California State Grant

Administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), the Cal Grant program helps undergraduate students pay tuition/fee and living expense (“Access”) costs. You must be a California resident, meet general eligibility requirements, and satisfy certain income and asset criteria. The postmark-filing deadline for the 2008-2009 FAFSA and GPA Verification Form is March 2, 2008. Visit www.csac.ca.gov or www.calgrants.org for more information.

Two CalGrant programs are available at PLNU:

Entitlement and Competitive Cal Grant A

Cal Grant A pays tuition and fees only. There are two types of Cal Grant A awards: Entitlement and Competitive.

The Entitlement Cal Grant A is only for students who graduated from high school on or after July 1, 2004. The minimum GPA is 3.00.

The Competitive Cal Grant A is for students who graduated from high school prior to July 1, 2004, or who have completed more than 24 college units (36 quarter hours). CSAC makes approximately 11,250 competitive awards annually. Eligibility is based on numerous factors, including academic achievement, financial need, and family background.

Entitlement and Competitive Cal Grant B

Cal Grant B only pays a stipend for living expenses during the first year of the award. During the second and subsequent years, Cal Grant B includes a tuition/fee-paying component in addition to the Access Grant. Eligibility requirements for the Entitlement Cal Grant B are almost identical to those for Entitlement Cal Grant A, except that the minimum GPA is 2.00. Eligibility criteria for Competitive Cal Grants A and B are the same.

If your Award Letter includes a Cal Grant B Access Grant , PLNU will credit the money directly to your student account to help you pay your institutional charges. However, you have the option of having the Access money disbursed to you as a refund check by submitting a written request to the Student Financial Services office within 30 days of the date appearing on your Award Letter. If the Student Financial Services office receives your request after that time, your Access Grant will be credited to your student account and you may not be eligible for a refund of already-credited funds. However, you would be refunded any future Access Grant disbursements occurring during the academic year.