This information sheet is for students who will be renewing an existing Cal Grant award from a prior year. Please read and understand the information. Failure to follow these procedures could result in your award being cancelled and the repayment of any Cal Grant funds that you have already received. The Cal Grant award may be withdrawn or award amounts may change as a result of the final state budget. California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) CSAC is the State agency charged with administering the Cal Grant Program and only CSAC has the authority to make an official Cal Grant award offer. Any award estimates made by a college are not official until confirmed by CSAC. Cal Grant Program Length As a Cal Grant recipient, you may receive up to the equivalent of four years of full-time grant payments. The phrase “program length” refers to the number of academic terms that you may be eligible to receive Cal Grant payments. The duration of your eligibility will be based on your educational level at the time you receive your first Cal Grant payment. Your eligibility will be reduced by each term that you receive payment. Renewing Your Cal Grant (A, B, and C) After CSAC verifies whether or not you are eligible to renew your Cal Grant, a letter or e-mail will be sent to you. To be eligible for a Cal Grant renewal award, you must: • File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year. • Meet income and asset ceilings and minimum need criteria. • Attend a Cal Grant eligible school located in California. • Have remaining Cal Grant Program eligibility. • Have received Cal Grant payments for all terms or requested a leave of absence (LOA). Cal Grant A California Community College (CCC) Reserve A Cal Grant A award does not pay at a community college. The awards are held in CCC Reserve status and are automatically renewed for up to two years enrollment if continued at the community college. Your Cal Grant funds may become available to you when you transfer to an Cal Grant eligible, degree-granting, tuition/fee-charging school, if you meet all the renewal requirements at the time of transfer. You may request a third year of reserve in writing by submitting an appeal form. When you transfer, be sure to update your school of choice on the WebGrants for Students (WGS) at webgrants4students.org. Leave of Absence (LOA) If you are not enrolled at least half-time for any term, you must submit a LOA request from the Cal Grant program. Request a LOA by going to WGS at webgrants4students.org. Total leave time may not exceed one academic year. Extensions may be granted only for documented exceptional situations and, in such circumstances, you must follow CSAC’s appeal process. Cal Grant Renewal Important Program Facts G-2 (07/2011) Summer School If you are considering using your Cal Grant for summer school attendance, please consult with the Financial Aid Office at your school to: • Maximize the use of your Cal Grant program eligibility, • See if your school accepts summer payments, and, • See if your school will automatically submit your summer Cal Grant payment on your behalf. Summer Cal Grant payment amounts are based on the regular school year grant and may not be sufficient to meet all of your summer tuition/fee charges. It is important to note that summer payments will reduce your total program eligibility for Cal Grant benefits. If you take the summer payment option, you might not have enough remaining eligibility to assist you during your fourth year (assuming you entered the program as a freshman with four years of eligibility). Changing Your Information Changes to your address or school of attendance can be done on WGS at webgrants4students.org. To submit changes to your name or Social Security Number, download and submit the Grant Record Change Form for Students (G-10). Remember, your financial need will be reevaluated if you change your school choice. If your college expenses are reduced due to a school change, your grant may be reduced or withdrawn accordingly. If your financial circumstances have changed since you filed your FAFSA, or you believe you have special financial circumstances which may affect your eligibility, contact the financial aid office on the campus that you plan on attending in the fall. If your financial aid office updates your financial information and those changes result in a change to your Cal Grant award eligibility, your financial aid office will submit those updates to CSAC on your behalf. CSAC does not make any updates to financial information reported on the FAFSA. All financial changes must be made and reported to CSAC by your school’s financial aid office. Forms To download CSAC forms, go to csac.ca.gov and click on Publications, then click on Participant Forms and Applications, and then click on the form name. CSAC Contact Information When contacting CSAC, always include your name, CSAC ID, mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number. When sending mail to CSAC, we recommend that you obtain a United States Postal Service Certificate of Mailing. General Correspondence and Appeals: California Student Aid Commission Student Support Services Branch P.O. Box 419027 Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-9027 FAX: 916-464-8002 WebGrants for Students: webgrants4students.org Internet Access: csac.ca.gov or calgrants.org E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: Toll-free (888) 224-7268 Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:25:07 +0000
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