California Dream Act

and Cal Grants

2013 CASFAA/CSAC High School Counselor Workshops

Presented by the California Student Aid Commission

Agenda• Aid Under CA Dream Act• AB 540• Who can Apply?• Non-SSN GPA Submission • Deferred Action• Submitting the Application• Cal Grants and the CA Dream Act• What about Campus Aid?• Resources

Aid Under California Dream Act

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• UC Grants, State University Grants, BOG Fee

Waiver, Chafee Grant, EOP/EOPS

• Cal Grants

• Middle Class Scholarship

• Private scholarships administered by

campuses

Who is the California Dream Act Application for?

Students who meet the requirements of AB540:

• Attend a California high school for at least three years,

• Graduate from a California high school or pass the California High School Proficiency Examination(CHSPE), or obtain a Certificate of General Education Development (GED),

• Enroll in an accredited and qualifying California college or university, and

• If applicable, complete an affidavit to legalize immigration status as soon as student is eligible

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AB 540 students may include:• Undocumented students• Students who are U.S. citizens, but who are not

residents of California• Usually dependent students whose parents are

not residents of California

California Higher Education Institutions are responsible to certify student AB 540 eligibility

AB 540 Students are not:

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• Students with a Non-immigrant Visa status

• Non-immigrants, as defined by federal immigration law, may hold one of the following visas: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, TN, TD, V, TROV and NATO

• Students "home-schooled" by a parent who does not hold a CA teacher credential

• A home school does not meet the definition of a "high school in California" as it applies to this exemption eligibility

• A student schooled at home by a credentialed parent teacher may meet the definition of a private high school

AB 540 Students are not:

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• Students living out-of-state and enrolling in a private California "internet high school"

• Course work completed via a distance learning or a correspondence program, does not meet the definition of a “High school in California" as it applies to AB 540 and 131

Important Information for AB 540 Students

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Males 18 to 25 must register with Selective Service for Cal Grant and other state aid

• Do not need an SSN to register• Selective Service does not share data• Get registration form at U.S. Post office, or download at caldreamact.org• Complete, sign and mail

Students and parents residing in the United States file US tax returns, if meet earning threshold

• Many Dream applicants for 2013-14 did file returns (with ITIN) and pay taxes

• May be required by college/university if selected for verification• The IRS does not share data

Who can apply for a Cal Grant?

For students who:

• Are graduating high school seniors

• Students who graduated high school in prior academic year

• Attend community college and are planning to transfer to a 4-year institution in 2014-15 academic year.

• Are enrolled in a technical or vocational program

Non-SSN GPA Submission

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• High schools may submit GPAs without SSNs

• For 2013-14, over 178,000 Non-SSN GPAs were received

• Matching of GPAs to FAFSAs is done using other application elements - up to 20 elements

• Name, Address, Phone, DOB, email, SSID

• Necessary since dreamers may not have an SSN

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Non-SSN GPA Submission

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• Batch upload is the preferred method

• Contact School Support Branch for file layout

• School Support (888) 294-0153

• schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov

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CA Dream Act Financial Aid is not Deferred Action (DACA)

• DACA does not prevent students from applying for CA Dream Act financial aid

• DACA does not confer a new legal status for students

• California students who have applied for or received approval for DACA should complete the CA Dream Act Application and NOT the FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• For more information on DACA, visit - www.uscis.gov or www.e4fc.org/dacaguide

For more information about the

Dream Act and Cal Grant,

please contact

School Support ServicesCalifornia Student Aid

Commission1-888-294-0153

schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov

Or visit www.caldreamact.org

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Students/families can email us at:

caldreamact@csac.ca.gov

Tax and Revenue• What happens if an applicant has not filed taxes

before completing the CA Dream Act Application…

Persons who have not yet submitted tax returns prior to submitting the Dream Act Application should provide their best estimate of their income, using the previous year’s income

• What if the applicant will not submit a tax return?In order to complete the CA Dream Act Application, income must be provided. Only persons with income above the tax filing threshhold must file taxes

Important Detailsfor AB 540 Students

• The application may be selected for verification by the college/university

• Many California Dream Act applicants submitted taxes using the ITIN Personal Identification Number Taxpayer (Identification Tax ID Number)

For High School Seniors:

January-March 2, 2014:

• Apply for Cal Grants beginning January 1, 2014, for use in the Fall of 2014

• Apply for Fee Waiver (BOG) if attending a CA Community College

• Apply for institutional aid and college scholarships such as UC Grants and State University Grants if attending a CA State College or University

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Where can I apply?

www.caldreamact.org• For Fall 2014 financial aid, apply after Jan. 1, 2014

• For financial aid right now, use the current 2013-14 year application

NEW!Enhancements for 2014-15

• Redesign of application user interface • Access Determination Logic to assist students in completing the

correct financial application (FAFSA or DREAM App)• Data validation of user responses to avoid errors• 24 hour hold period between corrections – to minimize

unnecessary corrections• Integrated skip logic to only answer pertinent questions• Help text boxes to provide additional guidance on individual

questions• California Student Aid Report (CALSAR) – students will be able to

view PDF versions of their application

www.caldreamact.org

How do I apply?

2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

What happens to the information

and how will students be notified?• Once the application is signed and submitted the

student will be shown a confirmation page. This page should be read to know what to do next

• The information will be electronically sent to institutions within approximately 8 days

• Students should talk to their financial aid office to see if they qualify for institutional financial aid, college scholarship or fee waiver (BOG)

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2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

2014-15 Dream App

General Requirements for Cal Grants

• Be a resident of California or be AB540 eligible

• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or eligible non-citizen or be AB 540 eligible

• Attend an eligible California school

• Meet Selective Service requirements

• Not be in default on a student loan

• Not have earned a bachelor’s degree

• Maintain satisfactory academic progress

• Be enrolled at least half-time

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These are the requirements for all Cal Grant participants, whether or not students apply under the CA Dream Act:

Which Cal Grants are available for Dreamers?

• Entitlement Cal Grant A

• Entitlement Cal Grant B

• CA Community College

Transfer Entitlement A and B

• Cal Grant C

• Vocational or Technical

When will students be notified?• Once the student submits the CA Dream Act

Application and a verified school GPA, students should contact the financial aid office for more information

• For the Cal Grant, students will receive an email which will say if they qualified

• Awarded students will be able to access their California Aid Report (CAR) online

What about campus aid?• Remember that the CA Dream Act Application is

used for Cal Grants and institutional aid

• Each public campus will include eligible CA Dream Act Applicants in their existing award notification processes

• Private colleges may or may not use the CA Dream Act Application information

• Students should contact their campus for their notification schedule

CA Dream Act Resources

Front/Back bilingual flyer available at www.csac.ca.gov in the following languages:• Spanish• Chinese• Vietnamese• Korean• Hmong• Tagalog• Punjabi

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Download Dreamer PIN/ID CARDs

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www.caldreamact.org under Dream Act Resources

For more information contact us

www.csac.ca.gov

www.caldreamact.org

www.calgrants.org

www.webgrants4students.org