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Cal Grants Overview 2013 CASFAA/CSAC High School Counselor Workshops Presented by the California Student Aid Commission Slide 2 Agenda Basic Cal Grant Eligibility Cal Grants A, B, and C High School Entitlement Awards and Graduation Verification Student Notifications WebGrants for Schools GPA and Academic Qualifier Submission Tools for Schools WebGrants for Students Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program Commission Communications, Web Training, and Social Media Cash For College Program 2 Slide 3 Basic Cal Grant Eligibility Slide 4 4 Federal Requirements Additional Cal Grant Requirements *U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen*California Resident Meet Selective Service requirements Attend an eligible California school *Have a Social Security numberBe enrolled at least half-time Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress High School GPA required (Entitlement) Not owe a grant repayment or be in default on a student loan Not be incarcerated Not have earned a BA/BS degree * These requirements are supplanted by other eligibility criteria for AB 540 students Slide 5 Cal Grant Income & Asset Ceilings 5 Slide 6 Eligible and Ineligible Cal Grant School Lists 6 Slide 7 Cal Grants A, B, and C Slide 8 Cal Grant A Low to middle income students who: Meet the income and asset ceilings Have financial need 3.00 High School GPA minimumAssociates or Bachelors programs onlyMaximum annual award amounts Used for tuition and/or fees only Held in reserve while attending community college CSUUC IndependentFor Profit $ 5,472/yr$ 12,192/yr$ 8,056/yr$4,000/yr 8 Slide 9 Cal Grant B Low income students who: Meet the income and asset ceilings 2.00 GPA minimumAssociates, Bachelors, and Certificate programsAnnual Awards $1,473 stipend first year Fees/Tuition plus $1,473 in 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th yr Available as Entitlement & Competitive Awards 9 Slide 10 Cal Grant C Low and middle income students who: Enroll in vocational courses of study Associates and Certificate programs only Can be used for any school expenses including tuition and fees Eligibility determined only after full Cal Grant A and B consideration 10 Slide 11 Cal Grant C Priority given based on Occupational Goal Meeting 2 of the 3: high employment need, high employment growth, and high wage 11 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses CarpentersMedical Secretaries Computer Specialists, All OtherParalegals and Legal Assistants Computer Support SpecialistsPolice and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Cooks, RestaurantPreschool Teachers, Except Special Education Fire FightersRegistered Nurses Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors Slide 12 High School Entitlement Awards and Graduation Verification Slide 13 High School Entitlement Awards Cal Grant A and B Recent high school graduates or equivalent (GED, CHSPE) 2014/15 AY: graduated on or after July 1, 2012 High school GPA requiredMeet minimum GPA and income/need requirementsPotentially unlimited number of awards 13 Slide 14 CSAC reports missing GPAs and FAFSA/DREAM Act Applications to schools via WebGrants CSAC can then match between GPA and FAFSA/DREAM Act Application information Make sure graduating seniors include their high school on the FAFSA/DREAM Act Application High School Entitlement Awards 14 Slide 15 Cal Grant High School Entitlement Students needing to mail may use the High School Graduation Confirmation form, HS transcripts or other authoritative documents Schools & school districts can assist to provide post-graduation confirmation of HS graduation Students can confirm online using WebGrants for Students High School Graduation Confirmation *Required* 15 Slide 16 High School Graduation Verification 16 Slide 17 High School Graduation Verification 17 Slide 18 High School Graduation Verification 18 Slide 19 High School Graduation Verification 19 Slide 20 Student Notifications Slide 21 Awarded applicants that submit a FAFSA/DREAM Act Application & GPA will receive a California Aid Report (CAR) via email E-CAR indicates Cal Grant eligibility Sent as early as February Letter notification will be sent if no email address Mark these addresses as not junk: calgrantoffice@csac.ca.gov studentsupport@csac.ca.gov 21 Slide 22 22 Student Notifications (CAR) Email Delivery Provides grant type and estimated amounts for up to 3 CA schools listed on the FAFSA Communication with CSAC is emphasized Slide 23 WebGrants for Schools Slide 24 WebGrants Home Page https://webgrants.csac.ca.gov www.csac.ca.gov Look for WebGrants in the High Schools tab Download WebGrants Access Request forms CSAC Technology Help Desk (888) 294-0148 or csachelpdesk@csac.ca.gov WebGrants for Students www.webgrants4students.org Contact: 24 Slide 25 WebGrants for Schools Upload GPA by batch or key individual GPAMore secure than US Mail results shown in real timeBuilt-in edits to catch errors (e.g. Social Security typos)Confirmation of receipt of recordsSupport Your Students with Follow-Up Report Access GPA Summary and School of Origin Reports HS graduation confirmation reports FAFSA, No GPA Report 25 https://webgrants.csac.ca.gov Slide 26 GPA and Academic Qualifier Submission Slide 27 Academic Qualifiers & Submissions High school GPA Test Scores SAT, ACT, GED, allowed if: student does not have a GPA has coursework that cant be converted to a 4.00 maximum GPA attended a non-accredited high school SAT Reasoning Test Academic Qualifier Types: 27 Slide 28 Cal Grant GPA Calculation Current High School Seniors High School GPA calculation is the same as prior years sophomore and junior grades only! *Remember to exclude P.E, R.O.T.C, and Remedial To calculate a High School GPA, go to http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=983 and look for Cal Grant GPA Calculation Information Call School Support Line (888) 294-0153Look for webinars in Nov., Dec., Jan., and Feb.. 28 Slide 29 Cal Grant GPA Calculation Last Years High School Graduates High School GPA calculation for students that graduated high school the prior academic year is sophomore, junior, and senior grades *Remember to exclude P.E, R.O.T.C, and Remedial Consider sending GPA information for students that graduated the prior year as part of the normal GPA submission process Be sure to send the correct high school graduation date if sending current seniors and students that graduated the prior year in same data file (ex. current seniors 06/2014, students that graduated last year 06/2013) 29 Slide 30 Statewide Student Identifier CSAC is now asking for the Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) with the GPA submission The GPA Data File specifications for electronic uploads and the paper GPA Verification form have been modified to include this identifier The SSID will be used to help match the students GPA record to the FAFSA or Dream Act application and later match HS graduation information. 30 Slide 31 School Initiated GPA Submission: By batch upload using WebGrants With SSNs Without SSNs Individually using WebGrants (Add GPAs screen)Questions? Electronic GPA Upload Questions? School Support Branch (888) 294-0153 schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov Ways to Submit GPAs 31 Slide 32 Ways to Submit GPAs: Non-SSN GPA File Upload Allows upload of GPA data without the students SSN. Districts and/or Individual schools GPA matched to FAFSA/DA application using other dataCan be submitted by batch individually or by batchFile layout & User Guide available under Help in WebGrants(888) 294-0153 or schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov 32 Slide 33 Ways to Submit GPAs 33 Student Initiated GPA Submission: Use paper GPA Verification form Download, print, complete demographic information Give to high school for GPA certification Student keeps a copy of the form Student mails GPA form and purchases proof of mailing Paper GPA Verification form is located online at: www.csac.ca.gov; www.calgrants.org; www.webgrants4Students.org Slide 34 How to retrieve GPA Reports Slide 35 Slide 36 Non-SSN GPA Status Report 36 Slide 37 Student Summary Report New Comprehensive Report 37 Slide 38 GPA-Best Practices Dont Wait! Establish a WebGrants account (GPAs can be uploaded right now) Read the WebGrants User Guides on the Help Screen. Use the Add GPAs screen for small batches of 100 or less GPA records Upload a GPA data file in.txt format for batches of 100 or more GPA records Use WebGrants reports to see the status of submitted GPA records 38 Slide 39 Tools for Schools Slide 40 Slide 41 California Success Dashboard Coming soon in 2014, the Commission will publish aggregate totals of student FAFSA & CA Dream Act & Cal Grant application