Chico State, Butte College to offer new financial aid
Chico State and Butte College are among the 45 partners for a new financial aid program in California.
The program is called Californians For All College Corps and it aims at helping low-income students at 45 colleges with paying for tuition, if the student does community service.
The Californians For All College Corps “will provide up to 6,500 college students over two academic years with service opportunities in critical issue areas such as climate action, K-12 education, and COVID-19 recovery,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Students who complete 450 hours of community service in an academic year will receive $10,000. This would be about 15 hours a week. The $10,000 breaks down to a $7,000 stipend for living expenses and a $3,000 education award. Students who complete the 450 hours of community service will also get access to training, networking, and professional development opportunities.
“For the 2022-23 academic year, up to 1,355 California State University students from the partner campuses will benefit from this unique opportunity to gain valuable work experience and make a positive impact in their communities, while simultaneously earning money to help pay for their education,” a California State University press release said.
The program is open to any undergraduate students. Each college or university that is a partner for the program will lead its own process for recruiting and selecting students in the spring of 2022. The 45 schools that have partnered with the new project to offer the new financial aid program include University of California schools, California State University schools, private schools, and community colleges.
The program hopes to bring together Californians of all backgrounds in service. It also hopes to create state-funded opportunities for AB 540 eligible dreamers to help out in their communities. The program is a part of a $146 million investment through the Governor’s California Comeback Plan for 2021-2022.