More Than 150 Colleges No Longer Eligible For Cal Grants

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — The state has changed the guidelines for schools eligible to receive Cal Grants, impacting students who attend more than 150 schools across California.

"They tightened the rule for institutional eligibility to require that participating colleges have no less than a 30 percent graduation rate and no higher than a 15.5 percent default rate on their student loans," said Director Diana Fuentes Michele of the California Student Aid Commission.

On Tuesday, the CSAC announced the 154 schools (.pdf) that are not eligible for the awards, a list significantly longer than last year's. The legislature made the changes in response to the state's budget deficit.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

Among the schools that are no longer eligible for new Cal Grants include the Academy of Art University, Heald College and University of Phoenix.

Students currently enrolled at the listed colleges and universities will be able to receive lower awards. But almost 8,000 freshman students who were promised Cal Grants will now have to either change schools or give them up.

Cal Grants are typically given to lower and working class students, and don't have to be repaid.

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