<p>Cal Grant A: Qualified - Not Awarded
Cal Grant B: Awarded - On Hold
Cal Grant C: Not Awarded</p>
<p>For Cal Grant A I would receive $10,302 for 4 years.</p>
<p>For Cal Grant B I recieve $1,551 for living expenses and no tuition money for the first year. Then the next 3 years I would receive $1,551 for living expenses + tuition fees.</p>
<p>I know I am supposedly given the award that would benefit me the most for the long run but I calculated everything and I don't see how this is the case:</p>
<p>Cal Grant A: $10,302 x 4 = $41,208
Cal Grant B: ($1,551 x 4) + ($10,302 x 3) = $37,110</p>
<p>So in the end, Cal Grant A awards more money? If this is true, why would I be awarded B and not A if I qualified for both? Thanks!</p>
<p>That is incorrect, missemily516. Cal Grant A is not limited to only private colleges and can be used for any qualified California college, public or private. The award amount is based on which school you will be attending (example: less money is awarded if attending a CSU than a UC).</p>
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<p>(emphasis mine)</p>
<p>lpfun: Where are you getting the amount $10,302 from? According to the website, the max awarded per year with Cal Grant A is $9,708 for privates, $7,788 for UCs, and $3,354 for CSUs. Do you have a link to a change in funding for Cal Grant for the 2010-2011 school year? Or is this the amount that is showing when you log in? And what type of institution (CSU, UC, private, etc) are you intending to attend?</p>
<p>I had the same thing happen to me actually.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why I would be awarded B. My schools on the list are all UC’s and to the poster above (apparently you can get more because I got the same rewards as the OP).</p>
<p>I’m in the same place as the OP I don’t understand why they award cal grant b instead of a. From my friends the ones who are somewhat well off are getting cal grant a. Is there any way I can switch because I’d rather have the 10k I qualify for if I recieved cal grant a.</p>
<p>Yes, but that doesn’t answer my question of where this information is located as the Cal Grants website has entirely different information. I’m just curious about the extra funding and if this is a change for the 2010-2011 year. My Cal Grant hasn’t updated yet and mine for the current year was only for winter and spring (so my Cal Grant was reduced accordingly). It’s good news if there’s a change due to the recent and upcoming fee raises, but I would like to inform the webmaster that there is an error if the max amount has increased.</p>
<p>I can only speculate why you would receive B rather than A. The wording on A of “tuition and fees” makes me believe that it can only be used for tuition and fees. However, I don’t recall reading anything specific to this. But, if so, this is why B is more valuable in the long run as you will automatically receive that $1,551 in living and book expenses (broken up by quarter or semester, of course) as a direct deposit or as a check. And if you are low enough income to receive Cal Grant B, then you might be receiving at least some Pell Grant and possibly some institution grants. This would probably account for the apparent “loss” by being awarded B instead of A.</p>
<p>In my experience, B is far more beneficial than A when you have a low EFC. But you have to look at the whole financial aid package to see it, not just the one grant.</p>
<p>So my next question would be: have you received any other grants beyond Cal Grant? Do you have any gaps in your financial aid package or was your full need met? And if the latter, was the difference between A and B for the first year met with loans or was it met with grants?</p>
<p>Kender, I got the $10,302 directly from the Cal Grant website when checking my status. Here is what it says:</p>
<p>NEW Cal Grant A QUALIFIED - NOT AWARDED
Total Award Amount: $10,302</p>
<p>And to get a Pell Grant, would I have to apply? or is one automatically qualified? I haven’t applied for any other grants because I really don’t know any other.</p>
<p>You have to complete the FAFSA to get the pell. If you are eligible for any Pell (EFC 4617 or under) then you should be awarded it by your school. There is no additional application.</p>
<p>Interesting! I think I will have to do some more digging and watch my own account closely for when it updates to see what mine says. Are you going to a CSU, UC, or private? Thank you for the information.</p>
<p>So you haven’t received your financial aid package yet? If not, I’d highly recommend holding off on contesting receiving B over A until you’ve seen what the rest of your package looks like and then compare the benefits of one versus the other. I truly believe you will see B as of more benefit to you than A in the long run when the rest of your package is ready.</p>
<p>Note - if you qualify for B, you can choose to take A instead - it will be up to you. Many students find that over four years, B is more beneficial.</p>
<p>The UCs tend to take the B for any one who qualifies, B has more stringent requirements. Then the UC makes up the difference between A&B for the first year and in the subsequent years B is more than A</p>
<p>What if … I qualify for Cal grant A & B freshman year because Dad is unemployed. When he gets a job, EFC will shoot up and I won’t be eligible for Cal grant in subsequent years. Is it better to take Cal grant A in this case, after looking at the total grant picture for freshman year?</p>
<p>My daughter got the same thing and I talked to someone from the Cal Grant office. She told me to talk to the financial aid office and they will inform us on which is a better deal. There is a form to submit to change from B to A. It was included with the letter we received. It doesn’t have to be done until September. I’m still a little confused about it but hopefully once we talk to her school they’ll clear things up. Her efc is 0 and I’m sure they would give her the best choice in the long run. She just hasn’t decided where she’s going yet.</p>
<p>This past year, initially I was awarded B after being eligible for both A & B. Then the UC campus I was enrolled in mid fall quarter switched my cal Grant from B to A because it suited them. I guess given the uncertainty of UC financing this past year they preferred to take the higher Cal Grant A on the theory of " a bird in hand is worth two in the bush". Now that Cal Grants appear safe in the State budget, maybe it will be different this year. Overall though, if you get B you get a higher UC grant and conversely the higher Cal Grant A is offset by a lower UC grant.</p>
<p>Overall, just be grateful for both the Cla Grant and the great value a UC education represents.</p>
<p>Wait, so you can only get one of them? you can’t get A AND B at the same time? that’s so confusing =( i got B with an EFC of 0… I really can’t pay for college without the grants. now it says i have to pay for more than $17000 which is not too high but a lot for my parents… ah help please!</p>
<p>For year #1, you cannot get both A and B. If you choose B, in subsequent years you will get A + B. If you choose A, in subsequent years you will get A only.</p>
<p>In the past, the UCs and many CA privates generally suggested B and gave UC or institutional grants to make up the difference for year #1.</p>
<p>B is an advantage because it can be paid directly to the student for expenses such as books and supplies. A is only paid to the school.</p>
<p>Students who qualify for both A and B need to contact each school’s financial aid office to discuss which will be most beneficial to that particular student. The answer will be different depending on the student, the school and the circumstance. There is not one answer that can cover it.</p>
<p>If you disagree with the financial aid office (though remember, they do this every year and may have a clearer picture of what is most beneficial than you), the student has the final say in choosing between A and B.</p>
<p>“For year 2010-11, a Cal Grant A pays $10,302 at the University of California, $4,429 at California State University, and $9,708 at non-public colleges.”</p>