Financial Aid

All Cal Grant applicants must:

• submit the FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application and your Verified Cal Grant GPA by the deadline
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen or meet AB540 eligibility criteria
• be a California resident for 1 year
• attend a qualifying California college
• not have a bachelor's or professional degree
• have financial need at the college of your choice
• have family income and assets below the minimum levels
• be enrolled or plan to enroll in a program leading to an undergraduate degree or certificate
• be enrolled or plan to enroll at least half-time
• not owe a refund on any state or federal grant or be in default on a student loan
• not be incarcerated
• maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards as established by the school. Recipients who do not meet the standards are ineligible for Cal Grant payment and will not use eligibility during the terms they are ineligible for payment.

 Also see http://www.csac.ca.gov/ for additional information.

Step One:

If you are a U.S. Citizen, fill out and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

If you are an undocumented or AB 540 eligible student, fill out and submit a California Dream Act Application.

• The FAFSA is a federal form that must be filed by any student who wants to be considered for college financial aid. For a Cal Grant, the FAFSA must be completed and filed with the federal processor by March 4 for 2024-2025.
• The California Dream Act Application (CADAA) is a state form instead of a federal form. Like the FAFSA, it must be submitted by March 4 for 2024-2025, directly to the state processor.
• If you miss the March 2nd Cal Grant deadline and you plan to attend a community college such as Butte College, you may have until September 2nd to apply.

Step Two: ALL STUDENTS must have a Cal Grant GPA Verification Form submitted for them, also by March 2nd of each year. See question below for complete information about GPA verification.

Step Three: HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS. After completing their high school senior year, graduating seniors must verify their high school graduation and date of graduation. This may be completed online at WebGrants 4 Students. Verification of high school graduation must be completed in order to be eligible to receive financial aid funds.

A GPA is one of the requirements needed to be considered for a new Cal Grant award.

Most public California high schools, community colleges, and universities will automatically submit your Cal Grant GPA to us electronically. Because of this, most students don't need to complete a paper GPA verification form.

Graduating high school seniors and college students with fewer than 16 college units earned: to qualify for a Cal Grant, your high school must verify your GPA and submit it to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Contact your high school counselor. For students who cannot obtain a GPA Verification Form from a high school counselor, the form is also available online. Click here.

PRIORITY DEADLINES:

• Current high school seniors and last year's high school graduates
• Community College Student, transferring to a California 4-year university in Fall 2024
• Cal Grant Competitive awards, reserved for students who are ineligible for Cal Grant Entitlement awards and submit a financial aid application by the priority deadline

• Community College Student
• Foster Youth (Community College)
• Cal Grant C
  

Some students do not have a GPA, so certain test scores can be used instead. Please submit your test score along with the GPA Verification Form. Click here for Cal Grant GPA Verification Form.

• If you have a GED, submit your GED score directly to the California Student Aid Commission.
• If you graduated from a school that does not provide grades, is not accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) or another regional accrediting agency, or does not have a course list approved by the University of California, you must provide an ACT, SAT or GED score.
• If you were home schooled or attended a charter school, you must submit an ACT, SAT or GED score.
• If you graduated from high school more than five years ago, you may provide a SAT or ACT score, or use a re-established GPA.

The Financial Aid Office will automatically send your GPA to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) if you have earned at least 16 units at Butte College.

Your GPA is calculated on all completed college work, excluding nontransferable units and courses not counted in computation for admission to a California public institution of higher education that grants a baccalaureate degree.