AB 789: Student financial aid: Cal Grants: satisfactory academic progress.

Existing law, the Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Expanded Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. For a student to qualify for a Cal Grant award, existing law requires that the student, among other things, make satisfactory academic progress at a qualifying institution. Existing law defines satisfactory academic progress as those criteria required by applicable federal standards published in Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt regulations defining satisfactory academic progress in a manner that is consistent with the federal standards.

This bill would require, as part of the criteria to be a qualifying institution under the Cal Grant Program, an institution, by the start of the 202425 academic year, to comply with various requirements regarding satisfactory academic progress standards used to determine if a student qualifies for a Cal Grant and to develop and implement policies defining satisfactory academic progress in a manner that is consistent with the federal standards. The bill would delete the commissions authorization to adopt regulations defining satisfactory academic progress.