ARTICLE 5. Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards [69437. - 69437.7.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 5.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 69437. Section 69437.

(a) Commencing with the 2001–02 academic year, and each academic year thereafter, there shall be established the Competitive Cal Grant A and B award program for students who did not receive a Cal Grant A or B entitlement award pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), or Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436). Awards made under this section are not entitlements. The submission of an application by a student under this section shall not entitle that student to an award. The selection of students under this article shall be determined pursuant to subdivision (c) and other relevant criteria established by the commission. (b) Commencing with the 2021–22 academic year, a total of 13,000 Cal Grant A and B awards shall be granted annually under this article on a competitive basis for applicants who meet the general eligibility criteria established in Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) and the priorities established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (c). (1) The awards referenced in this subdivision are available to students who will be enrolled at an institution other than a California community college during the award year and who meet the financial need and academic requirements established pursuant to this article. A student shall apply by the March 2 deadline. (2) If any awards are not distributed pursuant to paragraph (1) upon initial allocation of the awards under this article, the commission shall make awards to as many eligible students as possible, beginning with the students with the lowest expected family contribution and highest academic merit, consistent with the criteria adopted by the commission pursuant to subdivision (c), as practicable without exceeding an annual cumulative total of 13,000 awards. (c) (1) On or before February 1, 2001, acting pursuant to a public hearing process that is consistent with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the commission shall establish selection criteria for Cal Grant A and B awards under the competitive program that give special consideration to disadvantaged students, taking into consideration those financial, educational, cultural, language, home, community, environmental, and other conditions that hamper a student’s access to, and ability to persist in, postsecondary education programs. (2) Additional consideration shall be given to both of the following: (A) Students pursuing Cal Grant B awards who reestablish their grade point averages. (B) Students who did not receive awards pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), or Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436). (d) All other students who meet the eligibility requirements pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) are eligible to compete for an award pursuant to this article.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 69437.3. Section 69437.3.

(a) The commission shall utilize the standardized student financial aid application described in Section 69432.9. (b) An official financial aid application shall be submitted pursuant to Section 69432.9, submitted or postmarked no later than March 2, or September 2 for students enrolled at a community college. (c) A student shall be enrolled at least part-time.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 69437.5. Section 69437.5.

Cal Grant A and B awards shall be used only for the purposes set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434) and Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), respectively.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 69437.6. Section 69437.6.

(a) An applicant competing for an award under this article shall meet all the requirements of Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430). (b) To compete for a competitive Cal Grant A award, an applicant shall, at a minimum, meet all of the requirements of Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434), with the exception of paragraphs (1) and (8) of subdivision (b) of Section 69434. However, in lieu of meeting the grade point average requirement set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69434, an applicant may submit a community college or college grade point average of at least 2.4 on a 4.0 scale. (c) To compete for a competitive Cal Grant B award, an applicant shall, at a minimum, meet all of the requirements of Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), with the exception of paragraphs (1) and (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 69435.3. However, in lieu of meeting the grade point average requirements of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 69435.3, a student may do either of the following: (1) Demonstrate attainment of a community college or college grade point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. (2) Reestablish the student’s grade point average by completing at least 16 cumulative units of credit for academic coursework at an accredited California community college, as defined by the commission, by regulation, with at least a 2.0 community college grade point average. (d) To compete for a competitive California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Award, an applicant shall, at a minimum, meet the requirements of Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436), with the exception of paragraphs (8) and (9) of subdivision (b) of Section 69436. (e) All other competitors shall, at a minimum, comply with all of the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9. (f) (1) An individual selected for a competitive Cal Grant A award who enrolls in a California community college may elect to have the award held in reserve for a period not to exceed two academic years, except that the commission may extend the period in which the individual’s award may be held in reserve for up to three academic years if, in the commission’s judgment, the rate of academic progress has been as rapid as could be expected for the personal and financial conditions that the student has encountered. The commission shall, in this case, hold the award in reserve for the additional year. Upon receipt of a request to transfer the award to a tuition or fee-charging qualifying institution, the individual shall be eligible to receive the Cal Grant A award previously held in reserve if, at the time of the request, the individual meets all of the requirements of this article. Upon receipt of the request, the commission shall reassess the financial need of the award recipient. The commission may prescribe the forms and procedures to be used for the purposes of this section. A recipient’s years of eligibility for payment of benefits shall be based upon the recipient’s grade level at the time the award is transferred to the tuition or fee-charging qualifying institution. Any award so held in reserve shall only be counted once toward the 13,000 awards authorized by this article. (2) (A) Individuals selected for a Cal Grant A award that is held in reserve pursuant to this subdivision who meet the qualifying criteria pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 69465 shall receive an award for access costs pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 69465). (B) The access award referenced in subparagraph (A) shall be provided annually to qualifying individuals during the period of time that their Cal Grant A award is held in reserve and upon transfer to a tuition or fee-charging qualifying institution, provided that the individual continues to meet the qualifying criteria pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 69465. (3) (A) Individuals selected for a Cal Grant A award that is held in reserve pursuant to this subdivision who are not receiving an award for access costs pursuant to paragraph (2) and meet the qualifying criteria pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69470 shall receive an award for access costs pursuant to Article 10 (commencing with Section 69470). (B) The access award referenced in subparagraph (A) shall be provided annually to qualifying individuals during the period of time that their Cal Grant A award is held in reserve and upon transfer to a tuition or fee-charging qualifying institution, provided that the individual continues to meet the qualifying criteria pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69470.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 69437.7. Section 69437.7.

After two award cycles, the commission shall review the competitive grant program and its priorities to gain a better understanding of early participation patterns and to determine the initial level of program effectiveness. The commission shall report these findings to the Legislature and the Governor by December 31, 2003, and each year thereafter.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026