Meeting Date & Time: Wednesday, December 11 2019 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm |
Upcoming Meetings: 2019-2020 CCCApply Sub-Committee Meeting Schedule
Working with Immigrants Rising on proposed language changes in support of Undocumented and DACA students in CCCApply, a review of our current AB540 eligibility requirements showed that there may be a need for an update to the logic. Furthermore, to support this special population group, we should be including the CA Dream Application on the Special LInks & Opps page in CCCApply.
See Summary
Notes from 12.11.19 Meeting:
This meeting was very well attended and we had a very engaged discussion regarding the suggestions from Immigrants Rising. However, we got into the weeds a bit on how best to update the Education page to comply with the latest AB540 requirements.
Regarding the proposal from Immigrant's Rising to add language to the "No Documents" checkbox in the Citizenship & Immigration Status section, the group discussed pros and cons of revising the checkbox to read, "No documents, including undocumented, DACA and AB540 / SB68."
Lora Blakely, Sierra College: "My concern with “AB540, undocumented, and DACA” is that it implies AB540 is a legal status. I don’t want a student who is unfamiliar with AB540 to come away from the page thinking AB540 is something that could give them legal protection.
I think a better place to raise awareness for AB540 would be on the Residency page (a note at the top of the page that if they do not qualify for CA residency they may be eligible for reduced tuition through AB540) or the Education page (along with the question asking if they graduated in CA)."
Expansion in algorithm needed as AB 540 has been expanded to include new regulations under SB 68 (2017). a) Link to the bill: b) Link to Immigrants Rising SB Quick Guide
Eligibility now includes adult school, noncredit classes, and two-year maximum of credit classes on top of High school..Additionally, there are new degree requirements beyond the High school diploma: GED, Associates degree, or minimum transfer requirements.
2. Suggestion: Expansion within Special Links & Opportunities
A) Expansion within Apply for Financial Aid is needed to include CA Dream Act CA Dream Act link is: https://www.csac.ca.gov/california-dream-act
Add the name and the link to the Special Links & Opps page between the FAFSA and CA Promise bullets under "Apply for Financial Aid"
B) Update AB 540 Tuition Exemption Waiver
Use Affidavit 2018 version
Legal Advisory 18-02
California Nonresident Tuition Exemption
Education Code § 68130.5, as amended, commonly known as AB 540 California Nonresident Tuition Exemption allows certain students from paying nonresident tuition (higher than resident tuition) and allows them to apply for different types of California Dream Act financial aid.
**If you have Temporary Protected Status or hold a U Visa you are eligible
AB 1899 allows U and T visa holders to also apply for state financial aid. (T visa holders should file a FAFSA, U visa holders should file a CA Dream Act Application)
If you meet the requirements above, you should complete the CA Dream Act Application for financial aid. (A certified GPA is also necessary for Cal Grant consideration.)
Your college is responsible for verifying your AB 540 eligibility. Check with your Admissions Office early in the summer before the Fall Term starts.
<< Pre-2018 AB540 Information >>
The information below is taken from the 2018 CCCApply Standard Application Data Dictionary for reference.)
Eligible for AB540 Waiver
(This is a data field. This specification is taken directly from the CCCApply data dictionary.)
Data Element: | elig_ab540 |
Description: | Whether applicant is eligible for AB540 tuition waver, as determined by the Submission Calculation Service |
Format, Length: | boolean, 1 |
Values: | 1 = True/Yes 0 = False/No |
Allows Null: | No |
Default: | None |
Usage: | Alerts college Financial Aid personnel to applicants who are eligible for AB540 tuition waiver. Determines whether AB540 information and links are included on the Links and Opportunities page. |
Notes: | Populated by Submission Calculation Service; for details, see CCCApply Appendix A: Submission Calculations Service specification. residency table Appendix A: Submission Calculation Logic & Residency Algorithmon page 197 |
Xap Field: | eligibleForWaiver |
Revision Log: | ~~ |
2018 Appendix B: Financial Aid Algorithm
CCCApply facilitates early awareness of financial assistance in two directions. The application process asks questions about the Needs & Interests of the applicant to alert them to the possibility of financial assistance, and offer links to the online BOG Fee Waiver application and FAFSA federal aid application form. Based on responses to the Needs & Interests questions, CCCApply can send notification to financial aid departments at the same time as the application is downloaded by the college so that financial aid departments can begin their processes of contacting and assisting the applicants.
The process of identifying the student and the information required in the notification to the financial aid departments are outlined below.
2018 AB540 Notification to Students
If the AB540 Eligibility flag is “Yes”, then the following links are automatically generated on the Special Links and Opportunities page:
You may be eligible for a special tuition waiver.
For more information see the Explanation of AB540 Tuition Exemption Para imformacion en Español, lea AB540 Tuition Exemption en Español
Print and mail the AB540 Tuition Exemption Request Form:
Note: All documents must by ADA‐compliant. The High Technology Center concludes that PDF is not yet generally acceptable, so HTML is the better choice of format for compliance. The forms will be available in both HTML and PDF).
2018 Financial Aid Referral Flag: Identifying Students for Financial Assistance
If a student answers “yes” to any of the following questions from the Needs & Interests section of the application, the Financial Aid Referral Flag (fin_aid_ref) will be set:
2018 Appendix C: AB540 Waiver Algorithm
After the Preliminary Residency Determination is set, the AB540 Eligibility Flag is set according to the following logic:
1. The response to both of the following questions on the Education Page is “Yes”:
“I have graduated from a California high school or have attained the equivalent thereof, such as a High School Equivalency Certificate, issued by the California State GED Office or a Certificate of Proficiency, resulting from the California High School Proficiency Examination.”
“I have attended high school in California for three or more years.”
2. AND the Preliminary Residency Determination is NOT “1 (Resident)”
3. AND the “Visa Type is null” OR “Visa Type is T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, U1, U2, U3, U4, U5”.
4. THEN the AB540 Eligibility flag is “Yes”; otherwise it is “No”.
All data items referred to above, as well as the eligibility flag, are available in the standard download file for all colleges.