Cal Grant 2027-28: Amounts, Income Limits, March 2 Deadline

Honest framing first: the Cal Grant is real money that you don't repay, and California pays out billions of it. But it isn't automatic. About 4 in 10 students offered a new High School Entitlement award in 2024-25 weren't paid that year, and competitive awards turn most qualified applicants away. The application is free. No one can sell you a better shot at it.

A Cal Grant can be worth more than a federal Pell Grant at a UC, and you can get both. Most of the confusion comes from the structure: three award types (A, B and C), several award cycles, a GPA that has to be on file separately, and a second website, WebGrants 4 Students, where you claim the award. This guide walks through each piece with CSAC's current numbers.

If you haven't filed yet, start with the FAFSA application guide, then come back here. Students in other states can find their own dates in the FAFSA deadlines by state guide.

Cal Grant A, B and C: What Each Pays for 2026-27

You don't choose a Cal Grant type. CSAC's Award Types page (opens in a new tab) says students are considered for A, B or C based on the FAFSA or CADAA, a verified GPA, financial need, and the college they attend. The 2026-27 maximum annual amounts:

Source: CSAC Award Types page and Cal Grant FAQ, checked October 28, 2026.

Cal Grant A is for low- and middle-income students in programs of two years or more leading to an associate or bachelor's degree. It covers tuition and fees. At a community college, CSAC holds the award in reserve for up to two years until you transfer.

Cal Grant B is for low-income students in programs of one year or more. It pays a $1,648 access award for books and living costs. CSAC's award-types page says tuition and fee coverage at four-year schools begins in the student's second academic year, while its FAQ table shows tuition plus access together. Ask your aid office how your first-year award will be paid.

Cal Grant C is for occupational and technical programs of at least 8 weeks. It's renewable for up to 2 academic years, needs no GPA, and is prorated for programs of 8 to 14 weeks.

Bigger access awards for parents and foster youth

Students with dependent children (under 18, paying more than half their expenses) and current or former foster youth can get an access award of up to $6,000 with Cal Grant A or B, or up to $4,000 for books and supplies with Cal Grant C, according to CSAC's FAQ. A student-parent with Cal Grant A at a community college can be paid that access award instead of waiting for transfer. If you're a parent in school, the child care assistance programs guide and the CalWORKs guide cover help that sits alongside it.

How the amounts changed from 2025-26

CSAC's 2025-26 Offered Awardees report lists that year's maximum tuition and fees. Comparing them with the 2026-27 page:

The UC amount follows UC's cohort tuition model: CSAC says each entering class gets its own Cal Grant amount, which stays the same for up to six years. The $1,648 access award hasn't moved, and a flat amount buys less each year that prices rise.

Cal Grant Eligibility: GPA, Income and Asset Ceilings for 2027-28

To qualify, CSAC's Cal Grant page (opens in a new tab) says students must have financial need, meet income and asset ceilings, file the FAFSA or CADAA by the deadline, have a verified GPA or test score on file, be a California resident attending an eligible school, be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, eligible noncitizen, or meet AB 540, be working toward a first undergraduate degree or certificate, enroll at least half-time, and keep Satisfactory Academic Progress. The FAQ adds two more: no default on a federal or state student loan, and not incarcerated.

GPA minimums

2027-28 income ceilings

CSAC's 2027-28 income and asset ceilings (opens in a new tab), dated June 24, 2026, apply to new applicants and renewing recipients. Grantsights compared them with the 2026-27 chart; most limits rose about 5%.

2027-28 asset ceilings

CSAC's FAQ says not to count home equity, retirement funds, prepaid tuition plans, or life insurance as assets on the FAFSA or CADAA. And CSAC says ceilings can change until the annual state budget passes, so treat the 2027-28 chart as current, not final.

Being under the ceiling isn't enough. You also need financial need at your school. CSAC's 2024-25 data on the High School Entitlement program show what typical recipients look like: about 90% of new Cal Grant B recipients had a Student Aid Index between -1500 and 0, compared with 46% of new Cal Grant A recipients.

The March 2 Deadline and the Award Cycles

The deadline gap is 6 months. CSAC's How to Apply page (opens in a new tab) lists March 2, 2027 as the priority deadline to file the FAFSA or CADAA for state aid, and September 2, 2027 for California Community College students. The same date matters for your GPA: CSAC says to confirm in WebGrants that your GPA was submitted by the March 2 priority deadline. StudentAid.gov's state list also shows California's date as March 2, 2027, postmarked, with school-certified GPA due the same day.

Which deadline applies depends on your award cycle, according to CSAC's Award Cycles page (opens in a new tab):

Grantsights recommendation: file by the March 2 date even if you plan to start at a community college. The September 2 date keeps the community college entitlement open, but a March filing keeps every route open, including High School Entitlement if you change your mind about where to enroll.

