Cal Grant Rejected but I meet Cal Grant A GPA requirement?

mclgem · 06-09-2012, 01:11 PM

So, I just completed my freshmen year in college and completed 36 units according to my transcript. My overall and academic GPA is 3.380. I go to a Cal State university and I'm a dependent. I don't work and receive financial support from my parents.

After graduating high school, I qualified for Cal Grant B and not A because I didn't meet the GPA requirement for A during high school. But this year, I got rejected for Cal Grant B as well because my parents' income went up (I received my rejection through e-mail this morning 6/9/12).

However, shouldn't I qualify for Cal Grant A instead? According to the disqualification sheet, I need a GPA of 2.40 in College to qualify for A (Online, they say it's 3.0). Also, the income requirement for A for a family size of 5 is $86k. My family income is 60k. Meaning, I'm still under the income requirement.

Can anyone explain to me how the GPA for Cal Grant A works? Because my sister who also goes to the same college and we're in the same year, got Cal Grant A. Her GPA is 3.54. And I didn't get anything at all.

Do I not meet the GPA requirement or did the CSAC made an error?

swimcatsmom · 06-09-2012, 02:40 PM

I am by no means an expert on cal grants, but my understanding from what I have seen posted on CC over the years is that once you start on a particular cal grant program you are locked into that program and can't switch to a different one. So as you have already received funds from the cal grant B program, I don't think you can switch to cal grant A.

Did your sister start off on cal grant A?

edited to add:
I googled this and found this at the UCLA web site:
http://www.fao.ucla.edu/faqs_calgrant.htm#7B

Quote:

Can I accept Cal Grant A in my first year and switch to Cal Grant B in my second year?

No, once funds are disbursed, you cannot switch your Cal Grant program.

SwimGood · 06-09-2012, 04:00 PM

@swimcatsmom

I am in a similar situation to the thread starter. My Cal Grant B was denied because my parents went over the income ceiling, but Cal Grant A's income ceiling is about 30k higher for some reason. That doesn't make any sense to me in the first place, and what also doesn't make sense is why I can't switch Cal Grants IF one was denied.

mclgem · 06-09-2012, 04:27 PM

@swimcatsmom my sister also started with Cal Grant B so it doesn't make sense to me why I can't get Cal Grant A as well..