CAL GRANT SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

ALERT, ALERT!

New Cal Grant requirement changes starting for 2012-2013 on new and renewal Cal Grants. Stay tuned for these changes that can affect your Cal Grant.

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CAL GRANT MARCH 2nd DEADLINE

El Camino College Financial Aid Office submits all GPA's electronically to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) on all students that have attended the previous six semesters and have completed at least 16 but less than 24 units of "degree credit" course work for a Reestablished GPA or completed a minimum of 24 semester units of "degree credit" course work at a California Community College for a California Community College GPA.

GPA Verification Forms should be completed and submitted to the ECC Financial Aid Office ONLY IF:

you DID NOT attend El Camino College within the last two semesters

you have units from other institutions that you want to include along with units from ECC in your GPA calculation, please include all copies of transcripts from other institutions

you will be transferring to another institution for the SPRING 2012 semester

you are a recent high school graduate, or have less than 16 units from El Camino College please provide an official high school transcript

GPA Verification Forms can be obtained online @ http://www.csac.ca.gov/ and click on Cal Grant GPA Forms under Resources. Remember to complete the form in BLACK ink only.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ALL COMPLETED GPA VERIFICATION FORMS WITH TRANSCRIPTS TO EL CAMINO COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE, SSVC 2nd FLOOR, ROOM 215 BY THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23th, 2012.

Students attending a non-accredited high school, participating in a home schooling program, or who otherwise do not have a high school GPA, MUST provide either GED, SAT, or ACT test scores and must follow mailing instruction #9 on the reverse side of the GPA Verification Form and mail to the California Student Aid Commission.

View electronically submitted GPA's to the California Student Aid Commission. Log on to: www.webgrants4students.org

When will I know if I’ve received a Cal Grant?

After you apply, you can track the status of your Cal Grant application online by using WebGrants for Students. Log on to set up your personal, confidential account.

View electronically submitted GPA's to the California Student Aid Commission. Log on to: www.webgrants4students.org

If you met the Cal Grant application requirements and qualify for a Cal Grant, you’ll receive an award letter, also known as the California Aid Report, or CAR. If you qualify for a Cal Grant Entitlement award and your application was received on time and needs no corrections, you should receive a CAR by the end of March or early April. If you have not heard from the Commission by April 30, please call toll free 888.224.7268 or e-mail studentsupport@csac.ca.gov to check your application.

Remember that it is required that a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is completed and submitted to the federal processor. El Camino College Financial Aid Office encourages you to complete a FAFSA application online @ www.fafsa.ed.gov on or before the Cal Grant postmark deadline of March 2nd, 2012 or the September 2nd, 2012 (for community college students only) in order to be considered. PLEASE CHECK OUR OFFICE FOR INTERNAL DEADLINE SET FOR SUBMITTING ANY PAPER GPA FORMS.

2012-2013 Entitlement Cal Grants/New Electronic California Aid Report (CAR)

The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) has offered approximately 79,000 High School Entitlement (E1) Cal Grant awards to date. In addition, the Commission is pleased to announce the implementation of the new electronic California Aid Report (CAR).

Recently awarded students are notified of their offer through an automated e-mail message which will direct them to view the electronic CAR in WebGrants for Students (WGS). The e-mail message will indicate that an update has been made to the student’s Cal Grant account and will direct the student to WGS to find details on their Cal Grant award status. Students who do not have a WGS account will need to establish one in order to log in and view their Cal Grant award information. Students who do not have an e-mail address in CSAC's system will receive a paper CAR.

The Commission will continue to run weekly award cycles and provide electronic or paper CARs to applicants.

The Website address for WGS is www.webgrants4students.org. Check the website periodically for new updates on awards.

CURRENT HIGH SCHOOL GRADS

Were you awarded a Cal Grant?

Be sure to check on "WebGrants for Students" and establish an account at www.webgrants4students.org to verify that the Student Aid Commission has received verification of your graduation date, once logged in, you will receive instructions on confirming your graduation status if another source has not confirmed your high school graduation. NO CAL GRANT payments can be made until high school graduation is confirmed. Cal Grant award offers will be withdrawn if high school graduation is not confirmed and you will have to apply again for the following academic year.

If you have been awarded a Cal Grant or Chafee Grant, be sure to fill out and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the federal processor EVERY academic year @ www.fafsa.ed.gov.

2012-2013 NEW CAL GRANT RECIPIENTS

The California Student Aid Commission will send out notifications of Cal Grant Awards to all eligible students. If you have received an Award Notification and you will be attending El Camino College, be sure to check that El Camino College is listed as your School Choice, if not you need to complete a school change at: www.webgrants4students.org.

Have you received a letter from the Financial Aid Office marked URGENT? If so, it is informing you that you need to complete one or more item(s) listed below:

Apply for admissions for El Camino College at, http://www.cccapply.org/

or

Add El Camino College on the FAFSA application at www.fafsa.ed.gov

or

Submit High School Graduation Certification at www.webgrants4students.org

or

Declare a major through the El Camino College Admissions Department
or

Enroll in a vocational program in order to receive a Cal Grant C.

Please read the instructions carefully and respond as soon as possible or your Cal Grant award may be delayed. Once you have completed any of the above, we will add your Cal Grant award for future disbursements. Please contact the Student Aid Commission to make school changes if you are not planning to attend El Camino College or you may disqualify yourself.

ACCESS YOUR CAL GRANT INFORMATION ON WEBGRANTS FOR STUDENTS

Anytime, anywhere you can visit www.webgrants4students.orgclick on "WebGrants for Students" a website that allows you easy access to your Cal Grant or Chafee Grant information.

You can:

check the status of your application

view your payment history

update your address or phone number

change school(s)

link to other financial aid sites

So, don't wait on the phone for a customer service representative!