When you are awarded a Cal Grant, your award payments begin the Fall semester/quarter of the school year that you are awarded.  Your award payments will be divided by the number of quarters or semesters that your school has.  Summer payments can be used at the end of the academic year that you are awarded. Please note that summer payments will use up a quarter/semester of Cal Grant eligibility.  

Your Cal Grant funds will first go to your school, so you should contact your school’s financial aid office for information on its disbursement policies. Schools disburse the funds to their students based on their disbursement schedules. Since the school is responsible for payments, you will need to work with your financial aid office to resolve issues with payments. If the school determines that a student is not eligible, they have the authority to withdraw the award.

Note: In order to receive a Cal Grant payment, you must be attending at least half-time, provide all necessary documentation to your school, and maintain a Satisfactory Academic Progress as reported by your school.