grant for use beginning Fall of 2013

8. AB 131 - Dream Act Part II For Current AB 540 College Students: NOW: Maintain your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Spring/Summer 2012: For information about how and when to apply for institutional grants and fee waivers for terms in 2013, visit your campus financial aid office • January-March 2013: • Community college students planning to transfer to a qualifying 4-year institution, apply for a Cal Grant • College students enrolled or planning to enroll in a career technical program, apply for a Cal Grant • All other current AB 540 college students are not eligible for Dream Act Cal Grants (but you may still be eligible for other Dream Act aid; visit your campus financial aid office)

9. Next…..A Look at Those Cal Grant Eligibility Requirements

10. Types of Cal Grants for which Dream Act Students May Now Qualify Cal Grant A High School Entitlement CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant B High School Entitlement CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant C

11. General Cal Grant Eligibility Requirements Be a California resident or meet AB 540 requirements Be a U.S. citizen, eligible non-citizen or meet AB 540 requirements Meet Selective Service requirements Attend an eligible California School Not be in default on a Federal student loan Not have earned a BA/BS degree Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress Not be incarcerated Be enrolled at least half-time

12. Cal Grant A Low to middle income students (Average family income of new Cal Grant A recipients is $44,100) Associate and Bachelor degree programs only Can be used for tuition and fees only Maximum annual award amounts: CCC - Not paid, but held in reserve until transfer CSU - up to $5,472 UC - up to $12,192 Independent or private for-profit - up to $9,708 (Current policy provides that Cal Grant awards are increased to meet fee increases at the public universities)

13. Types of Cal Grant A Awards High School Entitlement Cal A Students applying in their senior year of HS or in the year after they graduate or Students applying within one year of passing the GED Uses HS GPA only (minimum 3.00) CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal A Students transferring from a CCC into a bachelor’s degree program Must have graduated from a CA high school after 7/1/00 and not yet be age 28 Uses CCC GPA only (minimum 2.40) Currently an unlimited # of awards

14. Cal Grant B Very low income students (Average family income of new Cal Grant B recipients is $17,200) AA, BA and Certificate programs of at least 1 year Can be used for any school expenses including tuition and fees* All Cal Grant B recipients, at all schools get a $1,551 “Access” payment each academic year Students beyond their first year also get a tuition benefit equal to the Cal Grant A tuition and fee amount if attending a school other than a community college *first time freshmen are not eligible for tuition & fee component of award

15. Types of Cal Grant B Awards • High School Entitlement Cal B • Students applying in their senior year of HS or in the year after they graduate or • Students applying within one year of passing the GED • Uses HS GPA only (minimum 2.00) • CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal B • Students transferring from a CCC into a bachelor’s degree program • Must have graduated from a CA High school after 7/1/00 and not yet be age 28 • Uses CCC GPA only (minimum 2.40) • Currently, an unlimited # of awards

16. Cal Grant C Low income students (Average family income of new Cal Grant C recipients is $18,700) Can be used for tuition & fees and books & supplies AA and certificate career technical programs only Maximum annual award amounts Tuition and Fees - $2,592 At private vocational schools Books and Supplies - $576 At private vocational schools and Community colleges Scored based on occupational factors and educational history 7,761 awards per year

17. The Applications CA Dream Application or FAFSA (establishes financial need) CA Dream App submitted online at the CA Student Aid Commission’s website: caldreamact.org (starting Jan 1, 2013) All Dream App students eligible to file a FAFSA will be redirected to fafsa.gov GPA Verification (establishes merit) Submitted by school to CA Student Aid Commission electronically or Submitted by student via mail (Cal Grant Verification Form to be available through the CA Dream App) Transfer Entitlement Verification Form CA Student Aid Commission will send this form to all students who meet Transfer Entitlement requirements Cal Grant C Supplemental Form CA Student Aid Commission will send this form to all students who meet Cal Grant C requirements

18. For 2011 -12, CSAC has successfully implemented a pilot program for the submission of Cal Grant GPAs without SSNs Matching of GPAs to FAFSAs can now be done using other application elements for high schools that don’t collect SSNs This will also prove beneficial when we begin collecting CA Dream Apps without SSNs Non-SSN GPA Pilot Program

19. For more information about the Dream Act and Cal Grant, please contact Student Support Services at the California Student Aid Commission 1-888-224-7268 Or visit www.caldreamact.org For more information about other scholarships for which AB 540 students might be eligible, please visit www.maldef.org/assets/pdf/Scholarship_List_2010_2011.pdf www.latincollegedollars.org www.e4fc.org/studentresources/scholarshiplists.html