Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

Education

LA fires prompt financial aid deadline extension

Students, some in pairs, walk past a multi-storied building, set against a cloudy sky.
In response to the recent fires, the Los Angeles Community College District temporarily moved in-person classes online, including at East Los Angeles College.
(
Jackie Orchard
/
LAist
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Topline:

As massive fires continue to burn in the region, students in L.A. and Ventura counties now have an extra month to apply for financial aid for college. The new deadline is April 2, 2025.

Why now: Daisy Gonzales, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, said the agency wants to give students who’ve been affected by the fires "additional time to apply for aid as they navigate this extremely challenging time.”

Good to know: For students who live in other parts of the state, the deadline is still March 3, 2025.

Support for LAist comes from

The backstory: Assembly Bill 2500, signed into law in September, allows CSAC to extend financial aid application deadlines when students are affected by natural disasters or a state of emergency. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for L.A. and Ventura counties last week.

Need help applying? CSAC continues to host Cash for College workshops, both in-person and online.

How to apply: The 2025 FAFSA form is finally open.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist