So I know that you have to submit the FAFSA for every new academic year, but I’m not sure how it works for Cal Grants.
I’m a California-born in-state resident and I’m currently enrolled in Fall 2020 as a first-time freshman. I received the maximum award amount of $12,570 for Cal Grant A this year (I think because of my high school GPA). Do I get the same amount all four years of my undergraduate education without doing anything (as in it automatically renews with given conditions)? Or do I have to do something like renewing it or reapplying, every year? If so, how?
I visited the Cal Grant website while I was typing out this question and saw that there was a new tab for 2021-2022. My “Application Status” was labeled as incomplete, and when I clicked the button to show more details on that panel, all fields were blank. The other panels (“School of Attendance”, “Annual Award Amount”, and “Remaining Eligibility”) were also blank. When I went back to the “Application Status” panel and clicked “To Do,” this is what it said: “If you have submitted your Application, please allow 7-10 days for this status to update. If you have not submitted your application please visit (FAFSA). to complete your application.” Is the reason why the panels are blank because I have haven’t yet submitted the 2021-2022 FAFSA? I’m currently in the middle of filling it out. When I submit it, will the panels soon fill up with information?
Also, I clicked the 2020-2021 tab and it said that I still had 4.00 years left for my “Remaining Eligibility.” What does this mean considering that I now have a 2021-2022 tab on my Cal Grant page?
I’m sorry if this was a lot. But thank you in advance!
@“aunt bea” @Gumbymom I’m guessing you can answer this question!
This link should answer all your questions but yes you need to renew your Cal grant each year by filling out the FASFA and meeting the Cal Grant eligibility requirements outlined in the link:
https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/understanding_my_cal_grant.pdf
Yes, please use the link^. Also, the Calgrant office is very student-friendly so when you call, they will walk you through anything that seems confusing.
Re your questions:
You are currently in Year one and have not fully “spent” Year one, so it says you have 4 years of eligibility left. (They don’t know if you’ve dropped classes, changed from full to part time, etc.)
Some college financial aid offices require that you get a confirmation of “Satisfactory Academic Progress” which is
simple to do by getting the registrar to confirm each semester’s/quarter’s grades. The Calgrant office may request them.
You should have a student account at CalGrant: www.webgrants4students.org
Towards the end of a quarter or semester, the Calgrant office may send an e-mail with a heads up of what to expect. (Check your email periodically because sometimes they go to spam mail.)
If you want to “get ahead of the game” stuff:
You need to work with your parents, on filing an “estimate” of their income taxes, at the beginning of each school year while you’re in college. Your parents will receive their W-2 forms in January. The W2 form is from their employers telling them how much income was made over the year. You and your parents will need to start filling out an estimate of their taxes. (A lot of families use TurboTax or have a tax service do it, but you should be able to fill it out since it’s pretty straightforward).
For the next four years, while you’re in school receiving Cal Grant monies, you need to file an estimate of your taxes before the March 2 deadline. Don’t miss the deadline.
Cal Grant doesn’t care if there will be changes to your family’s taxes. They will address those later, but your estimated tax paperwork for Cal Grant has to go in before the March 2 deadline every year..
I realize that this is a lot of information to take in, so please don’t worry; it will get done. You can always contact the Cal Grant office. They’re very very helpful. Please don’t stress out about the funding since your financial aid office can also help; they’re just a little bit busier. If you have further questions feel free to post here on CC and someone will help you figure it out. Good luck!