SB 1314: Cal Grant Program: Middle Class Scholarship Program: community college baccalaureate degree program students.

(1)Existing law, the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, and the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards and eligibility requirements for these awards for participating students attending qualifying institutions.

This bill would provide that community college students participating in specified baccalaureate degree programs who also satisfy specified eligibility requirements shall receive these awards for upper division coursework fees.

(2)Under existing law, the Middle Class Scholarship Program provides that an undergraduate student enrolled at the University of California or the California State University, and meeting certain requirements, is eligible for a scholarship award that, combined with other federal, state, and institutionally administered grants and fee waivers, totals up to 40% of the systemwide tuition and fees. Under existing law, to receive an award under the Middle Class Scholarship Program, a student is required to have an annual household income that does not exceed $150,000 as adjusted to reflect changes in the cost of living, satisfy specified requirements for a Cal Grant award, be a California resident or exempt from paying nonresident tuition, file specified financial aid forms, timely apply for publicly funded student financial aid for which he or she is eligible, maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average, be pursuing his or her first undergraduate baccalaureate degree or be enrolled in a specified professional teacher preparation program, and be enrolled at least part time. Existing law requires the University of California and the California State University to provide the Student Aid Commission with any financial aid data that are necessary for the determination of award amounts.

Existing law transfers $117,000,000 from the General Fund to the Middle Class Scholarship Fund and appropriates that sum to the Student Aid Commission for purposes of the scholarship program for the 201718 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter.

This bill would extend awards under the Middle Class Scholarship Program to community college students enrolled in upper division coursework of a baccalaureate degree program, as specified, and would require the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to provide the commission with any financial data that are necessary for the determination of award amounts for these students. By expanding the appropriation described above, the bill would make an appropriation.

(3)This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 69436 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1449 that would become operative if this bill and AB 1449 are both enacted and this bill is chaptered last.