California lawmakers extend student aid deadline
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday to extend the state financial aid deadline to May 2 to give students stymied by technical problems in the federal application process an extra month to apply.
Assembly Bill 1887, authored by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, D-Corona, goes into effect immediately.
The bill was a direct response to the rocky rollout of an updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, this year, according to Cervantes. Technical difficulties and reduced staffing led to months of delays that left many students unable to apply for student aid, including the Cal Grant and Middle Class Scholarship offered by the California Student Aid Commission.
U.S. citizens who have parents without social security numbers were unable to complete the FAFSA. Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Education announced it has fixed the technical glitch.
“Making the path to fulfilling our students’ dreams of achieving higher education more affordable and accessible is among the highest duties of our state government, and Assembly Bill 1887 being signed into law is a way to honor that duty,” Cervantes said. “This new law will give California students more time to complete the FAFSA and gain access to the financial resources they need to begin their college careers in earnest.”
Students who need help completing their FAFSA or California Dream Act applications can attend free workshops and webinars. Register here.