Cal Grants Overview CASFAA/CSAC High School Counselor Workshops Presented by the California Student Aid Commission

Transcription

1 Cal Grants Overview 2013 CASFAA/CSAC High School Counselor Workshops Presented by the California Student Aid Commission

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

3 Basic Cal Grant Eligibility

4 Basic Cal Grant Eligibility Federal Requirements *U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen Meet Selective Service requirements *Have a Social Security number Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress Not owe a grant repayment or be in default on a student loan Not be incarcerated Not have earned a BA/BS degree Additional Cal Grant Requirements *California Resident Attend an eligible California school Be enrolled at least half-time High School GPA required (Entitlement) * These requirements are supplanted by other eligibility criteria for AB 540 students 4

5 Cal Grant Income & Asset Ceilings 5

6 Eligible and Ineligible Cal Grant School Lists 6

7 Cal Grants A, B, and C

8 Cal Grant A CSU UC Independent For Profit $ 5,472/yr $ 12,192/yr $ 9,084/yr $9,084/yr Low to middle income students who: Meet the income and asset ceilings Have financial need 3.00 High School GPA minimum Associates or Bachelors programs only Maximum annual award amounts Used for tuition and/or fees only Held in reserve while attending community college 8

9 Cal Grant B Low income students who: Meet the income and asset ceilings 2.00 GPA minimum Associates, Bachelors, and Certificate programs Annual 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

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

11 Cal Grant C Priority given based on Occupational Goal Meeting 2 of the 3: high employment need, high employment growth, and high wage Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Carpenters Computer Specialists, All Other Computer Support Specialists Cooks, Restaurant Fire Fighters Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses Medical Secretaries Paralegals and Legal Assistants Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Registered Nurses 11

12 High School Entitlement Awards and Graduation Verification

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 required Meet minimum GPA and income/need requirements Potentially unlimited number of awards 13

14 High School Entitlement Awards Make sure graduating seniors include their high school on the FAFSA/DREAM Act Application CSAC can then match between GPA and FAFSA/DREAM Act Application information CSAC WebGrants reports to schools on missing GPAs and missing FAFSA/DREAM Act Applications 14

15 Cal Grant High School Entitlement High School Graduation Confirmation *Required* Students can confirm online using WebGrants for Students Schools & school districts can assist to provide post-graduation confirmation of HS graduation Students needing to mail may use the High School Graduation Confirmation form, HS transcripts or other authoritative documents 15

16 High School Graduation Verification 16

17 High School Graduation Verification 17

18 High School Graduation Verification 18

19 High School Graduation Verification 19

20 Student Notifications

21 Student Notifications Recipients that submit a FAFSA/DREAM Act Application & GPA will receive a California Aid Report (CAR) via E-CAR indicates Cal Grant eligibility Sent as early as January Letter notification will be sent if no address Mark these addresses as not junk: calgrantoffice@csac.ca.gov studentsupport@csac.ca.gov 21

22 Student Notifications (CAR) Delivery Provides grant type and estimated amounts for up to 3 CA schools listed on the FAFSA Communication with CSAC is emphasized 22

23 WebGrants for Schools

24 WebGrants for Schools WebGrants Home Page Look for WebGrants in the High Schools tab Contact: Download WebGrants Access Request forms CSAC Technology Help Desk (888) or WebGrants for Students 24

25 WebGrants for Schools Upload GPA by batch or key individual GPA More secure than US Mail results shown in real time Built-in edits to catch errors (e.g. Social Security typos) Confirmation of receipt of records Support Your Students with Follow-Up Report Access GPA Summary and School of Origin Reports HS graduation confirmation reports FAFSA, No GPA Report 25

26 GPA and Academic Qualifier Submission

27 Academic Qualifiers & Submissions Academic Qualifier Types: High school GPA Test Scores SAT, ACT, GED, allowed if: student does not have a GPA has coursework that cannot be converted to a 4.00 maximum GPA attended a non-accredited high school SAT Reasoning Test 27

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 and look for Cal Grant GPA Calculation Information Call School Support Line (888) Look for webinars in Nov., Dec., Jan., and Feb.. 28

29 Cal Grant GPA Calculation Last Year s 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

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 student s GPA record to the FAFSA or Dream Act application and later match HS graduation information. 30

31 Ways to Submit GPAs 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)

32 Ways to Submit GPAs: Non-SSN GPA File Upload Allows upload of GPA data without the student s SSN. Districts and/or Individual schools GPA matched to FAFSA/DA application using other data Can be submitted by batch individually or by batch File layout & User Guide available under Help in WebGrants (888) or schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov 32

33 Ways to Submit GPAs 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:

34 Non-SSN GPA Unmatched Report

35 Non-SSN GPA Unmatched Report

36 Non-SSN GPA Status Report 36

37 Student Summary Report New Comprehensive Report 37

38 GPA-Best Practices Don t 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

39 Tools for Schools

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41 California Success Dashboard Coming soon, the Commission will publish aggregate totals of student FAFSA & CA Dream Act & Cal Grant application submissions, completions & awards by school, district and county 41

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

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

44 Cal Grant Renewal Eligibility Renewal participants must meet income and asset ceilings. Students must meet satisfactory academic progress standard of school 44

45 WebGrants for Students (WGS)

46 WebGrants for Students (WGS) 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: 46

47 WebGrants4Students.org Keep your demographic information up-to-date Check application and award status and view payment history Confirm high school graduation -- required to receive payment Print out California Aid Report (CAR) Request a school change and/or leave of absence online Send students to: 47

48 WebGrants4Students.org 48

49 WebGrants4Students.org High School Graduation Confirmation 49

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51 WebGrants4Students.org California Aid Report (CAR) 51

52 A New Grant Program Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) Program

53 A New Grant Program 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

54 A New Grant Program 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

55 Commission Communications, Web Training, and Social Media

56 Commission Communications Special Alerts and Operations Memos provide guidance for counselors, sign up by contacting School Support at Watch important Commission events at 56

57 Commission Communications Order various publications in several languages online at Cash for College materials ordered online through your account at 57

58 Commission Web Training Training sessions held online via WebEx online training tool check out Training topics include all types of Electronic GPA Submission Training (Traditional and non-ssn) 58

59 Commission Social Media Interact with the Commission and its activities through many social media options, check out Facebook.com/CSAC.StudentAidCommission Follow 59

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61 Cash for College

62 Cash for College California s FAFSA/Dream Act Platform From Jan Mar 2. Open to all students and parents. Focus on lowincome 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

63 Cash For College Partnering for FAFSA & Cal Grant Completion NEW WEBSITE + REGISTRATION to launch in LATE SEPTEMBER Facebook: CashforCollegeCalifornia Statewide Cash for College office is: cashforcollege@csac.ca.gov 63

64 Questions??