California School Grants

Finding California School Grants can be an overwhelming challenge. There are many options to consider, however a Cal Grant is a good place to start. There are many rules and restrictions that you need to be aware of before applying. Income ceilings and prior education are among the criteria when you are trying to find school grants in California. The resources listed below are for the year 2010-2011. In order to get a Cal Grant, you have to meet certain criteria with respect to your income and assets in order to qualify. Finding a way to pay for college can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you are a returning student, a first-time attendee, or a working adult seeking professional development, there are many California financial aid programs for you. Students can apply for federal and state financial aid, university scholarships, and other scholarships from a number of sources. It is just a matter of seeking and finding the right school grants for you.

According to the California Student Aid Commission (Csac.ca.gov, 2010), the income ceilings for students wanting to get a grant for 2010-2011 are as follows:

2010-11 CAL GRANT PROGRAM INCOME CEILINGS
CALIFORNIA STUDENT AID COMMISSION

Cal Grant Cal Grant
A and C B
Dependent students and Independent students with dependents other than a spouse
Family size:
Six or more $92,700 $50,900
Five $85,900 $47,200
Four $80,200 $42,200
Three $73,800 $37,900
Two $72,100 $33,600

Independent students

Single, no dependents $29,400 $29,400
Married, no other dependents $33,600 $33,600

And according to the California Student Aid Commission (Csac.ca.gov, 2010), the asset ceilings for students wanting to get a grant for 2010-2011 are as follows:

2010-11 CAL GRANT PROGRAM ASSET CEILINGS
CALIFORNIA STUDENT AID COMMISSION

All Programs
Dependent students** $62,000
Independent students $29,500
** These ceilings also apply to independent students with dependents other than a spouse.

In order to see which community colleges or universities or other schools are Cal Grant eligible institutions, you can do a search from the csac website via the city location in California. For example, for the city of Santa Barbara, there are six Cal Grant eligible institutions which are: University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara City College; Westmont College; Brooks Institute; Santa Barbara Business College; and Antioch University.

The Cal Grant deadline for the complete application is March 2nd of each year. There is a senior financial aid checklist to help you complete all the steps needed for applying for a Cal Grant at: http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/G500PreCollegechecklist012208.pdf.

It is important to note that you are not eligible for a Cal Grant if you have a Bachelor’s or higher (M.A., for example) degree. A Cal Grant B award for your freshman year will pay educational expenses up to $1,551 per year. Also, you must be a resident of California; you must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen; and you must attend your institution no less than half-time (half-time is usually 6 units per quarter). And you must make satisfactory academic progress and sign up for U.S. Selective Service. If you get a Cal Grant A, however you are attending a 2 year California Community College; then your payment will be on reserve until you transfer to a 4 year tuition University. Cal Grant recipients can get no more than four years of grant payments, and the payments will stop once you get your Bachelor’s degree. Additional rules for Cal grants are found at: http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/ImportantfactsaboutyourCalGrant_2009.pdf