Financial Aid Applications legislation passes Assembly and heads to Senate

A low-income student who wants financial assistance to attend college must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to access institutional, state, and federal aid such as grants, work-study jobs, student loans, and critical financial aid resources like the Community College Promise Program. Similarly, the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) provides an opportunity for undocumented and nonresident documented students to apply for and receive state aid.

Assembly Bill 469 sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes’s (D-San Bernardino) has passed the Assembly and now heads to the Senate. The bill, according to Reyes will ensure that high school seniors complete and submit the FAFSA or CADAA.

“The evidence tells us that completion of the FAFSA leads to a substantial increase in college attendance,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “In fact, 90% of high school seniors who complete the FAFSA attend college directly from high school, compared to just 55% of FAFSA non-completers. By ensuring that our graduating seniors complete critical financial aid forms like the FAFSA and CADAA, we are directly connecting students to the resources they need to pursue higher education.”

In 2018, California passed AB 2015 (Reyes) that requires public schools serving students in grades 9-12 to offer information on how to properly complete and submit a FAFSA and CADAA at least once before 12th grade. AB 469 will build upon AB 2015’s efforts by making sure students not only receive information about the FAFSA/CADAA but also ensure all students submit a financial aid form so they can access critical financial aid resources needed to attend college.

“I support a policy like this because I was a student who benefited from getting assistance when applying for the California Dream Act for the first time as a high school senior,” said Beatriz, a student at CSU Channel Islands who works at a Dream Resource Center. “If it wasn’t for the help I received that day when filling out the Dream Act, I would not have been successful in transitioning from community college.”