Grants

The Pell Grant is based off your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and prorated based on the number of credits you are enrolled in.

• If you are in 12+ credits, you would be eligible for the full-time Pell award
• If you are in 9-11 credits, you would be eligible for ¾ of the full-time Pell award
• If you are in 6-8 credits, you would be eligible for ½ of the full-time Pell award
• If you are in 5 or less credits, you would be eligible for ¼ of the full-time Pell award

The Pell Grant has a lifetime limit, the equivalency of six-full time years (about 12 semesters at Fresno State). 

Each academic year (Fall, Spring, and Summer), you can be eligible for up to 150% (three full-time semesters) of a Pell Grant, assuming you are not close to or at the lifetime limit.

 Eligibility Requirements – To be considered for the TEACH Grant, students must meet all of the following:

• Agree to teach at a low-income elementary or secondary school, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education’s Low Income School Directory, AND:
• Agree to teach in a high-need subject area, such as:
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Language Arts
  • Special Education
  • Core Subjects in Elementary Education
• Agree to teach full-time for at least four years within eight years of completing the teaching program
• Meet the first-year TEACH Grant determination GPA requirements:
  • Undergraduate students must have a final high school cumulative GPA of 3.25 or greater
  • Graduate/Credential students must have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25 or greater
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher for subsequent years to remain eligible
• Be enrolled in a high-need teaching program (high-need subject areas vary by state and change annually)

Application Process:

All of the following must be done before you will be considered for the TEACH Grant:

• Complete the FAFSA for the academic year for which you are applying
• Complete and submit the TEACH Grant Request Form for the appropriate aid year
• Submit an Education Plan to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office from your advisor
• Complete the TEACH Grant Entrance Counseling at studentaid.gov
• Complete and Sign the Agreement to Serve at studentaid.gov

NOTE: All of the above needs to be done each year you wish to receive the TEACH Grant.

Upon completing your teaching program, you will need to do the TEACH Grant Exit Counseling.

While the TEACH Grant is a great opportunity, we again want to remind you that you must complete all requirements of the program – Failure to do so will result in the grant money received turning into a Federal unsubsidized loan with the interest accruing from the date the award disbursed. 

Failure to complete the requirements of the program can include:

• NOT teaching in a high-need subject area
• NOT teaching at a designated low-income school
• NOT teaching full-time for four years, within eight years of completing your teaching program

TEACH Grant recipients are also required to show that they are meeting the terms of the TEACH Grant Program by obtaining verification from the school site administrator each year during their full-time employment in a high-need subject area at a low-income school. There is NO credit for part-time teaching or partial fulfillment of service.

If you are deemed eligible, the TEACH Grant will be awarded to your my.FresnoState account. Keep in mind that the TEACH Grant, along with other financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attending Fresno State, which is determined based on your enrollment and living situation.

When the TEACH Grant disburses, if you decide that you no longer would like the award, you may cancel all or a portion of the award by providing the Fresno State Student Accounts Department with a cancellation request no later than 14 days from the date the award disbursed.

More information on the TEACH Grant.

View the Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Report, or view schools operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education.

The 2022-2023 TEACH Grant Request Form, listed under "2022-2023 Forms" will be available August 2022. 

Complete the online TEACH Grant Counseling and Agreement to Serve.

 As always, if you have any further questions regarding your financial aid or the TEACH Grant, please feel free to contact our office! 

To be eligible, you must meet all of the following, plus the GPA and financial requirements listed below:

• Complete the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application (but not both!) by the March 2^nd deadline
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen or meet AB540 eligibility criteria
• Be a California Resident for one year
• Attend a qualifying California college (Fresno State is a qualifying school!)
• Not have a Bachelor’s or professional degree
• Have financial need at the college of your choice
• Have family income and assets below the minimum levels
• Be enrolled or plan to enroll in a program leading towards an undergraduate degree or certificate
• Be enrolled or plan to be enrolled at least half time
• Have registered for the U.S. Selective Service, if required to do so.
• Not owe a refund on any state or federal grant or be in default on a student loan
• Not be incarcerated
• Maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards as established by your school.

GPA Requirements:

• Cal Grant A: 3.0 GPA Minimum

• Cal Grant B: 2.0 GPA Minimum

Financial Requirements: If your family made more than the amount listed below from the income or if they had assets (example: Savings accounts, homes, businesses, etc.) for the year reported on the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, you may not be eligible for a Cal Grant. However, if your family’s income has decreased since the tax year reported on your financial aid application, please contact us to speak with one of our counselors to see if/how we can help!

2023-2024 Financial Requirements

Income Ceilings

Dependent Students and Independent Students with dependents other than a spouse

The Cal Grant A is a fee paying award and is applied directly to your fees at Fresno State -- This award does not get disbursed directly to the student.

Cal Grant A Entitlement Award: Every graduating high school senior that has at least a 3.0 GPA, meets the financial and academic requirements, and applies on time will get this award.

• If you attend a California community college first, your award will be reserved for up to three years until you transfer to a four-year college/university, if you continue to qualify. When you transfer, please make sure to let us know that you have a reserve grant!
  

Cal Grant A Competitive Award: Other eligible students who have at least a 3.0 GPA may apply for the Cal Grant A Competitive award. Selection is based on a composite score that takes into consideration your family’s income, parents’ education level, GPA, time out of high school, and other factors such as whether you come from a single-parent household or are a former foster youth.

