California Dream Act and

Cal Grants 2013 CASFAA/CSAC High School Counselor Workshops

Presented by the California Student Aid Commission

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

AB 540 – AB 130 – AB 131

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Dream Act Provisions

• UC Grants, State University Grants, BOG Fee

Waiver, Chafee Grant, EOP/EOPS

• Cal Grants

Public colleges

Private colleges

Middle Class Scholarship

Who is the California Dream Act Application for?

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

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 AB540 eligiblity

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

•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

• Attend community college and are planning to transfer to a 4-year institution in Fall 2014. (Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement)

• Are enrolled in a technical or vocational school may apply for Cal Grant C

Non-SSN GPA Submission

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• High schools may submit GPAs without SSNs • For 2013 -14, over 178,000 Non-SSN GPA were

received • Matching of GPAs to FAFSAs is done using other

application elements - Matches possible on up to 20 fields

• Name, Address, Phone, DOB, email, SSID • Necessary since dreamers may not have an SSN

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Non-SSN GPA Submission 27

• Batch upload is the preferred method • Contact School Support Branch for file layout

o Adrian Felix (916) 464-2995 o School Support (888) 294-0153 o schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov

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.ucsis.gov or www.e4fc.org/dacaguide

For more information about the Dream Act and Cal Grant, please

contact

School Support Services California Student Aid

Commission 1-888-294-0153

schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov

Or visit www.caldreamact.org

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Tax and Revenue What happens if an applicant has not filed

taxes before completing the application… Persons who have not yet submitted tax returns prior to submitting the Dream Act Application should provide their best estimate of thier income, perhaps 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 Details for 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 Grant 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 Univerisity 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

www.caldreamact.org

How do I apply?

What happens to the information and how will I know if I qualify?

• Once the application is signed and submittted 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)

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

o Vocational or Technical

When will I know if I qualify? • 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 Dream Act Application is

used for Cal Grants and institutional aid • Each public campus will include eligible Dream

Act Applicants in their existing award notification processes

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

• Students should contact their campus for their notification schedule

For more information contact us

www.csac.ca.gov www.caldreamact.org

www.calgrants.org www.webgrants4students.org