Parent Grants support undergraduate student-parents with dependent children under the age of 18.
We Support Our Student-Parents
The Parent Grant will automatically be offered in your financial aid package based on your aid application. Award amounts are based on financial need and availability of funds each year. Disbursements are held until documentation, confirming dependent children meet the conditions listed below, is reviewed and verified.
Parent Grants are coordinated with the California Student Aid Commission “Students with Dependents” (SWD) grant. If you qualify for a SWD grant your parent grant will be adjusted to make room for the SWD grant.
Parent Grants are available to undergraduate student-parents who meet all qualifying criteria:
- Have at least one dependent child under the age of 18 as of the first day of the academic year, who is not attending college, and who lives with you at least 50% time during the academic year.
- Must indicate on the FAFSA or California Dream Application that you have or will have children who will receive more than half of their support from you during the award year (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024). This includes your unborn child(ren) who will be born during the award year and will receive more than half of their support from you.
- Are meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
- Have demonstrated financial need based on the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application.
- Are a California resident or an AB 540 eligible student.
- Are not living in the on-campus residence halls.
- If you are pregnant, the Parent Grant will be awarded in the term in which the child is born. For example, if the child is born in October, then the Parent Grant would be awarded for the full academic year. If the child is born in February, then the Parent Grant would be awarded for the spring term only.
- If you meet all of the criteria listed above and are not awarded a Parent Grant, please contact Cal Student Central so that we can review your eligibility.
- If you have a Parent Grant in your financial aid package and you do not meet all of the criteria listed above, please contact Cal Student Central, so that we can update your financial aid package accordingly.
Please Note: If you are a graduate student and are interested in the Parent Grant, please visit the Graduate Division’s Student Family Assistance page.
Appeals
You can file a Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request for the academic year if you need additional financial aid. Please visit the Student Parent Center for more information.
The Student Parent Center provides advising help in completing the Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request and also workshops on cost of attendance.
You can file a Summer Child Care Expense Appeal if you have not been awarded the maximum amount in a Summer Parent Grant; this is the only summer expense that may be appealed. Please refer to the Grant section of Summer Financial Aid.
The Family Contribution Appeal is available for student parents with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) who have experienced a reduction in income after the base year income used on the aid application (calendar year 2021 for aid year 2023-2024). Most student parents will have received their full grant aid if they have an EFC of $8,450.00 or less. However an approved appeal for reduction in income may result in an offer of a subsidized student loan instead of an unsubsidized student loan. Visit our Loans webpage for more information on the various types of loans available to students.