Cali

Cali is an innovative, two-way chatbot engagement platform, to help students apply for financial aid. Cali proactively engages students via text message to increase engagement, drive action, build connection, and gain insights into the barriers and challenges students face when completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA).

ABOUT THIS PILOT: 
The California Student Aid Commission in partnership with the Val Verde Unified School District (Val Verde USD) are working with the service provider, Mainstay to build and launch Cali. The Val Verde USD, led by Superintendent Mike McCormick and the Val Verde School Board, has agreed to hold the Master Service Agreement, where participating school districts can join on to this Agreement.

Mainstay is a full-scale, student engagement platform powered by behavioral intelligence that helps leverage AI technology to work with students via text and provide personalized nudges encouraging them to complete their FAFSA or CADAA Mainstay is a full-scale, student engagement platform powered by behavioral intelligence that helps leverage AI technology to work with students via text and provide personalized nudges encouraging them to complete their FAFSA or CADAA.

This Pilot was launched as an effort to maximize the number of high school seniors who complete financial aid applications across California. The strongest predictor of college enrollment is the completion of financial aid applications, and students are more likely to pursue higher education when they are aware of the resources available to them. We are eager to see how Cali can provide the help needed to apply for financial aid!

Val Verde USD is also the first partner to launch Cali. Launching in November 2023, a three-year Pilot that aims to serve approximately 75,000 high school seniors statewide in the first year with a goal to grow participation annually. Fifty school districts have been invited to participate (a list of participating school districts will be available soon) with support from philanthropic funds.

• Overview of the Partnership
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• List of Participating School Districts (To be announced)

For more information, please contact:
California Student Aid Commission
AI Chatbot Team
aichatbot@csac.ca.gov