15 FINANCIAL AID GRANTS PROGRAM

This program provides grants and other specialized financial aid to help undergraduate and graduate students pay educational expenses. Awards are coordinated with other available award sources including federal Pell Grants. The financial aid grant programs are described below.

ENTITLEMENT AWARDS

Cal Grant Entitlement Award Programs were established through SB 1644 (Chapter 403, Statutes of 2000). The entitlement awards are guaranteed to students who graduate from high school in 2000-01, or beyond, and meet financial, academic, and general program eligibility requirements.

• Cal Grant A provides tuition and fee funding to eligible high school graduates who have at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a four-point scale. The award provides up to a maximum grant award of $9,708 for new and renewal recipients.
• Cal Grant B provides funds to eligible low-income disadvantaged high school graduates who have at least a 2.0 GPA. The award provides up to $1,551 for book and living expenses for the first year. In the second year, it also helps pay for tuition and fees at qualifying postsecondary institutions which, in 2007-08, is up to a maximum grant award of $9,708 for new and renewal recipients.
• The California Community College Transfer Award provides funding to eligible high school graduates who have a community college GPA of at least 2.4 on a four-point scale.

COMPETITIVE AWARDS

The Cal Grant Competitive Award Program was established through SB 1644 (Chapter 403, Statutes of 2000). There are 22,500 Cal Grant A and B competitive awards available to applicants who meet financial, academic, and general program eligibility requirements. Half of these awards (11,250) are offered to those applicants who did not receive an entitlement award and meet the March 2nd deadline. The remaining 11,250 awards are offered to students who are enrolled at a California Community College and meet the September 2nd deadline.

EXISTING AWARDS

The existing Cal Grant A and B programs are being phased out. Funding is provided for renewal of awards made prior to the 2001-02 fiscal year.

• Cal Grant A and B provide tuition and fee funding for financially and academically eligible students attending a California college or university of their choice. Recipients at private institutions will continue to receive their maximum grant awards of $8,184 to $9,708 depending on when they received their first award. Cal Grant B recipients also receive up to $1,551 for books and living expenses.

OTHER AWARDS

• The Cal Grant C provides funding for financially eligible students preparing for vocational or occupational careers. The authorized number of new awards is 7,761; the authorized maximum tuition and fee award is $2,592 and the authorized award for training-related costs is $576 for new and renewal grant recipients.
• The California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), through intersegmental consortia, provides financial aid outreach and tutoring services to disadvantaged K-12 students to increase their access to postsecondary education. Cal-SOAP also assists the matriculation of community college students to four-year institutions. There are 16 Cal-SOAP consortia operating in 17 locations. Cal-SOAP is funded from the Student Loan Operating Fund.
• The Assumption Program of Loans for Education (APLE) allows the State to issue agreements for loan assumptions annually to students, district interns, and out-of-state teachers pursuing careers in teaching. Through APLE, a participant who teaches a total of four years can receive up to $11,000 toward outstanding student loans. Participants teaching in priority areas will receive an additional $1,000 a year, and if participants teach in a low-performing school they will receive an additional bonus of $1,000 per year for a maximum of $19,000.
• The Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Scholarship Program provides college grants to dependents of: California law enforcement officers, officers and employees of the Department of Corrections and Department of Youth Authority, and firefighters killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. This program is funded from the General Fund.
• The Graduate Assumption Program of Loans for Education (Graduate APLE) allows the State to issue loan assumption agreements to Californians pursuing graduate degrees at postsecondary institutions. A recipient who teaches for three years at a regionally accredited California college or university can receive up to $6,000 toward outstanding student loans. Since 2003-04 no new warrants have been issued; only renewals will continue to be funded.
• The National Guard Assumption Program of Loans for Education (Chapter 345, Statutes of 2003) was established for qualifying members of the National Guard, the State Military Reserve, or the Naval Militia who seek, or who have completed, baccalaureate degrees at institutions of higher education within the State of California. Participants who provide additional service for four years can receive up to $11,000 for student loans.
• The State Nursing Assumption Program of Loans for Education (SNAPLE) allows the State to issue agreements for loan assumptions to persons who have completed at least one academic year, or the equivalent, of full-time teaching nursing studies at one or more regionally accredited, eligible California colleges or universities. Through SNAPLE, a participant can receive up to $8,333 annually for 3 years towards outstanding student loans for a total loan assumption of up to $25,000.
• The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program provides a $1,500 scholarship to exceptionally able students who show promise of continued academic excellence. Scholarships may be renewed for up to four years. This program is funded from federal funds. The State Department of Education contracts with CSAC to administer the program.
• The Child Development Teacher and Supervisor Grant Program (Chapter 721, Statutes of 1997) replaced the loan assumption program for participants who intend to teach or supervise in the field of child care and development in a licensed children's center. This program is funded from federal funds. The State Department of Education contracts with CSAC to administer the program.
• The California Chafee Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 to eligible foster youth who are enrolled in college or vocational school at least half-time. The grant can be renewed if funding is available. This program is funded from federal funds and the General Fund. The State Department of Social Services contracts with CSAC to administer the program.
• The Nurses in State Facilities Assumption Program of Loans for Education allows the state to issue agreements for loan assumptions to persons who fulfill agreements to work full-time for at least 4 consecutive years as a clinical registered nurse in a state-operated 24-hour facility that employs registered nurses and that has a clinical registered nurse vacancy rate of greater than 10 percent. A participant can receive up to $5,000 annually for 4 consecutive years towards outstanding student loans for a total loan assumption of up to $20,000.

50 CALIFORNIA LOAN PROGRAM

The Commission administers the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) for students on behalf of the United States Department of Education (USED) pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Chapter 961, Statutes of 1996, authorized the Commission to establish an auxiliary organization, EdFund, as a nonprofit public benefit corporation to provide operational and administrative services for the Commission's participation in the FFELP, effective January 1, 1997. The Federal Student Loan Reserve Fund and Student Loan Operating Fund (SLOF) are continuously appropriated for this purpose.

The FFELP consists of Federal Subsidized Stafford loans, Federal Unsubsidized Stafford loans, Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Graduate and Professional PLUS, and the Federal Loan Consolidation Program. Loans are made available to students through private lenders such as banks or credit unions, and the Commission guarantees the loan. If a student or parent defaults, the lender files a claim with the Commission which pays the lender a portion of the outstanding balance. The USED reimburses the Commission for the default. The cost of default claims, collection expenses and administration of FFELP are funded by USED, a federal default fee, collections and fees from defaulted borrowers, and interest on investments.