Board seeks changes to Cal Grant program

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors will seek substantial changes in the Cal Grant awards program as they attempt to reduce the obstacles that limit community college students from qualifying for grants.

Only 9 percent of the 2.1 million students enrolled in the California Community Colleges system received a Cal Grant in 2017-18, compared to nearly 40 percent of undergraduate students at the University of California system and approximately 36 percent of students at the California State University system, according to the community colleges board’s 2019-20 budget and legislative request.

SCV’s local community college awarded more than $1.4 million in Cal Grants to its students last year, College of the Canyons spokesman Eric Harnish said, adding the awards are based on academic merit and financial need.

One form of Cal Grant has a maximum amount of $1,672 for community college students, but those who attend UCs are eligible for up to $12,630 and a CSU student is eligible for a maximum of $5,742, Harnish said.

The existing Cal Grant standards favor traditional-aged students who meet academic and financial thresholds, meaning a significant percentage of community college students are excluded simply because of their age or status as a non-traditional or returning student, the legislative request states.

“While the community college system enrolls about two-thirds of the undergraduate students in (California), the state directs only about 7 percent of Cal Grant funds to the community college students,” which translates to roughly $140 million of the nearly $2 billion that is invested annually in the program, according to the legislative report.

Although funding for the state’s Cal Grant program is not part of the California Community

Colleges’ budget, expansion of financial aid for community college students is a key component of the system’s mission, leaders said, as evidence suggests that additional financial aid improves the likelihood of retention and completion.

The first pair of changes presented in the Cal Grant redesign are to link the maximum awards to the total cost of attendance, rather than tuition, and to offer awards based on the student’s financial need, rather than how old they are, how recently they graduated from high school or what their grade point average was.

The board of governors also proposed extending the Cal Grant to all certificate and associate degree programs offered at community colleges, regardless of whether the programs are oriented to transfer to four-year universities or to careers, according to the report.

These proposals would help address the disparities in the system, “(because) when the award is tied to tuition, then that cost is going to be estimated to $1,500 or $1,600 a year, but that just covers fees and doesn’t account for living expenses,” which include food housing, bills, books and things of that nature, Harnish said.