Cal Grant

If you are a California graduating high school senior or recent graduate, or just got your GED, and meet academic, financial and eligibility requirements and submit a FAFSA and a GPA verification by the Cal Grant deadline then you may qualify for a Cal Grant for college or career or technical school.

Cal Grants are need-based grants provided by the State of California. To qualify, a student must be a California resident, be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, obtain a social security number and be attending (or plan to attend) an eligible institution in California. Awarding of grants is based on financial need and academic performance, and funds are limited. And you don't have to pay it back. Note: Cal Grant offers are subject to state budget requirements. A student may receive only one Cal Grant, either Cal Grant A, B or C. The three grants are targeted to assist three distinct groups of applicants and are mutually exclusive.

• Apply for a Cal Grant in 2 easy steps!

To be eligible for a Cal Grant you must:

• Submit the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and your verified Cal Grant GPA by the deadline
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen (your parents don’t need to be citizens or eligible noncitizens) or meet AB540 criteria
• Be a California resident when you graduated from high school or meet AB540 criteria
• Have a Social Security number or meet AB540 criteria
• Attend a qualifying California college
• Have financial need based on your college costs
• Have family income and assets below the established ceilings
• Meet any minimum GPA requirements
• Be in a program leading to an undergraduate degree or certificate
• Be enrolled at least half time
• Have registered with U.S. Selective Service (most males)
• Not owe a refund on a state or federal grant, or be in default on a student loan
• You must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP)

I’ve just been awarded the Cal Grant. What are my next steps?

The California Student Aid Commission awards students based on the information submitted on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or CA Dream Act Application. Once awarded, there are steps you must take to confirm your award.
1. Create a WebGrants 4 Students (WG4S) account at Web Grants 4 Students portal If you completed the CA Dream Act application (CADAA), you will create the account using your Dream Act ID number. Log in with your username and password if you already have an account. Remember, this is a different account from your FAFSA or CADAA account.
2. A hold may be placed on your account until you complete the following forms:

• High school senior (E1): Once you graduate high school, log-in to your WGS account to complete the High School Graduation Certification form. Once you log on, you will click on the Cal Grant link to access the Main Page. You will confirm your graduation date and submit the information to CSAC.
• Transfer Entitlement (E2):Transfer Entitlement Award Explained Once you are on the Cal Grant main page, click on the link that indicates “Transfer Entitlement Certification”. When you have completed the questions, including the correct school you will be transferring to in the fall, electronically submit the information to CSAC. This information will be processed and your account will be updated in a timely manner. Please check your account a week after you have submitted the form to make sure that the school of attendance is now updated.

1. You will need to confirm the school your are attending in the fall. If the school that WGS has listed is incorrect, please change the school of attendance. Once you have made your final decision regarding which school you will attend for the academic year, you may request a school change.

• To report a school change, click the link that says, “Submit School Change.” Select an eligible Cal Grant school from the drop down list under the “School Change To” section. Then select the “Submit Change” box to process the school change. Please allow one week for the school change to take effect.

1. If you receive notification of any additional forms to complete, please log in to your WG4S account and do so by the required deadline. Forms that you might need to complete are:

• Cal Grant C Supplement Form: Once you are on the Cal Grant main page, click on the link that indicates “Cal Grant C Supplement Form”. When you have completed the questions, including the correct school you will be transferring to in the fall, electronically submit the information to CSAC. This information will be processed and your account will be updated in a timely manner. You must have an eligible program and it must be a CTE program for the Cal Grant C award.
• The CTE programs/degrees have an *asterisk next to them. List of LPC Degrees(* Career Technical Education (CTE) - Occupational programs designed for job entry; some coures are transferable to 4-year institutions.)

Cal Grant A

• will help pay for tuition and fees at four-year colleges
• award amounts vary by type of college — Cal Grants are up to $12,630 at a University of California campus, up to $5,742 at a California State University campus, and up to $9,084 at independent colleges
• 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 $12,630 at a UC campus, up to $5,742 at a CSU campus and up to $9,084 at independent colleges for 2018-2019)
• requires at least a 2.0 GPA

Cal Grant C

• assists with the costs of a technical or career education —List of *Career Technical Education (CTE) & Degree Programs
• provides up to $1,094 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 4 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.

Students with Dependent Children under the age of 18

Beginning in 2019-2020, a new Cal Grant Access Award was created for Cal Grant A, B, and C recipients who have dependents under the age of 18 for whom they provide more than 50% support. In order to access this award, eligible students must self-certify their eligibility. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) sent an email directly to all Students With Dependent(s) (SWD) explaining this process. This self-certification needs to be completed through the student's Web Grants portal. Once the student has completed this self-certification, you must follow up with our office.

