Agree. Please log in to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).https://www.csac.ca.gov
This is the entity that handles student aid and grants for California students. Familiarize yourself with the website. Make an account under the WebGrants4students: https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov
If you need AID make sure you and your parents fill out the FAFSA before the March 2nd deadline if you plan to ask for the CalGrant or the Middle Class Scholarship to enter college in Fall of 2024. Every year the deadline is March 2nd. You will do this for all four years while you are in college and need grant dollars to attend.
Before the March 2nd deadline, your parents will submit their tax records from 2 years ago. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) will use those records to evaluate how much you need to attend your school. You don’t need to know, NOW, where you will attend but they will want to know where you applied so they can estimate your costs for those colleges. After your meet the March deadline, the schools where you have applied, will begin to note what additional scholarships and grants you may qualify to receive at that California university.
I know this is a LOT of information. You should be receiving some Cal Grant information at your high school. Go to those information sessions that are created for you and your parents.
They will have local Community College and university reps there. The CC people can answer financial aid questions because it’s usually the same across the California universities. Ask questions.
You will not have to repay a CalGrant, nor a scholarship given by the State nor a university grant given by your college. (On your financial aid “awards page”, it may say “UG” and a dollar amount. This is money from the university and is labeled as “university grant” which you don’t need to repay.) Your parents have been paying California State taxes, so you can apply for any state funding that is available
(Loans are a different issue. You are allowed to refuse loans and don’t have to take them.)
I am attaching the CALGRANT Fact sheet so that you can familiarize yourself with that funding. If you don’t qualify for a CalGrant, the CSAC will see if you and your family will qualify for the Middle Class Scholarship which has reserved additional funding recently from the California Legislature’s new rules.
Good luck! Ask questions often!
Edited to Add: CalGrants are only available for California schools. You cannot use state funding to attend a school that is not in California. So, you can’t use the funds for ASU. You can use the funding for public schools like UC’s and CSU’s and privates like U of San Fran, U of San Diego, Chapman University, Loyola Marymount, Stanford, USC, etc. as long as the school is in California.