California Student Aid Commission

February 7, 2019

CA Gov. Newsom's higher ed advisor to tackle access and financial aid issues

Lande Ajose said parents want to know if their children can get into college, afford it and “get out in a reasonable amount of time so they can start the rest of their lives and not be burdened by debt.”

Larry Gordon

January 10, 2019

Newsom's higher education budget would boost aid, freeze tuition and repair campuses

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s overall $209 billion budget would increase the amount the state spends on the California State University system by $562 million.

Larry Gordon And Mikhail Zinshteyn

November 30, 2018

California Student Aid Commission backs expansion of Cal Grant program

Advocates are pushing for the overhaul so more students receive Cal Grants and so the funds cover non-tuition expenses such as housing.

Nico Savidge

November 21, 2018

Tony Thurmond names second in command at California Department of Education

Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, will return to the state's department of education where she held key positions for a dozen years.

John Fensterwald

October 8, 2018

California community colleges seek larger Cal Grants to cover students' living costs

California community college leaders want to remove restrictions that keep hundreds of thousands of students from receiving the Cal Grant by basing the size of the grant on the total cost of college attendance.

Mikhail Zinshteyn

January 23, 2018

Bed, books, meals & cell phone: New study to tally real costs of college in California

The upcoming survey by the California Student Aid Commission will be the first of its scope since 2006. It will seek information from about 100,000 students in all the public and private higher education sectors about housing, food, books, transportation, technology and other costs. Officials hope it could lead to improved financial aid.

Larry Gordon

October 5, 2017

New online tool to track and encourage college aid applications statewide

About 56 percent of California high school seniors applied for federal or state financial aid for college. The new dashboard aims to increase that number and allow schools to compare their statistics to other schools around California.

Larry Gordon

August 22, 2017

California wants to simplify its $2 billion-a-year college aid programs

The state's student aid commission is looking for ideas to consolidate various Cal Grants and other grant programs.

Larry Gordon

August 6, 2017

Understanding Cal Grant financial aid for college students: a quick guide

Cal Grants are among the most generous state-funded student aid programs in the nation and can cover entire tuition at CSU and UC.

Larry Gordon

March 3, 2017

Dream Act application numbers surpass last year's after successful campaign to overcome fears

The final application numbers top last year's by 5 percent after much publicity and pledges that personal data will not be shared with federal authorities.

Larry Gordon

October 18, 2016

Exploring new pathways to college completion

California needs to produce 11.9 million degrees by 2025 to remain economically competitive.

Lande Ajose, Harry LeGrande, Jamillah Moore and Wm. Gregory Sawyer