Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, High School Principals, and High School Counselors:

Cal Grant Grade Point Average Submission Reminder

Welcome back to a new school year! We are incredibly thankful to all of you and all you do to serve and care for our students as we navigate through another year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to a successful school year as we partner together to provide financial aid options to all your postsecondary-bound students. Our goal is to provide information and resources that will help high schools assist their students through the Cal Grant application process.

Please refer to the table below, which outlines important dates for the 2023–24 financial aid award year.

2023–24 Financial Aid Award Year (Class of 2023)

As of August 2, 2022, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) has opened the portal to allow GPA submissions for the class of 2023. GPAs for the class of 2023 must be uploaded to CSAC by October 1, 2022, as specified by California Education Code 69432.9(c)(2), unless the student has opted-out per Education Code 69432.9(d)(1)(2). Please see the document on the CSAC Opening of 2023-24 Cal Grant GPA Electronic Submission web page at https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/opening-2023-24-cal-grant-gpa-electronic-submission for full details. Submitting GPAs is only part of the process—ensuring GPAs are matched to a financial aid application is just as important for students to receive Cal Grant consideration. CSAC will be offering monthly online webinars covering a variety of topics, including how to create/upload your GPA file and how to edit/match GPA records. To register for a webinar, visit the CSAC Trainings web page at https://www.csac.ca.gov/trainings.

A notable change is the new requirements under Assembly Bill (AB) 469 that will go into effect per California Education Code Section 51225.7. Beginning in the 2022–23 school year and the 2023–24 FAFSA/CADAA application cycle, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to confirm that high school seniors complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). Students who elect to opt out of this requirement can submit an opt-out form, which will be collected and retained by the high school. CSAC’s newly approved regulations established a model opt-out form and model acceptable use policy for data collected for LEAs to ensure compliance with this requirement. The approved regulations and model opt-out form are accessible on the CSAC Proposed Regulations and Rulemaking Documents web page at https://www.csac.ca.gov/proposed-regulations-rulemaking-documents. Please see the CSAC communication on the AB 469 FAFSA/CADAA Completion Requirement and Opt-Out Form web page at https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/ab-469-fafsacadaa-completion-requirement-and-opt-out-form for additional information and details.

Beginning on October 1, 2022, high schools can track FAFSA and CADAA completion rates, matched GPAs, and the number of awards offered through the CSAC Race to Submit Dashboard web page at https://webutil.csac.ca.gov/Dashboard/default.aspx. The percentage of matched GPAs will determine the winners for the Race to Submit Campaign.

Finally, the 2022 Annual Statewide Financial Aid Workshops will be offered throughout the state beginning in late August 2022. CSAC is resuming in-person workshops for 2022 and will continue to offer a few live webinars through Zoom. To stay up to date and to register, please visit the CSAC 2022 Annual Statewide Financial Workshops web page at https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/2022-annual-statewide-financial-aid-workshops.

Should you have any questions, please contact CSAC Institutional Support at 888-294-0153 or schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
California Department of Education

Marlene L. Garcia
Executive Director
California Student Aid Commission

TT/MLG:lfb

2022-02446