I’m a returning student that qualified for Cal Grant for 2022-23. I never got it before because my mom made too much money. Anyway, Cal Grant considers me a Sophomore and I am planning on transferring next year. It says that I have a total of 3 years left to receive the grant.
But the thing is I want to study abroad for maybe a year after I transfer. Being a CS major, I know that it’ll be difficult to complete any classes for my major if I study abroad. So assuming I can’t take any classes for my major while abroad, I’ll end up graduating in 3 years after transferring.
Will my Cal Grant last for those 3 years or will I only get 2 years only, and I’ll have to pay for the extra year? I haven’t gotten any disbursement for Cal Grant yet, so should I put it on hold? I’ve read that junior transfers will only get 2 years of Cal Grant, so if I put it on hold now will I only get 2 years even though it says I have 3 years left?
You can ask for a hold, or a leave of absence, but you have to contact the CalGrant office. It’s better if you talk to them. Later, you can email.
They work really well with students and you should call because they are extremely helpful and provide guidance, answering questions that you “should be asking” for the future.
If you plan on studying abroad for 1 year, please make sure that in January of the year you plan to return for the fall semester, that you fill out your FAFSA and get your paperwork in before March 2 and contact the CalGrant office.
Good luck!
For studying abroad, I was asking because UCEAP allows Cal Grant to be used to help pay for the costs. So I wanted to know if I would be able to get Cal Grant A for 3 years as a junior transfer, or if I’m stuck with only 2 years even though I hadn’t received any Cal Grant before.
Nonetheless, thank you, I just sent them an email to inquire.
If anyone else has gone through a similar situation, I’d like to hear it.
Sorry, I just read the pdf you sent more in depth and saw that my eligibility years is based on my educational level. Since I’m a sophomore, that’s a total of 3 years of eligibility. It also says that the award process is complete once I have received my first payment.
So from my understanding, I have to accept the payment for Fall 2022 to complete the process. Then am I allowed to put my Cal Grant on hold for Spring 2023, then start it up again in Fall 2023 and have 2.5 years left of eligibility when I transfer to a UC?
You should be able to place it on hold but you need to confirm with the CalGrant office. They wont help pay for your study abroad unless it is directly connected to your college’s course of study, but double check that.
My college’s FA told me to suspend my Cal Grant in order to keep 300% eligibility for when I transfer. But Cal Grant awards eligibility based on my educational level at the time of first payment. So when I transfer, won’t I have only 200% eligibility because I’ll be a junior at the time of first payment in Fall 2023?? Meaning at the year-end of academic year 2023-24, I’ll have 100% eligibility remaining. Is this correct?
The Cal Grant award process is not complete until you receive your first payment! In some circumstances, if you do not receive payment the first year you are awarded a Cal Grant, your award offer will be withdrawn.