Cal Poly and the rest of the CSU system has decided to postpone payment of spring term fees for all students facing delayed grants from the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).
Since California lawmakers are currently unable to agree on a budget, the CSU system is not receiving the necessary cash flow to cover all students receiving Cal Grants A and B. These grants provide funds to low-income students who need help with tuition and living expenses.
In order to receive these grants, students must meet eligibility requirements. Some of these requirements include having a family income and assets below a certain number. According to Teresa Ruiz, a communication specialist at the CSU office of Public Relations, the CSU system is doing its part to help these low-income students.
“We are going ahead and delaying fees so that students do not have to drop out of school, because many students are dependent on these grants,” Ruiz said. “We are essentially waiting for the state to figure out its budget.”
Students who would not otherwise be able to attend college are the ones who qualify for CSAC grants. They are also often the first members of their families to attend college. Grants lessen the burden that attending college puts on underprivileged students because it is essentially a gift from the state, said Cal Poly Financial Aid director Lois Kelley.
“The state of California asks us to make awards to students and provide these grants,” Kelley said. “(The CSAC) gives us money to give to the students.”
Cal Poly is one of many schools that have not received money for Grants A and B from the CSAC. There are 1,669 students who are supposed to receive spring awards and all of them will get a payment extension for their spring term fees assuming the grant money remains delayed.
While it is possible that the state budget could get squared away before spring term payments are due, Cal Poly and the CSU are taking the steps to help mitigate and reduce the impact of a sticky situation should it occur.
“We want to make certain that people have access to an education,” Kelly said. “Those who have limited financial resources will still be able to go to Cal Poly.”
Kelly was unable to speculate on whether giving this many payment deferments will hurt Cal Poly financially. Regardless of the potential ramifications, Cal Poly would face much larger issues if nearly one-tenth of its student population was unable to attend spring quarter.
The future is not entirely clear for Cal Grant B students, who receive an additional stipend from the state that helps pay for living expenses. The CSU system needs money from the CSAC before they can cover these stipends, and these funds likely won’t be available.
“Each campus is going to have to figure out whether or not they will need to make short term loans in the interim until the state has its budget squared away,” Kelly said.