Students who have been denied Cal Grant renewal awards may soon find relief in Gov. Jerry Brown’s most recent budget proposal.
In his 2014-15 preliminary budget, Brown has proposed to allocate $14.9 million toward students who have lost their Cal Grant eligibility status because their family’s income and assets rose above a certain level while they were in school.
Currently, CSU students permanently lose their Cal Grant eligibility status if their families’ income rises above a certain level at any time in their academic career, according to the Cal State University Board of Trustees January meeting agenda.
Brown’s proposed budget, however, would allow students to reapply for Cal Grants if their family’s income dips below a certain level.
The proposed Cal Grant change could impact some Cal State Long Beach students who receive such grants, CSULB Director of Financial Aid Nicholas Valdivia said.
Valdivia said that past Cal Grant regulations were more beneficial to students than those currently in place.
“[In the past,] once a student qualified for a Cal Grant, they were eligible for up to four years,” Valdivia said.
The old Cal Grant regulations did not require a student to meet family income requirements when they reapplied for the grant each year, Valdivia said. He added that students who sought Cal Grants had to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year.
“[The current regulations] has negatively impacted our students,” Valdivia said. “I would like to see it as what it used to be.”
The 2013-14 Cal Grant income ceilings are divided into two sections, according to the California Student Aid Commission. In order to qualify for Cal Grants A and C, a family of four must earn less than $83,100 per year. For Cal Grant B, a family of four must earn less than $43,700 per year.
For senior sociology major Caleb Cho, Brown’s proposal makes sense.
“My parents are small business owners so their income fluctuates and changes every year,” he said. “It scares me to know that the rule is like that because one year I might not be able to qualify anymore.”
CSU Spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp said that Brown’s proposal would help some CSU students who receive Cal Grants.
“This is a positive thing,” Uhlenkamp said.
Junior sociology major Karina Rodas said the current regulations governing Cal Grant eligibility are unfair.
“[The current law] is not fair because if you’re lucky and do well one year and then fall back or start doing poorly again, you automatically don’t qualify anymore. It’s good for the new law to pass,” she said.
Contributing writer Justine dela Rosa contributed to this report.