submissions, completions & awards by school, district and county 41 Slide 42 What Your Students Need to Know Once the application is filed; Create and maintain a WebGrants 4 Students account If awarded, confirm HS Grad Date in June Once the college of attendance is decided ensure that WebGrants 4 Students has the correct school on file Contact the Financial Aid Office at the college of attendance to see what needs to be done in order to receive Cal Grant payment(s) Keep track of Cal Grant payments using the Payment History screen on WebGrants 4 Students If a School Change or Leave of Absence is necessary, submit to the Commission directly using WebGrants 4 Students 42 Slide 43 Cal Grant Payment Eligibility Cal Grants pay up to 4 years or until undergraduate degree is achieved, whichever comes first 12 units per term is considered full-time for financial aid purposes Graduation in four years would require more than 12 units per term 43 Slide 44 Cal Grant Renewal Eligibility Renewal participants must meet income and asset ceilings. Students must meet satisfactory academic progress standard of school 44 Slide 45 WebGrants for Students (WGS) Slide 46 WGS is a CSAC web-based application for students that provides: Secure, 24/7, student-friendly access to manage their Cal Grant and Chafee Grant award Links to other related financial aid sites Empowers students with critical financial aid information to ensure successful processing of grant application & maintenance of their award status The WGS URL is: www.webgrants4students.org 46 Slide 47 WebGrants4Students.org Keep your demographic information up-to-dateCheck application and award status and view payment historyConfirm high school graduation -- required to receive paymentPrint out California Aid Report (CAR)Request a school change and/or leave of absence online Send students to: www.webgrants4students.org 47 Slide 48 WebGrants4Students.org 48 Slide 49 WebGrants4Students.org High School Graduation Confirmation 49 Slide 50 50 Slide 51 WebGrants4Students.org California Aid Report (CAR) 51 Slide 52 A New Grant Program Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program Slide 53 Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program: Available for undergraduate students Family incomes up to $150,000 Attend a University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campus 53 A New Grant Program Slide 54 Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program: MCS Applicants must file a FAFSA or Dream Act Application Must Meet the March 2 Deadline GPA not required, but recommended for all 54 A New Grant Program Slide 55 Commission Communications, Web Training, and Social Media Slide 56 Commission Communications Special Alerts and Operations Memos provide guidance for counselors, sign up by contacting School Support at schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov Watch important Commission events at www.csac.ca.gov 56 Slide 57 Commission Communications Obtain various publications in several languages online at www.publications.csac.ca.gov Cash for College materials ordered online through your account at www.calgrants.org/organizers 57 Slide 58 Commission Web Training Training sessions held online via WebEx online training tool check out www.csac.ca.gov Training topics include all types of Electronic GPA Submission Training (Traditional and non-SSN) 58 Slide 59 Commission Social Media Interact with the Commission and its activities through many social media options, check out www.csac.ca.gov Facebook.com/CSAC.StudentAidCommission Follow us: @CaStudentAid 59 Slide 60 60 Slide 61 Cash for College Slide 62 Cash for College Californias FAFSA/Dream Act Platform From Jan Mar 2. Open to all students and parents. Focus on low- income and first-gens Incentive Scholarship is offered for 2014 workshops! Seniors apply for a Cal Grant by the deadline to enter. Provides line-by-line help on the FAFSA, CA Dream Act & Chafee Applications. Workshops offer computers for on the spot processing Offers multi-lingual materials, training, tools, site support funding. 62 Slide 63 63 Cash For College Partnering for FAFSA & Cal Grant Completion Statewide Cash for College office e-mail is: cashforcollege@csac.ca.gov Facebook: CashforCollegeCalifornia Twitter: @cash4collegeca NEW WEBSITE + REGISTRATION to launch in LATE SEPTEMBER www.calgrants.org Slide 64 Questions??