6980 Student Aid Commission
Program Descriptions

5755 - FINANCIAL AID GRANTS PROGRAM
This program provides grants and other specialized kinds of financial aid to help undergraduate and graduate students pay educational expenses. The financial aid programs are described below.

CAL GRANT A and B

Cal Grant entitlement awards are guaranteed to students who graduate from high school and meet financial, academic, and general program eligibility requirements. The California Community College Transfer Award provides a Cal Grant A or B award to eligible high school graduates who have a community college GPA of at least 2.4 on a four-point scale.

The Cal Grant A and B competitive awards are available to applicants who meet financial, academic, and general program eligibility requirements. Half of these awards are offered to those applicants who did not receive an entitlement award and meet a March 2 deadline. The remaining awards are offered to students who are enrolled at a California community college and meet a September 2 deadline.

Cal Grant A provides funding for tuition and fees to eligible low-income high school graduates who have at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a four-point scale.

Cal Grant B provides funding to eligible low-income high school graduates who have at least a 2.0 GPA on a four-point scale. The award is for books and living expenses for the first year. Beginning with the second year, the award also provides for tuition and fees.

The maximum tuition award for Cal Grant A and B recipients is equal to the mandatory systemwide tuition and fees at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU). The award at private nonprofit institutions and private, for profit institutions that are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the award at private, for profit institutions that are not WASC-accredited are determined in the budget.

OTHER STUDENT AWARDS

The Cal Grant C Program provides funding for financially eligible low-income students preparing for occupational or technical training.

The Middle Class Scholarship Program provides a scholarship to UC and CSU students with family incomes of up to $150,000 and annual household assets of up to $150,000. The scholarship amount is limited to no more than 40 percent of the UC or CSU mandatory systemwide tuition and fees.

The Assumption Program of Loans for Education (APLE) allows the state to issue agreements for loan assumptions to students and district interns who are pursuing careers in teaching and credentialed teachers teaching at certain schools. A participant who teaches a total of four years can receive up to $11,000 toward outstanding student loans. APLE participants who teach in the areas of math, science, or education specialist instruction in a school ranked in the lowest 60 percentile of the API may be eligible to receive an additional $1,000 per year in loan assumption benefits. Participants meeting this requirement who provide teaching service in a public school ranked in the lowest 20 percentile of the API may be eligible to receive an additional $1,000 per year. The total possible loan assumption benefit is $19,000.

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 participant who teaches for three years at a regionally accredited California college or university can receive up to $6,000 toward outstanding student loans.

The State Nursing Assumption Program of Loans for Education for Nursing Faculty (SNAPLE NF), allows the state to issue agreements for loan assumptions to persons who have completed at least a baccalaureate degree in nursing or a field related to nursing and agreed to teach at one or more regionally accredited, eligible California colleges or universities. A participant can receive up to $8,333 annually for three years toward outstanding student loans for a total loan assumption of up to $25,000.

The Child Development Teacher and Supervisor Grant Program provides grants to recipients who intend to teach or supervise in the field of child care and development in a licensed children's center. Recipients attending a community college may receive up to $1,000 annually, and recipients attending a four-year college may receive up to $2,000 annually for a total of $6,000.

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. New and renewal awards are assigned based on available funding.

The California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program provides funding for active members of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, or the Naval Militia who seek a certificate, degree, or diploma. Recipients attending the UC, CSU or a private institution may receive up to the amount of a Cal Grant A award. Recipients attending a community college may receive up to the amount of a Cal Grant B award. An award used for graduate studies may not exceed the maximum amount of a Cal Grant A award plus $500 for books and supplies.

The Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Scholarship Program provides college grants equivalent to Cal Grant amounts to dependents of California law enforcement officers, officers and employees of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and firefighters killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

The John R. Justice Program provides loan repayments to eligible recipients currently employed as California prosecutors or public defenders who commit to continued employment in that capacity for at least three years. Recipients may receive up to $5,000 of loan repayment disbursed annually to their lending institutions.

OTHER PROGRAMS

The California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), through intersegmental consortia, provides financial aid outreach and tutoring services to disadvantaged K-12 students, increases their access to postsecondary education, and informs students about opportunities for career technical education. Cal-SOAP also assists the matriculation of community college students to four-year institutions.

Cash for College provides financial aid workshops to assist low-income students with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form and understanding financial aid.