Funding for Undocumented Students

The California Dream Act Application (CADAA) allows eligible undocumented students to apply for the following types of financial aid: private scholarships funded through public universities, state financial aid, university grants, and community college fee waivers.

You must be eligible for AB540 to apply for the CADAA. For more info on AB540: www.miracosta.edu/ab540

The information provided on the California Dream Act Application is used solely to determine eligibility for state financial aid. This information is protected by FERPA, is not shared with the federal government or used for immigration enforcement purposes. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) will protect this information to the fullest extent of the law.

You should never have to pay for your application. The CADAA is a free application and assistance to apply is always available through Financial Aid and UPRISE.

Am I Eligible to Apply?

Note: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application is meant for students who are U.S. citizens, not for students who are undocumented, or other non-citizens. Students should only complete one of the applications (not both), according to the citizenship requirements below:

You are eligible to complete the CADAA if you are:
- Undocumented, or have a U Visa, or have a valid or expired DACA, or have Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Meet the non-resident tuition exemption/AB540 requirements
You are eligible to complete the FAFSA if you are a:
- U.S Citizen
- Permanent Resident
- Eligible non-citizen
- T Visa holder

If you’re not sure which application to complete, feel free to reach out to the Financial Aid & Scholarships Department. Click on the blue “Contact, Hours & Appointments” button above to see our contact information.

How can I receive help?

The Financial Aid office hosts workshops throughout the year.

Workshop Info

You can find workshop information posted on the Financial Aid Instagram Page.

CADAA/Application support for students from mixed status families:

Wednesday, December 4: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, OC4611
Monday, January 27: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, OC4611
Thursday, February 27: 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm, OC4612

Saturdays - FAFSA/CADAA support

December 7: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, OC4611
January 25: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Oceanside High School, 1 Pirates Cv, Oceanside, CA 92054
Hosted by Cal Soap with MCC Financial Aid and GEAR Up
February 8: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, El Camino High School, 400 Rancho Del Oro Dr, Oceanside, CA 92057
Hosted by Cal Soap with MCC Financial Aid and GEAR Up
March 1: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Chavez Middle School, 202 Oleander Dr, Oceanside, CA 92057
Hosted by Cal Soap with MCC Financial Aid and GEAR Up

Cash for College Workshop

Attend a state wide workshop for help on completing your California Dream Act Application (CADAA). See dates here: Cash for College

You can also contact the Welcome Center:

Oceanside Campus
Visit us in the Welcome Center in Building 3300 to receive help with your CADAA. You can visit the Welcome Center during the hours listed below:
- Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
San Elijo Campus
Visit us in the Welcome Center in Building 1100 to receive help with your CADAA. You can visit the Welcome Center during the hours listed below:
- Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

CADAA Priority Deadlines

Students who apply by the California priority deadline get priority to receive state grants (more money).
Students can receive thousands in money just by applying by the priority deadline.
You can submit your application after the priority deadline but may not have priority to receive state grants.

2024-2025 (Fall 2024 - Summer 2025)

Priority Deadline: May 2nd, 2024
To maximize your chances for a Cal Grant award, a completed CADAA and your GPA must be submitted by the March 3rd priority deadline. This deadline is subject to change every academic year. Please contact the Financial Aid office for the updated deadline.

September 2nd, 2024
Students attending a CA Community College will still be considered for the Cal Grant up until September 2nd.If you did not submit your application by March 3rd you may still be granted the Cal Grant if you are eligible and you submitted by September 2nd.

I applied, what’s next?

Please check that you are eligible for AB540: www.miracosta.edu/ab540
Students should submit a CA Dream Act Application (CADAA) each year to apply for financial aid.
After completing the CADAA, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) will send the student’s application to all the colleges listed on their application.
- Students should be sure to include all of the colleges they are considering applying to, including MiraCosta College. The CADAA will ask the student to input the school code for each college - (MiraCosta School Code: 001239).
After the CADAA is processed, students will receive an email from CSAC with information for creating a WebGrants 4 Students account. This email will contain your nine-digit Dream Act ID number that will be used to create a WebGrants 4 Students account. Save your Dream Act ID number.
Create and login to your WebGrants 4 Students account.
- WebGrants 4 Students is a dashboard where students can track the status of their state grants and ensure that their GPA was submitted to CSAC by the priority deadline. You must set up a WebGrants 4 Students account to manage and view what Cal Grants you have been awarded. WebGrants 4 Students allows you to make school changes, address changes, and lets you know if there are additional actions needed from you before your school can disburse your first payment.
- To create my WebGrants 4 Students account, you will need your “Dream Act ID”. You should have received your Dream Act ID via email when you first created your account to apply to the California Dream Act Application (CADAA). Can’t find that email?
  - If you have previously submitted a CADAA to MiraCosta, contact the Financial Aid Office and ask for us to check. OR
  - Contact the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) Help Center
Check if you need to submit additional information to the Financial Aid Office. Students can check this by logging into their SURF and clicking on “Tasks.”
Ensure GPA is submitted by March 3rd each year. This is required to be considered for the Cal Grant. Visit the Cal Grant page to learn more about the GPA verification requirements.

