Get Adobe ReaderThe California Dream Act of 2011 allows students who meet AB540 criteria to apply for and receive certain state and institutional financial assistance programs.
First the basics
What are the AB540 requirements?
- The student must have attended a high school (public or private) in California for three or more years
AND
- The student must have graduated from a California high school or attained the equivalent prior to the start of the term (for example: passed the GED or California High School Proficiency exam)
AND
- A student who is without lawful immigration status must file an AB540 Affidavit (California Non-Resident Tuition Exemption Request form) with the college or university stating that he or she has filed an application to legalize his or her immigration status, or will file an application as soon as he or she is eligible to do so.
- Complete and submit the affidavit to:
CSULA Office of Admissions and Recruitment
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032Visit http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/ab540/ for more information.
What assistance is available to AB540 students?
AB130 (scholarships)
AB130 allows students who qualify under AB540 to apply for non-state funded scholarships. This law took effect on January 1, 2012. For more information on scholarships available to students visit http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/finaid/scholar.php.
AB131 (grants)
AB 131 allows student who qualify under AB540 to apply for and receive state-funded financial aid such as institutional grants, community college fee waivers, Cal Grant and Chafee Grant. This law takes effect on January 1, 2013. As such, eligible AB540 students at CSU Los Angeles who complete the Dream Application will be considered for instituional grants in Winter 2013.
How do I apply?
Dream Application – http://www.csac.ca.gov/dream_act.asp
Deadline for priority consideration for winter/spring 2013 funding: May 10, 2012
To apply for the programs available under AB131, you will use the Dream Application which will be available to students beginning April 2, 2012. The Dream Application will collect basic personal and income information to determine student eligibility for funding under AB131. While the application and processing begins in April 2012; eligible Dream applicants will not begin to receive their funding until after January 1, 2013 (the date which the law becomes effective).
Students will need to complete the Dream Application every year to determine eligibility for state and institutional aid. If you have not already done so, students should complete and submit to the CSU Los Angeles University Admissions Recruitment Office the AB540 Affidavit (California Non-Resident Tuition Exemption Request form) in order to begin a review of your eligibility.
Now that I’ve applied, what happens next?
Our school’s timeline for awarding Dream Applicants is expected to be between May and June 2012. Please see below for additional key dates/deadlines.
EOP and SUG Grant Application Process for Winter 2013 and Spring 2013
| April 2nd, 2012 | Students may begin to submit the California Dream Act Application online via the California Student Aid Commission web site www.caldreamact.org. CSU, Los Angeles will receive the application data electronically. |
| April 16th, 2012 | The CSULA Financial Aid Office will begin to send notices to applicants confirming receipt of their California Dream Act Application. |
| May 10th, 2012 | Priority funding consideration deadline. |
| May 2012 | The CSULA Financial Aid Office will begin awarding eligible applicants. Applicants will be considered for State University Grant (SUG) and Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) grants. Grants will be offered to applicants who meet the awarding criteria and will be dependent upon available funds. |
| June 2012 | Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) notices will be sent to students not meeting the minimum GPA, Rate, or Excessive Unit criteria. For information on SAP guidelines, visit http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/finaid/forms/SAP%20Policy.pdf. |
| January 7th, 2013 | First regular disbursement of funds will be issued to DREAM applicants for Winter quarter 2013. Applicants must be meeting all appropriate disbursement criteria. Visit |
Cal Grant Application Process
| January 1st – March 2nd, 2013 | Cal Grant Dream Applications become available for Dream Act Cal Grants for the 2013-2014 academic year. Additional information will be available at a later date from the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) – www.caldreamact.org. |