Take one applicant in Fresno, a senior with a 3.2 GPA who files the FAFSA in February 2027 but whose high school doesn't upload GPAs until after March 2. If nobody checks WebGrants, the application and GPA don't meet up in time. CSAC's FAQ is blunt that confirming the GPA is the student's responsibility.

How to Apply: FAFSA or CADAA, then WebGrants 4 Students

There's no separate Cal Grant form. CSAC lists 3 steps:

1. File the FAFSA or the CADAA for the academic year. You need one, not both. The FAFSA is for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, T-visa holders and eligible noncitizens. The CADAA is for undocumented students, students with a U visa or Temporary Protected Status, and others who meet the nonresident tuition exemption.
2. Confirm your GPA in WebGrants 4 Students. CSAC says to create an account about one week after you submit the FAFSA or CADAA. If your GPA isn't listed, contact your high school or college aid office.
3. Claim your award. Starting in February, confirm your school of attendance in WebGrants. High School Entitlement awardees confirm their high school graduation; transfer students complete the Transfer Entitlement form; Cal Grant C applicants complete the Cal Grant C Supplement.

WebGrants 4 Students (opens in a new tab) is a separate account from your FAFSA or CADAA, CSAC says. You'll use it to check awards, change schools, update your address, and request a leave of absence. If you're not enrolled at least half-time in a term, CSAC's FAQ says you must request a leave of absence, up to 4 semesters or 6 quarters.

The CADAA for undocumented students

The California Dream Act Application (opens in a new tab) opens state and college aid, including Cal Grant, the Middle Class Scholarship and the California Community College Promise Grant, to students who can't file the FAFSA. CSAC's Undocumented Students page (opens in a new tab) lists the basics: you're undocumented or have a U visa or TPS, you don't qualify for the FAFSA, you attended 3 or more years of school in California and graduated from a California high school or equivalent (AB 540), and you'll enroll at a qualifying California college. CSAC also lets FAFSA-eligible students from mixed-status families use the CADAA when a contributor without an SSN can't complete the FAFSA.

CSAC says CADAA information is used only to determine eligibility for state aid and is never shared with the federal government or used for immigration enforcement. In 2025-26, CSAC's Offered Awardees report counts 16,844 CADAA filers offered a new or renewal Cal Grant, about 2% of all offered awardees.

Renewing

Cal Grant eligibility lasts up to four years of full-time study or the equivalent. To renew, CSAC's FAQ says you must receive at least one payment in your first award year, file a new FAFSA or CADAA each year, and have eligibility left. Using the award in summer uses up a term of eligibility.

The Middle Class Scholarship

The Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) is a separate CSAC award for undergraduates and teaching credential students at UC, CSU, or a community college bachelor's degree program. You don't apply separately; CSAC's MCS page (opens in a new tab) says students are considered with a timely FAFSA or CADAA. The amount isn't fixed. It depends on your cost of attendance, other aid you've received, how many students qualify statewide, and the state budget.

The MCS page says the deadline is typically March 2. For 2026-27 it was March 2, 2026 for CADAA filers and March 3, 2026 for FAFSA filers; CSAC hadn't posted a separate 2027-28 MCS date as of October 28, 2026, so use March 2, 2027. CSAC notifies MCS recipients by mid to late August, so don't count on it when comparing offers in spring.

Cal Grant Recipients and Dollars: CSAC's 2025-26 Data

California paid $2.74 billion in Cal Grants to 492,223 students in 2025-26, according to CSAC's 2025-26 Cal Grants by Legislative District report (opens in a new tab). Grantsights analysis of CSAC's 2025-26 reports finds the average payment was about $5,563 per paid recipient, and that 63% of the 782,310 students offered a new or renewal award were actually paid.

Where the 782,310 offered awards went, by segment, from Table 3A of the 2025-26 Offered Awardees report (opens in a new tab):

By award type, CSAC's Table 1 shows 544,215 Cal Grant B offers (70%), 220,732 Cal Grant A (28%) and 17,363 Cal Grant C (2%). Federal money adds to this: according to USAspending.gov FY2025 data, California colleges received $5.34 billion in Pell obligations under Assistance Listing 84.063, about $136 per resident using Census Bureau July 1, 2025 estimates (USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab)). The Pell Grant guide explains how that federal award is set.

What the Cal Grant Page Doesn't Tell You

CSAC's pages explain the rules. Its own reports show where students actually fall through, and the 6 points below come from those numbers.

1. An offer isn't money. In 2024-25, CSAC offered new High School Entitlement awards to 153,328 students, and 92,434 (60.3%) became paid recipients, according to the 2024-25 Facts at Your Fingertips report (opens in a new tab). Students who don't enroll, don't confirm their school, or don't confirm graduation in WebGrants don't get paid.

2. You must get paid in year one to keep it. CSAC's award cycles page says entitlement and competitive awards renew only if the student receives at least one Cal Grant payment in the first award year (Cal Grant A in community college reserve is the exception). Skipping a year after being offered an award can cost the whole thing.

