Cal Grants Overview 2013 CASFAA/CSAC High School Counselor Workshops Presented by the California Student Aid Commission
Agenda Basic Cal Grant Eligibility Cal Grants A, B, and C High School Entitlement Awards and Graduation Verification Student Notifications WebGrants for Schools GPA and Academic Qualifier Submission Tools for Schools WebGrants for Students Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program Commission Communications, Web Training, and Social Media Cash For College Program 2
Basic Cal Grant Eligibility
Basic Cal Grant Eligibility Federal Requirements *U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen Meet Selective Service requirements *Have a Social Security number Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress Additional Cal Grant Requirements *California Resident Attend an eligible California school Be enrolled at least half-time High School GPA required (Entitlement) Not owe a grant repayment or be in default on a student loan Not be incarcerated Not have earned a BA/BS degree * These requirements are supplanted by other eligibility criteria for AB 540 students 4
Cal Grant Income & Asset Ceilings 5
Eligible and Ineligible Cal Grant School Lists 6
Cal Grants A, B, and C
Cal Grant A CSU UC Independent For Profit $ 5,472/yr $ 12,192/yr $ 8,056/yr $4,000/yr Low to middle income students who: Meet the income and asset ceilings Have financial need 3.00 High School GPA minimum Associates or Bachelors programs only Maximum annual award amounts Used for tuition and/or fees only Held in reserve while attending community college 8
Cal Grant B Low income students who: Meet the income and asset ceilings 2.00 GPA minimum Associates, Bachelors, and Certificate programs Annual Awards $1,473 stipend first year Fees/Tuition plus $1,473 in 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th yr Available as Entitlement & Competitive Awards 9
Cal Grant C Low and middle income students who: Enroll in vocational courses of study Associates and Certificate programs only Can be used for any school expenses including tuition and fees Eligibility determined only after full Cal Grant A and B consideration 10
Cal Grant C Priority given based on Occupational Goal Meeting 2 of the 3: high employment need, high employment growth, and high wage Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Carpenters Computer Specialists, All Other Computer Support Specialists Cooks, Restaurant Fire Fighters Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Medical Secretaries Paralegals and Legal Assistants Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Registered Nurses 11
High School Entitlement Awards and Graduation Verification
High School Entitlement Awards Cal Grant A and B Recent high school graduates or equivalent (GED, CHSPE) 2014/15 AY: graduated on or after July 1, 2012 High school GPA required Meet minimum GPA and income/need requirements Potentially unlimited number of awards 13
High School Entitlement Awards Make sure graduating seniors include their high school on the FAFSA/DREAM Act Application CSAC can then match between GPA and FAFSA/DREAM Act Application information CSAC reports missing GPAs and FAFSA/DREAM Act Applications to schools via WebGrants 14
Cal Grant High School Entitlement High School Graduation Confirmation *Required* Students can confirm online using WebGrants for Students Schools & school districts can assist to provide post graduation confirmation of HS graduation Students needing to mail may use the High School Graduation Confirmation form, HS transcripts or other authoritative documents 15
High School Graduation Verification 16
High School Graduation Verification 17
High School Graduation Verification 18
High School Graduation Verification 19
Student Notifications
Student Notifications Awarded applicants that submit a FAFSA/DREAM Act Application & GPA will receive a California Aid Report (CAR) via email E CAR indicates Cal Grant eligibility Sent as early as February Letter notification will be sent if no email address Mark these addresses as not junk: calgrantoffice@csac.ca.gov studentsupport@csac.ca.gov 21
Student Notifications (CAR) Email Delivery Provides grant type and estimated amounts for up to 3 CA schools listed on the FAFSA Communication with CSAC is emphasized 22
WebGrants for Schools
WebGrants for Schools WebGrants Home Page https://webgrants.csac.ca.gov www.csac.ca.gov Look for WebGrants in the High Schools tab Contact: Download WebGrants Access Request forms CSAC Technology Help Desk (888) 294 0148 or csachelpdesk@csac.ca.gov WebGrants for Students www.webgrants4students.org 24
WebGrants for Schools Upload GPA by batch or key individual GPA More secure than US Mail results shown in real time Built in edits to catch errors (e.g. Social Security typos) Confirmation of receipt of records https://webgrants.csac.ca.gov Support Your Students with Follow Up Report Access GPA Summary and School of Origin Reports HS graduation confirmation reports FAFSA, No GPA Report 25
GPA and Academic Qualifier Submission
Academic Qualifiers & Submissions Academic Qualifier Types: High school GPA Test Scores SAT, ACT, GED, allowed if: student does not have a GPA has coursework that can t be converted to a 4.00 maximum GPA attended a non accredited high school SAT Reasoning Test 27
Cal Grant GPA Calculation Current High School Seniors High School GPA calculation is the same as prior years sophomore and junior grades only! *Remember to exclude P.E, R.O.T.C, and Remedial To calculate a High School GPA, go to http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=983 and look for Cal Grant GPA Calculation Information Call School Support Line (888) 294 0153 Look for webinars in Nov., Dec., Jan., and Feb.. 28
Cal Grant GPA Calculation Last Year s High School Graduates High School GPA calculation for students that graduated high school the prior academic year is sophomore, junior, and senior grades *Remember to exclude P.E, R.O.T.C, and Remedial Consider sending GPA information for students that graduated the prior year as part of the normal GPA submission process Be sure to send the correct high school graduation date if sending current seniors and students that graduated the prior year in same data file (ex. current seniors 06/2014, students that graduated last year 06/2013) 29
