Cal Grant Competitive Awards
For students who are not eligible for the Cal Grant Entitlement awards

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This is a competitive award and limited to 13,000 awards each academic year. To be considered for the award, you must meet the general Cal Grant eligibility requirements and complete a FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application. Only students who are not awarded a Cal Grant Entitlement award can be considered. To see more information about the Cal Grant Entitlement Programs, click here.

Who is considered for a Competitive Award

  • Students who are not awarded a Cal Grant Entitlement award.
  • Students who meet the general Cal Grant eligibility requirements.
  • Students who complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application.

Deadline to Apply is March 4: (13,000 Awards offered)

  • Competitive Cal Grants may only be awarded at California State Universities, Universities of California or eligible Private Colleges. Students attending a California Community College will not be considered.

How to Apply

  • Complete a FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application by March 4.
  • Submit a verified GPA to the California Student Aid Commission by March 4.

This is a competitive award and limited to 13,000 awards each academic year. Students are encouraged to create the WebGrants for Students account to manage their Cal Grant award. Students are selected for this award based on a score that is generated from information obtained from their FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application, and their GPA.

The scoring components are: GPA, parent education level, access equalizer, student or parent household status, family income and household size. Only the students who get the top 13,000 scores will receive an award.

Cal Grant A

  • For low to middle income students
  • 3.00 High School GPA minimum, or 2.40 College GPA minimum.
  • May be used for a program that is at least two academic years in length resulting in an associate or baccalaureate degree of 48 semester units or the equivalent
  • Can only be used for tuition and fees 

Cal Grant B

  • For low income students
  • 2.00 High School and College GPA minimum
  • May be used for a program that is at least one academic year in length resulting in an associate, baccalaureate degree or certificate of at least 24 semester units or the equivalent
  • Offers an award amount to assist with tuition and fees with an additional annual Access Award amount to assist with living expenses.

Note: The tuition and fee award amount is only offered during Sophomore through Senior years.  During Freshman year, the student will only receive the Access Award amount.