SECTIONS 69437-69437.7 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 69437-69437.7

69437. (a) Commencing with the 2001-02 academic year, and each
academic year thereafter, there shall be established the Competitive
Cal Grant A and B award program for students who did not receive a
Cal Grant A or B entitlement award pursuant to Article 2 (commencing
with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), or
Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436). Awards made under this
section are not entitlements. The submission of an application by a
student under this section shall not entitle that student to an
award. The selection of students under this article shall be
determined pursuant to subdivision (c) and other relevant criteria
established by the commission.
(b) A total of 22,500 Cal Grant A and B awards shall be granted
annually under this article on a competitive basis for applicants who
meet the general eligibility criteria established in Article 1
(commencing with Section 69430) and the priorities established by the
commission pursuant to subdivision (c).
(1) Fifty percent of the awards referenced in this subdivision are
available to all students, including California community college
students, who meet the financial need and academic requirements
established pursuant to this article. A student enrolling at a
qualifying baccalaureate degree granting institution shall apply by
the March 2 deadline. A California community college student is
eligible to apply at the March 2 or the September 2 deadline.
(2) Fifty percent of the awards referenced in this subdivision are
reserved for students who will be enrolled at a California community
college. The commission shall establish a second application
deadline of September 2 for community college students to apply for
these awards effective with the fall term or semester of the 2001-02
academic year.
(3) If any awards are not distributed pursuant to paragraphs (1)
and (2) upon initial allocation of the awards under this article, the
commission shall make awards to as many eligible students as
possible, beginning with the students with the lowest expected family
contribution and highest academic merit, consistent with the
criteria adopted by the commission pursuant to subdivision (c), as
practicable without exceeding an annual cumulative total of 22,500
awards.
(c) (1) On or before February 1, 2001, acting pursuant to a public
hearing process that is consistent with the Bagley-Keene Open
Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1
of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the
commission shall establish selection criteria for Cal Grant A and B
awards under the competitive program that give special consideration
to disadvantaged students, taking into consideration those financial,
educational, cultural, language, home, community, environmental, and
other conditions that hamper a student's access to, and ability to
persist in, postsecondary education programs.
(2) Additional consideration shall be given to each of the
following:
(A) Students who graduated from high school or its equivalent
prior to the 2000-01 academic year. This subparagraph shall not be
applicable after the 2004-05 academic year.
(B) Students pursuing Cal Grant B awards who reestablish their
grade point averages.
(C) Students who did not receive awards pursuant to Article 2
(commencing with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section
69435), or Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436).
(d) All other students who meet the eligibility requirements
pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) are eligible to
compete for an award pursuant to this article.

69437.3. (a) The commission shall utilize the standardized student
financial aid application described in Section 69432.9.
(b) An official financial aid application shall be submitted
pursuant to Section 69432.9, submitted or postmarked no later than
March 2, or September 2 for students enrolled at a community college.
(c) A student shall be enrolled at least part-time.

69437.5. Cal Grant A and B awards shall be used only for the
purposes set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434) and
Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), respectively.

69437.6. (a) An applicant competing for an award under this article
shall meet all the requirements of Article 1 (commencing with
Section 69430).
(b) To compete for a competitive Cal Grant A award, an applicant
shall, at a minimum, meet all of the requirements of Article 2
(commencing with Section 69434), with the exception of paragraphs (1)
and (8) of subdivision (b) of Section 69434. However, in lieu of
meeting the grade point average requirement set forth in paragraph
(3) of subdivision (b) of Section 69434, an applicant may submit a
community college or college grade point average of at least 2.4 on a
4.0 scale.
(c) To compete for a competitive Cal Grant B award, an applicant
shall, at a minimum, meet all of the requirements of Article 3
(commencing with Section 69435), with the exception of paragraphs (1)
and (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 69435.3. However, in lieu of
meeting the grade point average requirements of paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a) of Section 69435.3, a student may do either of the
following:
(1) Demonstrate attainment of a community college or college grade
point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
(2) Reestablish his or her grade point average by completing at
least 16 cumulative units of credit for academic coursework at an
accredited California community college, as defined by the
commission, by regulation, with at least a 2.0 community college
grade point average.
(d) To compete for a competitive California Community College
Transfer Cal Grant Award, an applicant shall, at a minimum, meet the
requirements of Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436), with the
exception of paragraphs (8) and (9) of subdivision (b) of Section
69436.
(e) All other competitors shall, at a minimum, comply with all of
the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 69432.9.
(f) An individual selected for a Cal Grant A award who enrolls in
a California community college may elect to have the award held in
reserve for him or her for a period not to exceed two academic years,
except that the commission may extend the period in which his or her
award may be held in reserve for up to three academic years if, in
the commission's judgment, the rate of academic progress has been as
rapid as could be expected for the personal and financial conditions
that the student has encountered. The commission shall, in this case,
hold the award in reserve for the additional year. Upon receipt of a
request to transfer the award to a tuition or fee charging
qualifying institution, the individual shall be eligible to receive
the Cal Grant A award previously held in reserve if, at the time of
the request, he or she meets all of the requirements of this article.
Upon receipt of the request, the commission shall reassess the
financial need of the award recipient. The commission may prescribe
the forms and procedures to be utilized for the purposes of this
section. A recipient's years of eligibility for payment of benefits
shall be based upon his or her grade level at the time the award is
transferred to the tuition or fee charging qualifying institution.
Any award so held in reserve shall only be counted once toward the
22,500 awards authorized by this article.

69437.7. After two award cycles, the commission shall review the
competitive grant program and its priorities to gain a better
understanding of early participation patterns and to determine the
initial level of program effectiveness. The commission shall report
these findings to the Legislature and the Governor by December 31,
2003, and each year thereafter.