3. Competitive awards turn most people away. CSAC's 2024-25 Competitive report (opens in a new tab) says 60,197 students met the financial and basic criteria, about 28% (16,814) got offers, and 43,383 qualified students went unserved. The number of competitive awards was cut from 41,000 to 13,000 when the Community College Entitlement started in 2021-22. Most 2024-25 competitive recipients were 25 or older. If you're an adult student, apply anyway, but don't plan your budget around it.

4. A 2.0 GPA is the minimum, not the typical. For Cal Grant B, CSAC's 2024-25 data show 61% of new High School Entitlement recipients had at least a 3.00. A 2.0 still qualifies you. It just means you shouldn't assume every recipient looks like a struggling student.

5. Using Cal Grant B early can shortchange you. CSAC's FAQ recommends using Cal Grant B at a community college for only 1 or 2 years, because at a four-year school it also covers tuition and fees. Your four years of eligibility are worth more after transfer.

6. The $1,648 access award hasn't kept pace. It was $1,648 in 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27. For living costs, the Middle Class Scholarship, the school's own grants, and Pell matter more than this line.

Cal Grant Scams and Red Flags

Cal Grant scams sell something that's free. All 1,231,452 students who filed and met GPA deadlines for 2025-26 did it with a free form, the FAFSA or the CADAA. The FTC's scholarship and financial aid scams page (opens in a new tab) says only you and your family should complete your FAFSA, it's always free, and you should never share your FSA ID with companies or consultants. The CADAA is free too, at dream.csac.ca.gov. Common red flags for California students:

• A fee to "apply for Cal Grant." There's no Cal Grant application to pay for; the FAFSA or CADAA is the application.
• A request for your WebGrants or FSA ID login. No legitimate helper needs it.
• A "guaranteed" Cal Grant or scholarship. CSAC's own competitive awards aren't guaranteed, and the FTC says legitimate services never guarantee aid.
• Pressure to pay at a seminar. CSAC runs free Cash for College workshops, in person and online.

Free help is available from CSAC Student Support at (888) 224-7268, your school counselor, and the college aid office. CSAC's FAQ also notes it uses a CSAC ID instead of your Social Security number when you contact it.

Grantsights' free eligibility checker doesn't award Cal Grants or file applications. If you pick "Student" or "Individual > Personal financial help," it lists the official routes: StudentAid.gov, the USA.gov benefit finder, rental help, help with bills, food help, and the 211 line. For other California programs, see the California grants guide; for federal and private student aid, see grants for students; and for what isn't real, read how to apply for grants as an individual.

FAQ: Common Cal Grant Questions

How much is the Cal Grant for 2026-27?

Cal Grant A: up to $15,588 at UC (2026-27 cohort), $6,838 at CSU, $4,000 to $9,358 at private schools. Cal Grant B adds $1,648 for books and living costs. Cal Grant C pays $1,094 at a community college.

What is the Cal Grant deadline for 2027-28?

March 2, 2027 for the FAFSA or CADAA and your GPA; September 2, 2027 for community college students.

What is the income limit for Cal Grant?

For 2027-28, a dependent student in a family of four: $151,800 for Cal Grant A and C, $79,800 for Cal Grant B. Asset ceiling: $117,500 for dependent students.

What GPA do you need for a Cal Grant?

3.00 high school (2.40 college) for Cal Grant A; 2.00 for Cal Grant B; none for Cal Grant C.

Can undocumented students get a Cal Grant?

Yes, with the California Dream Act Application, if they meet AB 540 and the other rules.

Is the Cal Grant guaranteed?

Entitlement awards are, for eligible students who meet the deadlines. Competitive and Cal Grant C awards are limited.

Do I have to pay back a Cal Grant?

No, as long as you meet the enrollment and progress rules. Applying is free.

Sources

• CSAC: Cal Grant Programs (opens in a new tab), checked October 28, 2026
• CSAC: Cal Grant Award Types (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: Cal Grant Award Cycles (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: Cal Grant FAQ (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: Cal Grant Income and Asset Ceilings (2027-28 and 2026-27 charts) (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: How to Apply for Financial Aid (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: Undocumented Students (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: WebGrants 4 Students (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: Middle Class Scholarship (opens in a new tab) and MCS income and asset ceilings (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: 2025-26 Cal Grant Program Offered Awardees (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: 2025-26 Cal Grants by California Legislative District (opens in a new tab)
• CSAC: 2024-25 Facts at Your Fingertips, High School Entitlement (opens in a new tab) and Competitive (opens in a new tab)
• StudentAid.gov: FAFSA Application Deadlines (opens in a new tab)
• USAspending.gov award search (opens in a new tab), Assistance Listing 84.063, FY2025
• FTC: How To Avoid Scholarship and Financial Aid Scams (opens in a new tab)