Students sending in their applications for either financial aid or California Dream Act must submit them before March 2.

Those who wish to apply for financial aid must either fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or a California Dream Act application.

If a student has never filed for financial aid, they will need to click on “Start Here” to begin the process. It will ask the student to either log in to or create a Federal Student Aid Identification or FSA ID account. A social security number and a phone number or email address are needed to create an account.

Other documents required to fill out the application include tax information/tax returns, records of untaxed income, information on cash such as savings and checking accounts, etc. (see the full list below). If a student is a dependent, a parent or legal guardian’s social security will also be required.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FASFA can be found here.

Undocumented or “Dreamer” students must fill out a California Dream Act online application. Those who fall under these categories should not fill out a FASFA form.

The California Dream Act allows nonresidents to receive state aid at public and private colleges. It also allows a student to become exempt from paying nonresident tuition.

Two different requirements can be met before someone can become eligible for the CA Dream Act. The first way is to have three or more years of full-time attendance or equivalent credits earned in a California high school or higher learning levels. The second is to have three or more years of high school course work and attended elementary/ middle schools in California for a total of three or more years.

For first-time applicants on arrival to the website, click on start to begin answering questions to determine eligibility.

The California Dream Act online application can be found here.

Be sure to submit all required fields before March 2.