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.
Students Will Get An Extra Month To Apply For Financial Aid, Which A Lot Of Them Still Have To Do
A poster at Alhambra High School explains the various forms of financial aid available for college-bound students.
(
Chava Sanchez/LAist
)
California students attending or hoping to attend a four-year college next fall now have an extra month to apply for state financial aid.
On Thursday, the California Student Aid Commission announced that the deadline to apply for a state Cal Grant is now April 1.
Cal Grants provide full tuition at UC and CSU schools, and up to $9,220 each year at private in-state colleges.
Applications are down 10% overall compared to pre-pandemic 2020. They're down more than 26% among California Dream Act applicants since 2020. They're down 21% among community college students since 2020.
Support for LAist comes from
There is a little bit of good news: Among students going into college for the first time, applications to California's public colleges and universities are up over 2021, even though they're still way down from 2020. Applying for financial aid is a big indicator of whether a student plans to attend college.
Last year the state let students file for an extension if the COVID-19 pandemic affected their ability to apply for financial aid on time. This year, the commission has gotten so many of those requests that they decided to make a blanket extension for all students.
Starting next year, applying for college financial aid will be mandatory for all California high school seniors, unless they request a waiver. L.A. Unified School District's new superintendent has until late April to present a plan for how to comply with the new state rule.
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
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
USC says it’s reviewing the letter also sent to eight other prestigious schools nationwide. California's governor vowed that any California universities that sign will lose state funding. -
Scientists say La Niña is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dry winter in Southern California. -
According to a grand jury report the contractor took advantage of strained relations and political pressures to “force” the city to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle disputes. -
Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity. -
The landslide is not connected to the greater Portuguese Bend landslide, city officials said. -
Nom. Nom. Nom. The event destroyed the internet when it was first announced — and sold out in minutes.
Best of LAist