By Melanie Slone
As the situation at the federal level may seem confusing or even frightening, the state of California is fighting to make sure all students have a lifeline to pay for higher education: the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), also known as the California DREAM Act.
Last spring, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC)—the state agency responsible for distributing over $3 billion in financial aid—reported a 38% drop in CADAA applications and a 14% drop in Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications statewide.
The drop was due to two main factors, glitches with the FAFSA site, and the fear in some families of undocumented or even some documented students of sharing their data with government agencies.
California’s state program CADAA protects all students from this federal scrutiny. “Many of our students and families—the Californians that we are neighbors with—some of them are living in unprecedented times where their data is being shared between federal agencies to attack them and target them,” says Dr. Daisy Gonzales, Executive Director, California Student Aid Commission, in a media briefing through American Community Media.
Many students “are thinking about not pursuing their higher education,” she adds. But the CSAC is here to help.
“The California DREAM Act application offers access to state aid for undocumented students who meet the nonresident solution criteria, and it is used by mixed status families, that’s an application where the student is a U.S. citizen and one or more of the contributors—parent or a spouse—does not have a Social Security number,” explains Gonzales.
The state works to secure the information and does not share it with the federal government. “The California DREAM application is California’s solution data and information is held in California, and we will do everything that we can to secure it,” says Gonzales. “The data that students complete will only be used to determine state and institutional aid eligibility, and it is not shared with the federal government,” she adds.
“This state believes in you, and we want you and your children to succeed,” says Gonzales. “I am the proud daughter of immigrants; I’m also a first-generation college student, so I know very closely the life-changing power of higher education,” Gonzales explains.
“Our job at the California student aid Commission is to support every family right now in this state. We want our undocumented students, mixed-status families, our refugees to apply for financial aid.” Families who are unsure of which form to complete can fill out both FAFSA and CADAA. “Behind the scenes we figure out how to process those applications,” says Gonzales, so students can get their financial aid.
The California DREAM Act can be your lifeline. “CADAA continues to be beacon of hope for every Californian, including undocumented students, our refugees, our mixed-status families, and every Californian who needs a safe pathway to apply for financial aid,” Gonzales concludes.
Local Scholarship Opportunities · Oportunidades locales para conseguir becas
California Student Opportunity & Access Program (Cal-SOAP)
FAFSA
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a federal financial aid application for U.S. citizens, permanent residents (“green card” holders), T-visa holders, and other eligible non-citizens to apply for state and federal financial aid. https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafs
San Diego County Office of Education
Other scholarship resources · Otros recursos de becas
- Your school’s financial aid office · La oficina de ayuda financiera de tu high school
- School counselors · Tus consejeros escolares
- Program counselors · Consejeros de programas escolares
- The financial aid office at the schools you are interested in · La oficina de ayuda financiera de la institución que te interesa
- Talk to teachers, friends, former students, community leaders and members · Hablar con profesores, amigos, ex alumnos, líderes y miembros comunitarios
Información en español
