Topline:
Starting Wednesday, California students and families can apply for federal or state-based aid for the 2026–27 academic year.
Why it matters: The agencies that gather student data forward it to universities and community colleges. Schools then use it to make offers to prospective students, which can be composed of grants, loans, scholarships and work-study. This helps students cover tuition and fees, as well as other essentials like food, housing and transportation.
Options for California students: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is open to students who were born in the U.S. and some noncitizens. The California Dream Act Application (CADAA) provides access to state-based financial aid for undocumented students, as well as U visa holders and students with temporary protected status.
Good to know: CADAA will also continue to be open to U.S. citizens in mixed-status families who are wary of completing the FAFSA due to the political climate.
Mark your calendar: Students seeking to enroll in a four-year university have until March 2 to complete their application.
Iris, an undocumented Californian who grew up in South L.A., knew she wanted to go to college ever since she was in grade school.
She just didn't know how she was going to pay for it.
But when she started applying to schools, her counselors let her know that although, being undocumented, she didn’t qualify for federal financial aid, she still could get help paying for college.
(LAist is using only her first name to protect her identity.)
Instead of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which opens Wednesday to students who were born in the U.S. and some noncitizens, Iris completed the California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The latter allows undocumented students to access state-based financial aid and does the same for U visa holders and students with temporary protected status.
What does the financial aid application do?
The agencies that gather this data, including the California Student Aid Commission, forward it to universities and community colleges. Schools then use it to make offers to prospective students, which can be composed of grants, loans, scholarships and work-study. Students can use this money to pay for tuition and fees, as well as other essentials like food, housing and transportation.
Iris also learned about AB 540, a California law that enables some individuals to be exempted from paying out-of-state tuition if they meet certain criteria, including three years of full-time enrollment at a state high school, adult school or community college.
Iris decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Barbara. Without this exemption, she would have faced a much higher bill. During the 2025-26 academic year, for instance, the estimated cost of attendance for Californians who lived in the dorms was about $47, 418. For nonresidents, it jumped up to $85,020.
Ready to apply for financial aid?
-
Starting Oct. 1, California students and families can apply for federal or state-based aid for the 2026–27 academic year.
-
Students who aim to enroll in a four-year university have until March 2 to complete their application.
“Without AB 540, I feel like college would have been very unattainable for me,” Iris said.
But with in-state tuition and three scholarships, she became the first in her family to earn a college degree. The scholarships covered most of her expenses, so she did not take on any debt. Iris majored in sociology and loved her campus by the beach.
It was the perfect distance from L.A., she said, adding, “I was able to explore on my own, but I was still able to go back [to my family] if I got home sick."
