Deadlines near in California for applying for college student financial aid
WELCOME BACK. THE DEADLINE TO SECURE FREE MONEY FOR COLLEGE IS QUICKLY APPROACHING. CALIFORNIA STUDENTS HAVE JUST DAYS LEFT NOW TO MEET THE STATE’S FINANCIAL AID PRIORITY DEADLINE. IT’S A KEY STEP TO QUALIFY FOR CAL GRANTS AND OTHER ASSISTANCE. AND JOINING US NOW THIS MORNING TO TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT STUDENTS, FAMILIES ALL NEED TO KNOW BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT, BECAUSE IT’S COMING UP. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CALIFORNIA STUDENT AID COMMISSION, DOCTOR DAISY GONZALEZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. OKAY. SO LET’S START RIGHT HERE. THE PRIORITY FOR THIS DEADLINE, IT’S COMING UP REALLY QUICKLY. YES. FIVE DAYS, MARCH 2ND. AND IT’S CALLED CALIFORNIA’S PRIORITY DEADLINE FOR A REASON. IT IS THE DEADLINE WHERE WE NEED HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS. SO IF YOU’RE A SENIOR TODAY, RIGHT NOW, WE NEED YOU TO APPLY BY MARCH 2ND, AS WELL AS FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE ALREADY ENROLLED IN A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. RIGHT. OKAY. SO WHAT, IF ANYTHING, PAPERWORK, BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO STUDENTS NEED TO HAVE ON HAND AS THEY’RE FILLING OUT THIS PAPERWORK. YEAH. SO FIRST THEY’RE APPLYING THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS. ONE IS AND THIS IS WHERE MOST OF OUR STUDENTS ACTUALLY COMPLETE THEIR FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION. IT’S CALLED THE FAFSA. I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD OF IT. AND THE OTHER ONE IS CALLED THE CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT APPLICATION. THAT IS FOR CALIFORNIANS WHO LIVE OR HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO DOESN’T HAVE A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, OR IF THEY ARE A CALIFORNIAN WHO IS UNDOCUMENTED. TO START BOTH APPLICATIONS, YOU FIRST NEED TO KNOW WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WHICH INSTITUTIONS? THE SECOND THING YOU NEED IS YOUR PARENTS OR THE CONTRIBUTOR’S TAX INFORMATION WE USE THE TWO PRIOR YEARS. AND THAT’S BECAUSE IN CALIFORNIA AND IN MOST STATES, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOUR FAMILY’S INCOME AND THEIR ASSETS AND THE SIZE OF AND I KEEP SAYING PAPERWORK. IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE I HAD TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID, SO THINGS ARE OBVIOUSLY DONE ONLINE NOW. BUT HOW CAN STUDENTS KNOW EXACTLY WHICH APPLICATION THEY SHOULD BE FILLING OUT? YEAH, THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS START WITH THE FAFSA, AND I WOULD SAY PARTICULARLY FOR THE CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT APPLICATION, YOU’RE USING THAT APPLICATION. IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS A CONTRIBUTOR THAT DOESN’T HAVE A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, THEN YOU WANT TO USE THE CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT APPLICATION AS WELL AS IF YOU’RE AN UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT IN CALIFORNIA, YOU ALSO WANT TO USE THE CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT APPLICATION. OKAY, SO HERE’S THE THING. ONCE YOU FILL OUT EVERYTHING FOR YOUR FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION, IT DOESN’T END THERE. YOU’RE NOT JUST SITTING BACK AND WAITING. THINGS ARE DONE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. WELL, ONE, THE PROCESS GOT A LOT EASIER. THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS. ONCE YOU COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION, HOPEFULLY BY MARCH 2ND, IF YOU’RE A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR IN CALIFORNIA OR ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A FOUR YEAR INSTITUTION, THIS IS YOUR DEADLINE. YOU THEN CREATE YOUR WEB GRANTS APPLICATION SYSTEM. THIS IS CALIFORNIA’S ONLINE SYSTEM. IT ALLOWS YOU TO TRACK YOUR APPLICATION IN REAL TIME. AND THAT’S BECAUSE FINANCIAL AID REQUIRES BOTH STATE AID, INSTITUTIONAL AID. SO, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS THAT COLLEGES ALREADY HAVE, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS UPDATED ON THERE. AND STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES GET TO KNOW IN REAL TIME HOW MUCH MONEY DO THEY ACTUALLY GET FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AND THEN THEY CAN MAKE THEIR INFORMED DECISION FOR ENROLLMENT. IT IS VERY STREAMLINED THESE DAYS. WELL, DOCTOR DAISY, WE APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IF FOLKS WANT MORE INFORMATION, WHERE CAN THEY GO? OH MY GOD. WE HAVE FIVE DAYS. SO THE FIRST THING THEY SHOULD KNOW HERE IN SACRAMENTO TODAY WE HAVE 20 EVENTS ALONE. BIG SHOUT OUT TO LUTHER BURBANK HIGH SCHOOL HAVING AN EVENT TODAY. WE ALSO HAVE EXTENDED ALL OF OUR OFFICE HOURS AFTER 530. WE KNOW MANY FAMILIES ARE ENDING THEIR DAY VERY LATE. AND THEN THE THIRD OPTION IS OF COURSE THEY CAN CALL US EIGHT, EIGHT, EIGHT. CA GRANT.
Deadlines near in California for applying for college student financial aid
Updated: 1:15 PM PST Feb 26, 2026
Free money is up for grabs for current and soon-to-be college students, but important financial aid deadlines are fast approaching.”You have just five days left,” said Dr. Daisy Gonzales, the executive director of the California Student Aid Commission.The state priority deadline for financial aid is March 2. Community college students have until Sept. 2.Gonzales said there are two ways to apply, one being the FAFSA and the other being the California Dream Act application. “That is for Californians who live or have someone who doesn’t have a social security number or is undocumented,” she said. California students have multiple ways to apply for state financial aid, including online and in-person workshops. All of that information is available at csac.ca.gov/cash-college.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Free money is up for grabs for current and soon-to-be college students, but important financial aid deadlines are fast approaching.
“You have just five days left,” said Dr. Daisy Gonzales, the executive director of the California Student Aid Commission.
The state priority deadline for financial aid is March 2. Community college students have until Sept. 2.
Gonzales said there are two ways to apply, one being the FAFSA and the other being the California Dream Act application.
“That is for Californians who live or have someone who doesn’t have a social security number or is undocumented,” she said.
California students have multiple ways to apply for state financial aid, including online and in-person workshops.
All of that information is available at csac.ca.gov/cash-college.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel