There’s plenty of free help available

FAFSA Help
You will find the following information on the Federal Student Aid website:

• If you have questions about the FSA ID, you can find the answers to frequently asked questions here.
• If you need assistance logging in with your FSA ID, contact FAFSA at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
• Find help online or click on the Live Help button during business hours. Filling out the paper FAFSA? Click here for help. 
• To contact FAFSA, call toll free 800.433.3243 Monday through Fridays up to 9 p.m. Pacific Time and extended hours on the weekend — or 319.337.5665 if you don’t have access to toll-free numbers (TTY 800.730.8913).
• Avoid peak hours. Most problems occur during peak usage hours during the day and early evening when students across the nation are online submitting their FAFSA.  You might want to wait to log on to the website after 8:00 pm.

CA Dream Act Application (CADAA) Help

You will find the following information on the CA Dream Act website:

Resources can be found here.

For CA Dream Act Application OR Cal Grant questions, call toll free 888.224.7268 Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Friday 8:30 am – 3:00 pm 

In-Person 

• Ask your school for help, attend your school’s financial aid night or plan to attend a free California Cash for College workshop in October – March 2nd. Many workshops have staff who speak Spanish or other languages.

Plan ahead.  The Cal Grant deadline every year is March 2 (if you plan to attend a California Community College and missed the March 2 deadline, you have a second deadline of September 2).  Keep in mind that deadlines for financial aid from colleges or private scholarships may be earlier.  Do not wait until the last minute.  Plan to submit your FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application as soon as possible, starting October 1, so you will have time to make any corrections if necessary.