California College Promise Grant (formerly the Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver): Free Enrollment for low-income students to California community colleges

NOTE ABOUT CHANGE IN LAW FOR TANF/CALWORKS:

If you were qualified for TANF/Calworks but found ineligible because of a drug conviction, your criminal history would have previously disqualified you from the CA College Promis Grant program (see PUBLIC BENEFITS CHAPTER, PG. 449, for details about TANF/CalWORKS eligibility). However, this law changed on April 1, 2015. After that date, your conviction history no longer makes you ineligible for TANF/CalWORKS benefits, so you may be able to qualify for program now.

The California College Promise Grant removes enrollment fees for qualified low-income students applying to California’s Community Colleges. If you qualify for this grant, you can go to community college for free (NOTE: you will still have to pay for other education expenses, such as books and supplies). If you are taking a correspondence course through a California Community College while you are incarcerated, you may qualify for this grant—keep reading to learn more.

How do I know if I qualify for the California College Promise Grant?

First, to qualify for the the California College Promise Grant, you must be a California resident. If you are a CA resident, you must also qualify based on one of several other criteria, for example, if you receive government benefits or fall into an eligible income bracket. (For a full list of California College Promise Grant qualifications, see Appendix H, PG. 918; for a 2018-2019 California College Promise Grant Application, see Appendix I, PG. 919.)

1. ²⁹³¹

   Cal. Code Regs. tit. 5, § 58620; see also Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver, Coast Colls., http://www.cccd.edu/students/financial-aid/PG.s/Board-of-Governors-Fee-Waiver-%28BOGFW%29.aspx. ↑

Will my criminal history disqualify me from state-based student aid?

Maybe. If you are still incarcerated, you are disqualified from receiving any type of Cal Grant financial aid.^[2932] Additionally, certain drug convictions may make you ineligible for a California College Promise Grant (formerly known as the Board of Governors Fee Waiver^[2933]).

1. ²⁹³²

   Cal. Educ. Code § 69433.9. ↑

2. ²⁹³³

   Sept. 19, 2017 Cal Community Colleges press release announcing changes to the BOGFW program, including name change: http://www.californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/Portals/0/DocDownloads/PressReleases/SEPT2017/PR-BOG-Fee-Waiver-Name-Change-09-19-2017.pdf ↑

How do I apply for state-based student aid?

In order to apply for California-based financial aid, you will need to fill out either the FAFSA (see above) or the California Dream Act application, and submit your certified GPA to the Student Aid Commission. For detailed instructions on how to apply for state-based financial aid in California, visit the California Student Aid Commission website at: http://consumerfinance.gov/, or speak to a counselor in your school’s financial aid office.