California students racing to meet the March 2 federal and state financial aid priority deadline have another funding source worth checking out, and it takes about five minutes to claim.
The CalKIDS scholarship program offers eligible California public school students up to $1,500 to use toward college or career training, no essay, no GPA requirement, no letters of recommendation needed.
Noah Lightman, assistant deputy director at the ScholarShare Investment Board, which oversees CalKIDS, says students are entitled to the money by state law. “They just have to claim it,” he said.
About 60% of California public school students qualify. To date, roughly 850,000 students have already claimed their scholarships, but that still leaves a large number of eligible students who haven’t.
The state uses factors like family income and English learner status to determine eligibility. Students in second grade and up who qualify receive at least $500. Students who are unhoused or in foster care get an additional $500. Students who are both unhoused and in foster care can receive the full $1,500.
Every baby born in California on or after July 1, 2022 is also eligible for a separate CalKIDS scholarship, regardless of family income. Those scholarships start at $100. Parents who link the funds to a ScholarShare 529 college savings account will receive an additional $50.
According to LAist, all students need is their 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), which is assigned through their school. If students don’t know their SSID, they can ask a teacher or counselor, or look it up through CaliforniaColleges.edu. From there, they visit the CalKIDS website, enter their SSID, birthdate, and the county where they attend school. No Social Security number is required.
For newborns, parents need their child’s 13-digit local registration number from the birth certificate. Parents should wait at least 90 days after birth before claiming the scholarship account.
Julio Hernandez, a college and career administrative coordinator for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), called the process quick and easy, and said he used the website to secure a $500 scholarship for his own son.
Students can begin using CalKIDS funds as young as 17. The money can pay for tuition, books, housing, and other qualified education expenses at community colleges, universities, vocational schools, and professional schools nationwide. Students can even hold the money until graduate school, as long as it is spent before they turn 26. Currently, nearly 150,000 students are using CalKIDS to help pay for college.
Candyce Simpson, a counselor at Jordan High School in Long Beach, warned that students and families are often “bombarded with emails about college and the cost of college,” including predatory programs that charge fees. “As counselors, we constantly remind our students and families that if they ask for a credit card, they should delete the email immediately,” she said. CalKIDS never charges a fee to claim a scholarship.
Lightman cited research showing that children with even a small amount of money set aside for higher education are three times more likely to attend college — and four times more likely to graduate — than those without any savings.
CalKIDS will host a free live webinar on March 26 from 11 a.m. to noon. Registration is required. Students and families can sign up here.
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