Cal Grant C: Eligibility, Award Amounts, and Scoring

Cal Grant C is a competitive California state grant that pays up to $3,009 a year toward tuition, books, tools, and equipment for students enrolled in occupational, vocational, or technical training programs. Only 7,761 awards are available each year, and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) ranks applicants on a 50-point scale, funding only those above a cutoff score it sets each cycle.¹ The grant is distinct from Cal Grants A and B, which support students pursuing traditional degrees.

Who Qualifies

You need to be a California resident, or qualify under Assembly Bill 540, which opens state aid to certain undocumented students, DACA recipients, and holders of Temporary Protected Status or U visas. You must be enrolled in an approved California institution in a qualifying program, and you cannot already hold a bachelor’s degree.

There is no minimum GPA for Cal Grant C, which sets it apart from the A and B awards. Your school still has to submit a GPA verification to CSAC as part of the general Cal Grant application.

Income and Asset Ceilings for 2026–27

Cal Grant C uses its own income limits. For dependent students in the 2026–27 award year:

Family of two: $60,700
Family of three: $68,400
Family of four: $76,100
Family of five: $85,100
Family of six or more: $91,900

Independent students without dependents face a $53,000 ceiling, or $60,700 if married with no other dependents. The asset ceiling is $111,900 for dependent students and independent students with dependents, and $53,300 for independent students without dependents.² These numbers are adjusted annually, so check the current figures if you are applying for a later award year.

Which Programs Count

Your program has to be occupational, technical, or vocational, and it must last at least four months. Standard four-year degree programs, graduate programs, and sets of general education courses do not qualify. Prerequisite courses taken to prepare for a later vocational program also do not count.¹ Nursing is a specific exception: nursing students can qualify even when the program leads to a bachelor’s degree.³

Common qualifying fields include dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, licensed vocational nursing, plumbing, HVAC, welding, web development, computer support, and CNC machine programming.

How Much You Can Receive

The award amount depends on the type of school.

At a California community college, Cal Grant C pays up to $1,094 for tuition and fees plus $547 for books, tools, and equipment, for a total of $1,641 a year. At a private for-profit or nonprofit vocational school, the tuition and fees portion rises to $2,462, with the same $547 for books, for a total of $3,009 a year.⁴

How Applications Are Scored

Cal Grant C is competitive, not an entitlement. CSAC scores every applicant and funds those above its annual cutoff.¹ Three factors drive your score, out of a possible 50 points.

Priority Occupation (25 Points)

The biggest single factor is whether your intended field appears on the Cal Grant C Priority Occupational List. A listed occupation earns 25 points. Anything else earns zero. CSAC builds the list from state labor data, favoring careers with strong demand and wages.⁵ Registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, plumbers, HVAC technicians, web developers, computer support specialists, paralegals, and aerospace engineering technicians are among the current entries.

Work Experience (Up to 15 Points)

Points are awarded on total months of employment:

0–5 months: 0 points
6–10 months: 2 points
11–15 months: 4 points
16–20 months: 6 points
21–25 months: 8 points
26–30 months: 10 points
31–39 months: 12 points
40 or more months: 15 points

Education History (Up to 10 Points)

Points depend on how many courses you have completed in your chosen field:

0–1 courses: 0 points
2 courses: 3 points
3 courses: 5 points
4 courses: 8 points
5 or more courses: 10 points

The 25-point priority occupation bonus is half the total score, so field selection carries more weight than any other single choice you make on the application.⁶

How to Apply

You do not apply for Cal Grant C by name. CSAC decides which Cal Grant (A, B, or C) you are considered for based on your file and the schools you list.⁷ Three pieces have to be in place.

First, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) if you qualify under AB 540. This is where your income and asset data come from.

Second, make sure your high school or college sends your GPA verification to CSAC. Most schools do this automatically, but confirm with your financial aid or counseling office that it was sent.⁷

Third, if CSAC flags you as potentially eligible for Cal Grant C, complete the Cal Grant C Supplement in your WebGrants for Students account.¹ The supplement is where you report your work months, completed courses, and occupational goal, and it feeds the scoring system directly. Your school cannot request payment from CSAC until this supplement is on file.³

Deadlines

The primary deadline is March 2 each year. Your FAFSA or CADAA and your GPA verification both have to reach CSAC by that date. If you are heading to a California community college, there is a second deadline of September 2.⁸ Some individual campuses set earlier internal deadlines, so ask your school’s financial aid office. CSAC emails award notifications around April.⁹

Renewing and Transferring Schools

Cal Grant C can be renewed for up to two years of full-time attendance in a qualifying program, as long as you still meet the financial eligibility rules.¹⁰ You also have to maintain satisfactory academic progress. CSAC does not set a statewide GPA minimum for renewal; your school’s own academic progress policy governs, including its GPA, pace, and maximum-timeframe rules.³

If you change schools, update your school of attendance through WebGrants for Students or submit a G-10 Grant Record Change form to CSAC by email. You will need the new school’s name and city, the effective date, and the term it applies to. A transfer can affect your eligibility if the new institution does not offer a qualifying vocational program.¹¹

1
California Student Aid Commission. Cal Grant C Award
2
California Student Aid Commission. 2026-27 Cal Grant Income and Asset Ceilings
3
California Student Aid Commission. 2025-26 Cal Grant Handbook
4
California Student Aid Commission. What Are the Cal Grant Award Amounts
5
California Student Aid Commission. Cal Grant C Priority Occupational List
6
California Student Aid Commission. 2025-26 Cal Grant C Scoring Chart
7
California Student Aid Commission. Cal Grant
8
California Student Aid Commission. How to Apply for Financial Aid
9
California Student Aid Commission. Things You Need to Know About Cal Grant C
10
California Student Aid Commission. Ten Things You Need to Know About Cal Grant C
11
California Student Aid Commission. Grant Record Change for Students