Cal Grant B community college

Paying for College
1

<p>Any Cal grant B experts in here? I googled for 2 hrs and couldnt find an answer....</p>

<p>I try to the CA student aid commission multiple times yesterday and today to answer my question but they wont answer the phone!! SMH </p>

<p>Ok so I was awarded a cal grant B from high school and I attended a CCC. I received $1551 which is nothing compared to what they give if I was at a private or UC. I looked at my remaining years of eligibility and it says 3. Did I use up a year of eligibilty by cashing in the $1551 living assistance? Or is it only 3 years that it will help for tuition? I will be staying at a CCC for another year and will be transferring my junior/3rd yr to a private or UC. Do I have to put my cal grant on reserve for the 2nd yr so I dont use up my eligibility years?? </p>

<p>
[quote]
Cal Grant B Entitlement Award
Students who meet all the Cal Grant eligibility requirements, and have at least a 2.0 GPA and apply by March 2 of the year they graduate from high school or the following year are guaranteed a Cal Grant B.
The Cal Grant B Entitlement award provides up to $1,551 for books and living expenses for students in their first year of college.
For the second and subsequent years, the award also provides for tuition and fees at the California State University and the University of California., as well as tuition support at participating independent colleges and universities and career colleges.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>
[quote]
Can I get a Cal Grant if I’m going to a community college?</p>

<p>If you’ll be attending a California Community College in the fall and you missed the March 2 Cal Grant application deadline, you have a second opportunity to apply for a Cal Grant by September 2. Since the number of awards available in September is limited, you should try to meet the March 2 deadline.</p>

<p>If you receive a Cal Grant A but decide to attend a California Community College first, your award will be held in reserve for up to two years until you transfer to a four-year college (as a Cal Grant recipient, your community college fees will be waived and community colleges don’t charge tuition). Be sure to inform the California Student Aid Commission of any address changes during this time. When you’re ready to transfer, be sure to notify the Commission so that your Cal Grant eligibility can be re-evaluated. Also, let your new college know that you have a Cal Grant A Reserve Grant.</p>

<p>If you receive a Cal Grant B, you can use your $1,551 living allowance to help pay for books and other community college costs. (If you do, however, keep in mind that you’ll be using up Cal Grant eligibility that you may instead want to save if you’re planning to transfer to a four-year college.)</p>

<p>If you’re pursuing a career or technical education, you can use your Cal Grant C award to pay for books and supplies at a community college.</p>

<p>If you didn’t receive a Cal Grant for community college, you may qualify for a Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement award to attend a four-year college.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>
[quote]
The total amount of time you are eligible to receive payment is called your “program eligibility.” The number of terms that you may receive payment for the Cal Grant is based on your year in college (freshman, sophomore, etc.) at the time you receive your first Cal Grant award payment. Therefore, if you first received a Cal Grant payment as a junior, you will receive a total of two years of Cal Grant payments.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Looking at the last quote.... Did I just throw $7500 down the drain by cashing in this living expense? Since UCs pay $9000 per year.... and if I saved my eligibility till when I transferred, I would have gotten $18000? Can I still return my cal grant check and get my eligibility year back??</p>

2

<p>You only get the access (living assistance if you want to phrase it a different way) with Cal Grant B at a CCC (the $1,551 amount). You do not get tuition/fee assistance. If you had Cal Grant A, you would get nothing. Those who receive Cal Grant A have their award automatically placed on hold until they transfer and those with Cal Grant B have the option to have the award placed on hold.</p>

<p>When you transfer as a junior, you have two years of eligibility remaining. However, if you take longer than two years to transfer, you will eat into your eligibility and could transfer with no eligibility remaining if you are not careful. You have already used one year. You have three remaining. One for CCC and two for a qualified four-year if you have not used up those last two years.</p>

<p>If you take three years, you will have one year remaining of eligibility. If you take four, you will have zero years remaining. This is the danger with not putting the award on hold.</p>