The Cal Grant B is a fee paying award and is applied directly to your fees at Fresno State -- This award does not get disbursed directly to the student. This award comes with an Access Award that is disbursed directly to the student. The first year that you receive the Cal Grant B, you are only eligible to receive the access award, but your following years you will receive both the tuition paying award and the access award.

Cal Grant B Entitlement Award: Every graduating high school senior that has at least a 2.0 GPA, meets the financial and academic requirements, and applies on time will get this award.

Cal Grant B Competitive Award: Other eligible students who have at least a 2.0 GPA may apply for the Cal Grant A Competitive award. Selection is based on a composite score that takes into consideration your family’s income, parents’ education level, GPA, time out of high school, and other factors such as whether you come from a single-parent household or are a former foster youth.

The Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement Award is for students that are transferring directly from a California community college to a four-year university that offers a Bachelor’s degree in the academic year that they are applying for the award.

For Future Teachers K-12: This grant affords one year of renewal Cal Grant for students seeking a teaching credential after completion of their bachelors degree. This grant must be requested within 15 months of the last payment of Cal grant received

This grant is requested by submission of a G44 form to:

California Student Aid Commission
   Grant Services Unit
   P. O. Box 419027
   Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-9028
   Phone: 1-888-224-7268

 If you think you might be eligible for a Cal Grant, you’ll want to make sure you create a WebGrants 4 Students account. You'll also want to monitor your WebGrants account and make sure to submit any documents they may need in order to maintain your Cal Grant eligibility. 

California residents making progress towards an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate degree are eligible if they meet the following criteria.

• Complete the FAFSA for that academic year by the priority deadline of March 2nd
• Have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 4,000 or less
• Must be enrolled in at least six units for undergraduate students or four units for graduate students

 Other requirements include:

• Undergraduate Students: Must have less than 150 semester or 225 quarter units earned within their undergraduate career
• Undergraduate Transfer Students: Must have less than 75 semester or 112 quarter earned units while enrolled at a CSU campus
• Credential Students: Are eligible for their program length (for example, if your program requires 32 units, you are eligible for up to 32 units)
• Master’s Students: Eligible for up to 125% of their initial master’s, as defined by the General Catalog

Students working on a second bachelor’s, second credential, second master’s degree, or doctoral degrees are not eligible for SUG.

 There is no application for the SUG aside from completing the FAFSA. There is limited funding, so priority is given to those students who complete their FAFSA before the March 2nd deadline.

To be eligible for the Middle Class Scholarship at Fresno State, you must meet the following:

• Be a California resident attending a UC, CSU or CA Community College Bachelor’s degree program;
• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or meet the requirements for non-resident tuition exemption;
• Meet certain income/asset and other financial aid standards;
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress;
• Not be in default on a student loan; and
• Must not be incarcerated.

There are also income and asset ceilings that determine student eligibility. You can review the incoming and asset ceilings here:

• 2022-2023 (Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023)
• 2023-2024 (Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024)

For more specifics visit the California Student Aid Commission's site on Middle Class Scholarships here: https://www.csac.ca.gov/middle-class-scholarship

You are considered for the Middle Class Scholarship through the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) by submitting your FAFSA or CADAA by March 2nd each year. If you are selected to receive the Middle Class Scholarship, you will be notified by CSAC. We usually receive rosters for students who are eligible for the award and begin awarding in November. The Middle Class Scholarship is not a set amount and the amount is dependent on your other grant and scholarship aid as well as your annual cost of attendance. Any change in your financial aid award and cost of attendance can impact your Middle Class Scholarship eligibility and amount, resulting in an increase or reduction. Depending on your grade level when you first receive it, the Middle Class Scholarship can be awarded up to four years.

Please note that CSAC notifies students about their potential Middle Class Scholarship eligibility much earlier than institutions are able to award and disburse aid to students.

When will my Middle Class Scholarship Disburse? We do not disburse Middle Class Scholarship funds before each semester's census date to minimize any potential billing due to changes in financial aid and cost of attendance. You will see a "MCS Review Hold" on your account, which will be removed once we are ready to disburse the semester's portion of the middle class scholarship.

To qualify, the student must be enrolled in a preliminary teaching credential or pupil personnel service credential program. A current and valid FAFSA or CADAA for the appropriate aid year must also be on file with Fresno State and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements must be met. There is no need requirement, but the grant is included within the student’s annual Cost of Attendance. 

To qualify, the student must apply for the appropriate academic year on the GSTG website. Fresno State certifies the student’s enrollment and amount, and the student will be notified to sign their Service Agreement (SA). Funds are requested from the state controller’s office after the SA is signed and can take up to 8 weeks for the institution to receive. Fresno State will contact the student via their Fresno State email to confirm if the student would like to authorize the university to cash their check and be disbursed on their student account or if they prefer to pick up or have their check mailed. Students are strongly encouraged to authorize the university to cash their check on their behalf as they can receive the funds more securely and quickly.

The Golden State Teacher Grant Application can be found here.

Application Deadlines
2022-2023 (Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023): April 1, 2023

2023-2024 (Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024): April 1, 2024 

The GSTG program funds do not have to be repaid unless the student does not fulfill their service requirements. If a student does not meet these requirements, they will repay all funds back to the state. If a student withdraws from the university before funds have been received, the check will be returned to the state and the student’s record will indicate that they did not receive GSTG funds for that term. If the student withdraws from the university after funds have been received, they are not required to return funds to the university, but the student could be subject to repayment to the state if they do not fulfill their service agreement. Any questions about repayment should be directed to CSAC.

Resources

• An Overview of the Golden State Teacher Grant Program from the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC)
• The Golden State Teacher Grant Program application