Will I most likely lose my Cal Grant?

Paying for College
1

Hey guys. So I have a sad situation going on. I started off my college career at UCSB and did very well during the Fall 2015 quarter (Earned a 4.0 GPA). However, my father passed away on January 1st which was about 3 days before classes started for Winter 2016. I had no business being in school far from my family but my mom forced me to still go. Needless to say, it was bad. I withdrew from that quarter because I wanted to be with my family and my mom needed help around the house, and I needed her (corny, but how I feel). Anyways, I’ve decided to transfer to my local CC and hope to transfer to a school close to home. I’m starting this summer and it will take me around 2 years to transfer (I’ll only have around 18 units going in).

Here’s the thing: I rely a lot on financial aid since my mom only makes 30k a year. Cal Grant was a big help at UCSB. However, I think I lost it forever considering that it’s only awarded for 4 years and I pretty much used one up and I will be at CC for 2 more years. My plan was to transfer to UCI since its closest to my home. However, if I did indeed lose my Cal Grant, I will transfer to CSU Fullerton since it’s cheaper. Either way I will be a commuter.

I really don’t want to take out too many loans since I only want to be a Spanish teacher. That means undergrad + teaching credential program. My starting salary may not be very great so I really don’t want to screw myself over and accumulate a lot of debt!

Any input or past experiences are welcome!

2

I am so sorry about the loss of your father, and I absolutely understand your wanting to be home for a while. And good for you to be there to help your mother!

Lost it forever? No, as you said, you’ve only used a single year, and you have at least one left (if you attend CC for two years). You wouldn’t use your Cal Grant for CC. So long as you’re eligible for a Cal Grant (which you are), you’d also qualify for a BOG fee waiver, which would cover the cost of your enrollment fees at your local CC.

I have two concerns, however . . .

First, since most students would ordinarily be able to complete their studies in two years after transferring from a CC, I would assume that Cal Grant eligibility would be limited to two years. In your case, since you’ve already used one year, that would mean that you’d only have one year left. So, your costs at CC would be covered for two years, and your cost at a UC or CSU would be covered for one year, but you’d be on your own after that. If that’s the case, then you’d want to transfer to a CSU, since that’s less expensive.

Second, I have no idea if your Cal Grant can be held for you for another two years while you attend CC. I know it will be held for a student who’s starting at CC, but since you already did one year at a UC, I don’t know if that changes things. I’d like to think your Cal Grant would be held for you, but I just don’t know for sure.

So, here’s what you need to do:

Contact the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), explain your situation, and find out what your options are: (888) CA GRANT (888-224-7268).

Then, contact each of the following, and ask the same questions: the financial aid office at the CC you’re planning to attend; the financial aid office at the CSU that you’re thinking of transferring to; and the closest UC that you’d be able to attend. The financial aid office at the CC should be able to tell you about the BOG fee waiver, although they may not know anything about holding your Cal Grant. And the CSU and UC financial aid offices should be able to tell you if there’s any alternative funding available (from the CSU or UC itself) if your Cal Grant runs out before you complete your studies.

Research all of this thoroughly, so you can make the best decision possible. It may, for example, make more sense to stay at home, postpone school altogether for a year, and then go back to UCSB, since, at this point, you still have three years of Cal Grant left. On the other hand, if you’d also have to pay room and board at UCSB, that may be the worst choice - I just don’t know.

Your situation is unusual, but it’s not as bad as you think. You still have time, so ask lots of questions before you make a final decision. Come back and let us know what you find out . . . and good luck to you!!!