<p>You cannot “get any years back.” Also, the amount for the UCs is up to just over $11k a year that is covered (systemwide fees). Had you entered into a four-year immediately as a sophomore (AP credit, etc), you would have had only three years of eligibility anyways.</p>

<p>If you put your award on reserve now, you will still only transfer with two years of eligibility when you transfer as a junior. You still would have had only two years of eligibility even if you put it on hold when you had frosh standing when you entered CCC.</p>

3

<p>

Are you sure about this? I couldnt find any info on this… Im putting my 2nd year on reserve for sure… Why is my eligibility getting eaten up when Im not using it??</p>

<p>If I return my $1551 back to the financial aid office, will I have 4 years eligibility? I dont need this money anyway. Its just going into the savings which is no use.</p>

<p>Also if I dont use my cal grant B, I can get the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant right? </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Cal grant is so damn confusing…</p>

<p>And those who have cal grant A on reserve still have 2 years left?? and when they cash it in junior year gets double the payment?

</p>

4

<p>I’m 100% positive. You will only transfer with two years of eligibility as a junior even if you have three showing now. If you’re sure you will transfer next year, you might as well hang onto it so you can get the $1,551 amount you wouldn’t get otherwise. Returning the money will do no good either. You’ll now be out that money as well and still lose the eligibility years. You cannot “buy back” those years. They are gone no matter what you do. Junior transfers only have two years of eligibility remaining by the time they transfer even if it was on reserve.</p>

<p>I guarantee you will only have two years of eligibility when you transfer as a junior (this is true for both A and B) even if you place it on hold with currently three years remaining. It is the right thing to do, though, to follow up on this yourself. Call CSAC and they will explain to you the exact same thing. Their own website says you transfer with two years of eligibility rather than four even if you placed it on hold when you entered CCC.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/NEWS/G-30_calgrantcomparisonchart.pdf[/url]”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/NEWS/G-30_calgrantcomparisonchart.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Note the bolded part. “Whichever is less.” Your time before transfer from a CCC (no matter how many years it takes*) is considered to be equal to two full-time years of study. This is because you cannot achieve higher than sophomore status until you transfer to a four-year as a junior. In other words, whether you had used the money or not, you ate up two years of eligibility.</p>

<p>However, if you happen to be going into one of the few fifth year mandatory programs, here is the form to request a fifth year of eligibility:
<a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/G-42.pdf[/url]”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/G-42.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It lists out which programs at which schools are eligible.</p>

<p>Cal Grant really isn’t that confusing, but I’ve read a lot about it over the past several years so perhaps I’m just used to it :B.</p>

<p>*Note: You can eat up additional eligibility by not putting the grant on reserve if you take more than two years.</p>

5

<p>Thanks kender. What about when they say use up eligibilty that you might want to save? They’re talking about 3rd or 4th yr at a CC?</p>

<p>

</p>

6

<p>I’m not sure how to make this any more clear… if you use up your eligibility before you transfer, it will be gone.</p>

<p>When you receive the $1,551, you are using eligibility. The years would be gone regardless if you were using them or not when you transfer, but if you use more than two years at CCC, then you will lose more years of eligibility for after transfer. They do not give you the $1,551 indefinitely.</p>

<p>If you are at a CCC and you use three years of eligibility, then you will transfer with one year of eligibility remaining. If you stay four years, then you will have none. If you use two, then you will transfer with two. If your award was put on hold/reserve and no eligibility used directly, then you will transfer with two.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the clarification.</p>

<p>

So the ONLY benefit of putting it on reserve for my next year is that I dont transfer my junior year? What if I use 2 years, then find out Im not transferring, then put it on reserve, is that possible?</p>

<p>I just got half of the $1551 check a couple days ago and still havent cashed it and I talked to the financial aid office and I asked if I can return it to get my eligibility years back and they said its possible… but Im deciding whats more beneficial right now. The other half of the $1551 might be delayed till next fall or even next year they said because lack of funds…</p>