• Cal Grant A recipients (including those who have the award in a reserved status while they are attending a community college) are eligible to receive up to *$6,000
• Cal Grant B recipients Access award is increased up to *$6,024
• Cal Grant C recipients Books/Supplies award is increased up to *$4,000

The amount of the award is based on enrollment status (full-time, 3/4 time, or half-time). As with all Cal Grant programs, students can receive this award for a maximum of four years of full-time study (Foster Youth in the Cal Grant B program may receive up to 8 years of full-time study).

If you didn’t receive a Cal Grant for study at a community college, you may qualify for a Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement award to attend a four-year college.

*Cal Grant SWD recipients must have enough unmet need in order to receive the new amounts. If you do not have enough unmet need, we cannot award you the entire new award. For example, if you are receiving other grants such as, Federal Loans or Federal Work-Study, you may not have enough unmet need for the new award amount. Please let us know if you have questions about unmet need and your SWD award.

You must apply by March 2 to maximize your opportunity to receive an award.

If you miss the March 2 Cal Grant deadline and you plan to attend community college in the fall, you have until September 2 to apply. However, the number of Cal Grant awards are limited.

Please Note: Community college students who missed the March 2nd deadline can still file a FAFSA by September 2nd and GPA verification and will be considered for a competitive Community College Cal Grant. Complete the September 2 GPA verification before September 2nd.

For more information please visit California Student Aid Commission webpage.

For March 2nd DEADLINE

In general, our college is able to provide a GPA Verification ONLY if you completed 16 units (this does NOT include Basic skills or ESL courses) prior to Spring term. All currently attending LPC students who completed 16 or more units (not including Basic Skills or ESL) prior to Spring term will be automatically certified electronically. Do not submit an individual form as it will not be completed. Students who have already been awarded a Cal Grant for a previous year need only re-file a FAFSA form, not a GPA verification form.

For September 2nd DEADLINE

In general, our college is able to provide a GPA Verification ONLY if you completed 16 units (this does NOT include Basic skills or ESL courses) prior to Fall term. All currently attending LPC students who completed 16 or more units (not including Basic Skills or ESL) prior to Fall term will be automatically certified electronically. Do not submit an individual form as it will not be completed. Students who have already been awarded a Cal Grant for a previous year need only refile a FAFSA, not a GPA verification form.

Special Exceptions

You should complete a paper GPA verification form if:

• You completed less than 16 units of non-basic skills or ESL classes at Las Positas or any other college prior to Fall; you must submit your GPA verification directly to your high school. We are unable to help you at Las Positas.
• Your combined units from LPC and a prior college are between 16 - 24 units prior to fall. You must submit your official transcripts from the prior college(s) to the LPC Admissions Office, and submit your GPA verification form to the financial aid office with a note to combine your prior college(s) GPA. A combined GPA will be calculated for you. You must allow 2 weeks for Admissions to calculate your combined GPA, so please plan ahead!

For further information visit the Cal Grant Program website

Some students don't have a GPA, so certain test scores can be used instead. Please submit your test score along with the GPA Verification Form.

• If you have a GED, submit your GED score directly to the California Student Aid Commission.
• If you graduated from a school that doesn't provide grades, is not accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or another regional accrediting agency, or doesn't have a course list approved by the University of California you must provide your ACT, SAT or GED score.
• If you were home-schooled or attended a charter school you must submit your ACT, SAT or GED score.
• If you graduated from high school more than five years ago you may provide your SAT or ACT score, or use a re-established GPA from your grades at a California Community College.

If you'll be attending a California Community College in the fall and you missed the March 2 Cal Grant application deadline, you have a second opportunity to apply for a Cal Grant by September 2. Since the number of awards available in September is limited, you should try to meet the March 2 deadline.

If you receive a Cal Grant A but decide to attend a California Community College first, your award will be held in reserve for up to two years until you transfer to a four-year college (as a Cal Grant recipient, your community college fees will be waived and community colleges don’t charge tuition). Be sure to inform the California Student Aid Commission of any address changes during this time. When you’re ready to transfer, be sure to notify the Commission so that your Cal Grant eligibility can be re-evaluated. Also, let your new college know that you have a Cal Grant A Reserve Grant.

If you receive a Cal Grant B, you can use your $1,672 living allowance to help pay for books and other community college costs. (If you do, however, keep in mind that you’ll be using up Cal Grant eligibility that you may instead want to save if you’re planning to transfer to a four-year college.)

If you’re pursuing a career or technical education, you can use your Cal Grant C award to pay for books and supplies at a community college.

If you didn’t receive a Cal Grant for community college, you may qualify for a Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement award to attend a four-year college.

• Change Form For Students Cal Grant Program
• Cal Grant GPA Verification Form
• LPC Cal Grant HOLD FORM
• Additional Forms from California Student Aid Commission
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• Cal Grant Income Ceiling
• Understanding My Cal Grant (PDF)
• Disqualification Fact Sheet
• Eligible and Ineligible Cal Grant Colleges