Qualifying for a Cal Grant is NOT automatic, it is a need-based program. You must meet financial income and asset eligibility and GPA requirements. After receiving your application and GPA, the CSAC will process your application to determine if you are eligible to receive a Cal Grant.

Types of Aid Available

Your CA Dream Act Application will determine your eligibility for the following types of aid:

California College Promise Grant (CCPG)

The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) is a state-sponsored program, which waives enrollment fees ($46 per unit) for qualifying students. Learn more about the CCPG

MiraCosta Promise

The MiraCosta Promise waives tuition and fees and provides assistance in paying for textbooks for fall and spring semesters for first-time college students. Learn more about the MiraCosta Promise

Cal Grant

There are three types of Cal Grants a student can be considered for. Your eligibility will be based on your California Dream Act Application (CADAA) responses, your verified Cal Grant GPA, and the date you submitted your CADAA.Please see our Cal Grant section for more information.

A student must qualify for a Cal Grant in order to be considered for the DSIG and Full-time Student Success Completion Grant. Please refer to the “CADAA Priority Deadlines” section of this page for Cal Grant deadlines.

Dream Act Service Incentive Grant (DSIG)

The California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant Program (DSIG) allows California Dream Act Applicant (CADAA) students to receive grants for performing community or volunteer service!

Students can receive up to $4,500 per academic year (up to $2,250 per semester or up to $1,500 per quarter). The grant will be available to students for up to 8 semesters or up to 12 quarters while they have an active Cal Grant A or B award. Students must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress and complete any necessary verification for their Cal Grant award.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

California Dream Act Application (CADAA) filers enrolled at a qualifying institution that have an active
Cal Grant A or Cal Grant B award and have enough unmet need. Cal Grant A recipients must have met Cal Grant B eligibility. MiraCosta College is a qualifying institution.

How do I know if I have an active Cal Grant A or Cal Grant B award?

Create and login into your WebGrants 4 Students account: https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/
To create my WebGrants 4 Students account, I need my “Dream Act ID”.
- You should have received your Dream Act ID via email when you first created your account to apply to the California Dream Act Application (CADAA).

Can’t find that email?

If you have previously submitted a CADAA to MiraCosta, contact the Financial Aid Office and ask for us to check OR
Contact the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) Help Center
You must set up a WebGrants 4 Students account to manage and view what Cal Grants you have been awarded. WebGrants 4 Students allows you to make school changes, address changes, and lets you know if there are additional actions needed from you before your school can disburse your first payment.

Grant Application and Payment Request Forms

Step 1 – Once you have submitted a California Dream Act application and verified your Cal Grant eligibility on WebGrants 4 Students, complete and submit your DSIG Grant application. See form and instructions here: https://www.csac.ca.gov/dsig/apply
- Frequently Asked Questions on DSIG Application:
  - What do I put under “Field of Study”? Please list your major. You do not have to list a specific associates degree or certificate offered at MiraCosta.
  - Who is the “Financial Aid Administrator” that completes “Section 2” of my DSIG application? The Student Services Coordinator of Financial Aid. Contact the financial aid office to schedule a time to meet with the coordinator.
Step 2 – Complete at least 150 hours of volunteer or community service per semester AND document your service hours performed.
- You must track your hours on the California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant Program Service Hours Tracker
Step 3 – Submit the Payment Request form along with documentation of the service hours performed to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Email is preferred. See form and instructions here: Payment Request
- Please have your service organization and the Financial Aid Student Services Coordinator complete the applicable sections on the Payment Request.

Where can I complete my community or volunteer service hours?

You can meet with the Service Learning Department to get help with finding a volunteer organization and tracking your hours.
You can find other volunteer organizations on the List of Service Organizations; or with any organization not on the list if it meets the criteria for a qualifying service organization. Organizations not on the List of Service Organizations, can complete and submit the Service Organization Registration.