8

<p>Honestly, just keep calling CSAC during business hours. Leave a message with your name, phone number, and a brief message about your questions. You will get through if you’re persistent. Don’t listen to your CCC FA Office on this. You cannot “gain years back.” I don’t see why you would try since, as I’ve shown from CSAC’s documents, you will only ever transfer with two years as a junior.</p>

<p>I highly doubt the funds will be delayed. They’ve already been approved for this year. They are only ever delayed at the beginning of the year when the California budget has not yet passed. Anything delayed for fall 2011 will be because that year’s budget has not yet passed. Anything for the current academic year should not be delayed.</p>

9

<p>Yeah I’ve called like 20 times today and 20 times yesterday. I’ll try again tomorrow. Yeah the financial aid lady told me to go back next week to talk to the speacialist since I think she didnt know what she was talking about.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help Kender. Appreciate it</p>

<p>Is the California Community colllege transfer entitlement cal grant different? Or it is 2 year eligibility as well?</p>

10

<p>CCC Transfer Entitlement is essentially the same thing and is the reason the award can be put on reserve if you qualify right out of high school. It’s really just another way for students to qualify if they didn’t qualify right out of high school.</p>

<p>How odd it’s taking that many calls to get through to someone. I mean, it is likely a heavy traffic time for them considering new awards being given and people calling to complain that they didn’t qualify for the entitlement nor did they make the point cut off for the competitive, but seems to me you should have gotten through by now. I’ve seen some other posts of people successfully getting through.</p>

<p>Have you tried leaving a message? I haven’t called CSAC myself, but I wonder if this might help. Perhaps also try calling right at the beginning of their hours for the day if possible.</p>

11

<p>They dont let me leave a message.</p>

<p>So in the end, Cal grant B gets more money than cal grant A for people transferring from a CC?</p>

12

<p>How odd… Nothing to be done about it, I guess, though :(. Just keep trying.</p>

<p>And Cal Grant B is worth more than Cal Grant A regardless of entering as a frosh or as a junior transfer. The “shortfall” in the tuition/fee assistance freshman year for B is met by the school.</p>

<p>But yes, B is clearly worth more than A for a transfer since there is no frosh year shortfall to worry about being covered :)</p>

13

<p>Hello I was hoping one of you could help clear this up for me. </p>

<p>When I come across this,</p>

<p>"California Community College Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant</p>

<p>In addition, students can not have received a Cal Grant within a year of graduating from high school."</p>

<p>I get the impression that it means we cannot receive a CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant at all (A or B) if we receive a Cal Grant while attending a CC. Does anyone else read into this the same way?</p>

<p>Before I enrolled into the CC that I am currently attending, I had been accepted and set to go to a 4-year university that had awarded me a Cal Grant A. Now, a year later, I am planning to transfer back to that same 4-year university that awarded me the Cal Grant A but I did receive a Cal Grant B while attending the CC. Does this mean I might have a Cal Grant A in reserve when I transfer back in to the 4-year university?</p>

<p>Also, can anyone explain to me the difference between a "CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant " and a “Community College Reserve Grant”?</p>

14

<p>I’m a little confused. Did you actually attend that four-year? Did you ever receive disbursements from Cal Grant A if the answer to the first question is yes?</p>

<p>One can only receive Cal Grant A or B and once disbursement has begun, it cannot be changed.</p>

<p>Cal Grant is based on eligibility years. Many put them “on reserve” while at a CCC. This is automatic for Cal Grant A (it cannot be used at a CCC) and is optional for Cal Grant B (the assess portion is available, but no tuition/fee assistance at a CCC). If one chooses to use B while at a CCC, they risk losing all eligibility time remaining if they stay beyond two years. When one transfers as a junior, one (in theory) will have two eligibility years remaining. When one applies for Cal Grant at the time of transfer (transfer entitlement), the same eligibility time is two years.</p>

<p>If you’ve been receiving payments from Cal Grant B, then that is what you will transfer with assuming the answers to my first two questions are no. Cal Grant B is worth more than A.</p>

