<p>Just out of curiosity. Has anyone received any notifications from CSAC in regards to their Cal Grant? I log on daily and the site simply states, "pending certification form." I submitted that ages ago. I'm starting to wonder if they didn't get it.</p>
<p>I'm still pending certification form as well. Sent it in the day after I received it. I assume they're backed up?</p>
<p>I really hope they don't try to pull a fast one on us, seeing as my main reason to go to public over private (USC) school was based entirely on cost.</p>
<p>I never got official notice from CalGrant, but my award status says "financially ineligible" for Cal Grant A and B, and Program Edit Disqual for Cal Grant C.</p>
<p>Assuming my EFC is lower next year, would I possibly get a Cal Grant for my senior year at Berkeley? </p>
<p>Anyone know what Program Edit Disqual means? I assume it means they cut/discontinued the competitive Cal Grant this year. :-/</p>
<p>I'm still waiting on the app status too. I was awarded a preliminary transfer award - I checked this morning and it still says "pending certification form," but I sent that in ages ago..</p>
<p>I called them up, but when I chose the menu option to speak to a representative, this automated message basically said "we're still in the process of doing it, hang on and keep checking". Nobody picked up the phone, and the voicemail was all full, lol</p>
<p>Well, I typed an email to the Cal Grants office and got an auto reply message which might explain the certification form hangup.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Thank you for contacting the California Student Aid Commission (Commission). Your question is important to us, however, due to recent staffing reductions, there will be a delay in responding to your e-mail of up to 2 weeks. Commission staff understand your questions are important, so in the meantime, here is information that we hope will assist you in answering your questions:</p>
<p>We are currently processing all forms and making every effort to update your record. The current processing time for forms, on average, is 10 - 12 weeks from the date received.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The school determine it for you. You can't choose this or that grant. Period!</p>
<p>That's not true, you can change which cal grant option you want. However, they will RECOMMEND one grant over the other. UCSB recommends Cal Grant A (idk why) while UCI recommends Cal Grant B (which is the better choice, although you get a little less money your freshman year, you get more money over the life of the program). </p>
<p>When you have zero EFC, this is how cal grant works.</p>
<p>If you choose Cal Grant A, you are awarded a set amount from CSAC, and your University Grant from the UC will not change. However, Cal Grant A changes from year to year. Right now it's at about 7000 dollars, if it goes down to 5000, deal with it.</p>
<p>When you choose Cal Grant B, you get a set 1551 dollars. B will always be 1551 for freshman year. It only covers books and expenses. However, with zero EFC, the University will fill the gap between B and A for the first year, thus providing you with a total of about 7000 dollars. I don't know if this applies to all UCs, but it is true at SB. After the first year, Cal Grant B will start to pay for tution (and housing?) and you get a very large increase in the grant money. The University will no longer supplement your cal grant from then on.</p>
<p>For me, I only qualified for B, and it turns out B is far more helpful than A is. Kind of ironic, not getting a 3.0 is rewarding me. My friends who got over 3.0 with low EFC had to switch from A to B by visiting their campuses and getting their letters signed by their financial aid officers.</p>
<p>It is not true in your case, but it is true in my case. I got Calgrant B in both of my schools and I could not change the options. </p>
<p>The answer should be "The school usually (not always) determine it for you. Therefore, you probably (not always) choose this or that grant."</p>
<p>Oh, I didn't know that. I have no other experience with the CSAC other than with UC schools.</p>
<p>Try this link on the California Student Aid Commision (CSAC)</p>
<p>"How does CSAC determine which Cal Grant program I'm eligible for based on my GPA"?
<a href="http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/GPA_Matrix.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/GPA_Matrix.pdf</a></p>