Full-time Student Success Completion Grant

You are eligible for the Student Success Completion Grant if you enroll full time. Students who enroll full-time (12+ units per semester), apply for financial aid, and are awarded a Cal Grant B or C are eligible. Students must also need to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) including a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) or higher.

Enrollment	Semester Award Amount	Year Award Amount
12-14.5 units:	$1,298	$2,596
15+ units:	$4,000	$8,000
Former Foster Youth	$5,250 (any enrollment over 12 units)	$10,500 (any enrollment over 12 units)

Dream Loan

The California DREAM Loan program provides eligible undocumented AB 540 undergraduates, credential, and graduate students the option to borrow loans to help cover the cost of attending a 4-year college. This is only available at four-year colleges and not available at MiraCosta.

What is it?

The DREAM loan is a low-interest subsidized loan.
The interest changes annually on July 1st of the new academic year.
Interest will not accrue as long as you’re enrolled at least half time (6 units for undergraduate and credential students or 3 units for graduate students)
Once the student graduates or is no longer enrolled at least half time, they will have a 6 month grace period before repayment begins.
Students can get more information through their website.

Amounts

Students can receive a maximum amount of $4,000 each year.
Students can borrow every year they are eligible or until they receive a maximum of $20,000 in DREAM loans.

How to Understand my CADAA Financial Aid

The Financial Aid Office will process your CADAA application. Once your application is received and processed, you will receive notification of all financial aid you are eligible for. This notification will be sent to you in two ways:

Offer Letter: This is an email that is sent to your email on file with the campus. You can update your email on file with the campus. See instructions on how to update your personal information.
Award Summary on SURF: You can view your financial aid amounts by logging into SURF, clicking on the “Financial Aid” tile, and selecting the current academic year. See instructions on how to view your financial aid.

We encourage you to actively participate in learning more about your financial aid. We want to empower students to make intentional, informed decisions about their financial aid. If you do not see a type of aid on your account, you can contact the Financial Aid Office to ask about that type of aid. Each type of aid has a set of requirements you will need to meet. Review the different types of financial aid available to you above. If you have any questions on the requirements, please reach out to the Financial Aid Office.

How to read your Offer Letter:

Your offer letter includes two sections:

“Financial Aid” section: This section of your offer letter will include two types of financial aid:
1. Fee Waiver: Financial aid that helps cover the costs of your tuition, fees and possibly books. This is not money you will receive in your bank account; it will be credited directly to your student account balance. The following types of aid are “Fee Waivers”: the “CA College Promise Grant” or the “MiraCosta Promise”.
2. Grants: Financial aid that helps cover other school-related expenses. This is money that you will receive in your bank account. The amount that you receive will be determined by the number of units you register for. The following types of aid are “Grants”: “Cal Grant” and “Full-Time Student Success Completion Grant”. The “Dream Act Service Incentive Grant” will not be included in your offer letter.
  1. Go to the Disbursement page to see how the number of units you register in impacts your grant amounts.
  2. Go to the Maximize Your Aid page to see the important dates that can impact your grant amounts.

The Grand Total combines the total of the “Fee Waiver” section and the “Grants” section. The “Grand Total” is not the total amount of money you are receiving in your bank account. Below is a sample view of this section in an Offer Letter.

Financial Aid Offer

“Cost of Attendance” (COA) section: This section is like a budget showing how much it might cost to go to college for a year. It includes:
- Tuition and fees: What you pay for classes.
- Books and supplies: Stuff you need for school.
- Personal Misc: Everyday things like clothes or toiletries.
- Living Expenses: Housing and food costs.
- Transportation: Getting to and from school.

It’s not the amount you’ll pay, but it gives you a good estimate of the current cost of living in the MiraCosta College areas. You can also use it as a tool to budget based on the financial aid you receive - helping you figure out how much you might need to cover on your own. Below is a sample view of this section in an Offer Letter.

Cost of Attendance

Other Types of Aid

UPRISE (Undocumented People Rise In Solidarity And Empowerment)

MiraCosta College welcomes undocumented and mixed status students as part of the Spartan community! We are honored to be a part of your educational journey, and we look forward to celebrating your successes while you are here!

If you identify as undocumented or a mixed-status student, please consider visiting the UPRISE (Undocumented People Rise in Solidarity and Empowerment) webpage for information and services available to you.