<p>A CCC Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant is a Cal Grant that is granted to students as they transfer from a CCC to a qualified California four-year and did not apply and receive a Cal Grant immediately post high school that is sitting in reserve. A Community College Reserve Grant (usually just called a reserve grant) is a Cal Grant that has been put in reserve (on hold, if you prefer) while a student attends a CCC because it cannot be used at a CCC (except for Cal Grant B’s assess as I mentioned earlier).</p>

15

<p>Sorry about that, Ill try to explain my situation a little more clearly.</p>

<p>No I did not attend (I had accepted admission but withdrew before the semester began) and I did not receive any disbursements. All I received was an award LETTER in which I saw that a Cal Grant A had been awarded to me ($9,708). But this was BEFORE I withdrew and chose to go to a CC instead. I didn’t know whether this was relevant or not which is why I decided to include it in my first post.</p>

<p>My fear when coming across the information that I posted previously was that I would not be eligible for ANY type of Cal Grant aid when I transfer since I received Cal Grant B disbursements at a CC this year instead of putting it on reserve. (By the time I transfer I will only have been at the CC for 1 year.) Judging from the information you’ve given me, I’m guessing this fear was not justified and I will have 3 years of eligibility left when I transfer. Put another way, if everything goes according to plan and I transfer to a 4-year by this Fall '12, I will receive Cal Grant aid no matter what. Would this be correct?</p>

<p>Also, assuming that that is correct, would I be receiving the CCC Transfer Entitlement Grant or the reserve grant?</p>

<p>Here is more info on my situation:

  • I graduated from high school in 2011.
  • I applied and received $1,551 from Cal Grant B for the 2011-2012 year.</p>
16

<p>Ah, good. So you didn’t receive any disbursements from A. You’ve only received B.</p>

<p>Are you transferring as a sophomore or as a junior? If you’ll be a sophomore, you’ll have three years of eligibility left (or, if it’s easier, 6 semesters or 9 quarters). If you’ll be a junior, you’ll have two years (4 semesters or 6 quarters). Cal Grant just cares about your class standing when it comes to eligibility years.</p>

<p>You will transfer with it, don’t sweat it so much. What you read has nothing to do with you and your situation as you already have Cal Grant. But you have to make sure that the school is aware you have the grant. There should be little issue since most California schools are pretty good about staying on top of that sort of thing, but one can never be too careful. It not being in true reserve (still receiving the access) does not matter except if you stayed longer than two years at a CCC (risks running out of eligibility time).</p>

<p>The grant you would be receiving is what you already have. The name of it really doesn’t matter except for people who had no grant to begin with. It’s all the same thing anyways, just different names to help with distinguishing who is qualified and who is not. The award is the same. Yours happened to be issued after you graduated from high school.</p>

<p>Be mindful of the renewal qualifications. One used to only have to have a small amount of need and did not have to meet income and asset ceilings again. Ever since the current year’s renewals came through last spring, one must meet income and asset ceilings again same as new award recipients.</p>

17

<p>Thank you so much! I was really freaking out. </p>

<p>Yes, I’ll be transferring in as a Sophomore. So in conclusion, I’ll be receiving the Cal Grant B when I transfer as long as I:</p>

<ol>
<li>Let the school I’m transferring into know that I have a Cal Grant.</li>
<li>Change my school of attendance to new school.</li>
</ol>

<p>Right?</p>

18

<p>Pretty much, but also include that you’ll maintain it through transfer as long as you still meet qualifications to continue to receive it. The FA Office at the school you’re transferring to will be able to help you if there’s any hiccups. You did already submit your FAFSA, yes? The deadline is tomorrow.</p>

19

<p>I am a 2nd year student at a community college and I plan on transfering to a university. I do not know when since I am a part time student. When is the best time to apply for a Cal grant and what cal grant should I apply for. You two seem to know a lot about the cal grants, thanks.</p>