Financial Aid applications open on October 1, 2022

Starting this year, the FAFSA or CADAA is a mandatory process for all graduating students per California AB 469. Luckily for you, most schools require a financial aid application to be completed regardless of the type of school you plan on attending.

Am I Eligible for the California Dream Act or FAFSA?

Students should only complete one of the applications (not both), according to the citizenship requirements below:

1. You are eligible to complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov if you are a:

• U.S Citizen
• Permanent Resident
• Eligible non-citizen
• T Visa holder

2. You are eligible to complete the CADAA at https://dream.csac.ca.gov if you are:

• Undocumented
• Have a valid or expired DACA
• U Visa holders
• Have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) 2
• Meet the non-resident exemption requirements under AB 540, SB 2000, SB 68

Note: If you have further questions, including how to ensure you are completing the correct financial aid application, you can visit the Immigrants Rising website and review the document titled, “FAFSA VS CA Dream Act: Apply to the Correct Financial Aid,” at https://immigrantsrising.org/resource/fafsa-vs-ca-dream-act-apply-to-the-correct-financial-aid-in-ca/