A Cal Grant award is money for college which students will not need to repay. To qualify, students must meet specific eligibility and financial requirements, as well as any GPA requirements. Eligibility is based on the student's FAFSA responses, their verified Cal Grant GPA, their residency, and whether they're a recent high school graduate or not. There are three types of Cal Grant:
There are three types of Cal Grants awards, which are;
Cal Grant A: Cal Grant A award is not available at California Community College (CCC). If you receive Cal Grant A but decide to attend CCC, your award will be held up in reserve for up to two years until you transfer to a four-year institution or attend private colleges. Exception: see Students with Dependent Children.
Cal Grant B: up to $1648 for an access award (living allowance) ONLY to help pay for books, supplies, and other college costs at CCC. The awards are available at CCC as well as UC, CSU and private colleges. The award is higher if you receive it at UC/CSU/Private college (Access Award and Tuition/Fee Assistance starting second year). It is recommended that you save some of your eligibility for use at UC/CSU. You must enroll in a program that requires at least 24 semester credits or more.
Cal Grant C: up to $1094 for students enroll in an approved Occupational/Technical Program at least 4 months in length to be used to pay for books, supplies, equipment, and other college costs.
Students with Dependent Children under the age of 18: (available starting 2019-2020) Cal Grant students who provide more than 50% or more financial support to a dependent child that is less than 18 years old by July 1, 2022 for the 2022-2023 award year may be eligible for an access award of up to $6000 for Cal Grant A/B and up to $4000 for Cal Grant C at UC, CSU, and CCC.
More information about Cal Grant amounts can be found at https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/what-are-cal-grant-award-amounts