Statewide Student Identifier CSAC is now asking for the Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) with the GPA submission The GPA Data File specifications for electronic uploads and the paper GPA Verification form have been modified to include this identifier The SSID will be used to help match the student s GPA record to the FAFSA or Dream Act application and later match HS graduation information. 30
Ways to Submit GPAs School Initiated GPA Submission: By batch upload using WebGrants With SSNs Without SSNs Individually using WebGrants (Add GPAs screen) Questions? Electronic GPA Upload Questions? School Support Branch (888) 294 0153 schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov 31
Ways to Submit GPAs: Non-SSN GPA File Upload Allows upload of GPA data without the student s SSN. Districts and/or Individual schools GPA matched to FAFSA/DA application using other data Can be submitted by batch individually or by batch File layout & User Guide available under Help in WebGrants (888) 294 0153 or schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov 32
Ways to Submit GPAs Student Initiated GPA Submission: Use paper GPA Verification form Download, print, complete demographic information Give to high school for GPA certification Student keeps a copy of the form Student mails GPA form and purchases proof of mailing Paper GPA Verification form is located online at: www.csac.ca.gov; www.calgrants.org; www.webgrants4students.org 33
How to retrieve GPA Reports
How to retrieve GPA Reports
Non-SSN GPA Status Report 36
Student Summary Report New Comprehensive Report 37
GPA-Best Practices Don t Wait! Establish a WebGrants account (GPAs can be uploaded right now) Read the WebGrants User Guides on the Help Screen. Use the Add GPAs screen for small batches of 100 or less GPA records Upload a GPA data file in.txt format for batches of 100 or more GPA records Use WebGrants reports to see the status of submitted GPA records 38
Tools for Schools
California Success Dashboard Coming soon in 2014, the Commission will publish aggregate totals of student FAFSA & CA Dream Act & Cal Grant application submissions, completions & awards by school, district and county 41
What Your Students Need to Know Once the application is filed; Create and maintain awebgrants 4 Students account If awarded, confirm HS Grad Date in June Once the college of attendance is decided ensure that WebGrants 4 Students has the correct school on file Contact the Financial Aid Office at the college of attendance to see what needs to be done in order to receive Cal Grant payment(s) Keep track of Cal Grant payments using the Payment History screen on WebGrants 4 Students If a School Change or Leave of Absence is necessary, submit to the Commission directly using WebGrants 4 Students 42
Cal Grant Payment Eligibility Cal Grants pay up to 4 years or until undergraduate degree is achieved, whichever comes first 12 units per term is considered full time for financial aid purposes Graduation in four years would require more than 12 units per term 43
Cal Grant Renewal Eligibility Renewal participants must meet income and asset ceilings. Students must meet satisfactory academic progress standard of school 44
WebGrants for Students (WGS)
WebGrants for Students (WGS) WGS is a CSAC web based application for students that provides: Secure, 24/7, student friendly access to manage their Cal Grant and Chafee Grant award Links to other related financial aid sites Empowers students with critical financial aid information to ensure successful processing of grant application & maintenance of their award status The WGS URL is: www.webgrants4students.org 46
WebGrants4Students.org Keep your demographic information up to date Check application and award status and view payment history Confirm high school graduation required to receive payment Print out California Aid Report (CAR) Request a school change and/or leave of absence online Send students to: www.webgrants4students.org 47
WebGrants4Students.org 48
WebGrants4Students.org High School Graduation Confirmation 49
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WebGrants4Students.org California Aid Report (CAR) 51
A New Grant Program Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program
A New Grant Program Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program: Available for undergraduate students Family incomes up to $150,000 Attend a University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campus 53
A New Grant Program Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program: MCS Applicants must file a FAFSA or Dream Act Application Must Meet the March 2 Deadline GPA not required, but recommended for all 54
Commission Communications, Web Training, and Social Media
Commission Communications Special Alerts and Operations Memos provide guidance for counselors, sign up by contacting School Support at schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov Watch important Commission events at www.csac.ca.gov 56
Commission Communications Obtain various publications in several languages online at www.publications.csac.ca.gov Cash for College materials ordered online through your account at www.calgrants.org/organizers 57
Commission Web Training Training sessions held online via WebEx online training tool check out www.csac.ca.gov Training topics include all types of Electronic GPA Submission Training (Traditional and non SSN) 58
Commission Social Media Interact with the Commission and its activities through many social media options, check out www.csac.ca.gov Facebook.com/CSAC.StudentAidCommission Follow us: @CaStudentAid 59
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Cash for College
Cash for College California s FAFSA/Dream Act Platform From Jan Mar 2. Open to all students and parents. Focus on lowincome and first gens Incentive Scholarship is offered for 2014 workshops! Seniors apply for a Cal Grant by the deadline to enter. Provides line by line help on the FAFSA, CA Dream Act & Chafee Applications. Workshops offer computers for on the spot processing Offers multi lingual materials, training, tools, site support funding. 62
Cash For College Partnering for FAFSA & Cal Grant Completion NEW WEBSITE + REGISTRATION to launch in LATE SEPTEMBER www.calgrants.org Facebook: CashforCollegeCalifornia Twitter: @cash4collegeca Statewide Cash for College office e mail is: cashforcollege@csac.ca.gov 63
Questions??