First, it is important to stress that competitive Cal Grant awards are not awarded to community college students. As such, the below information pertains only to students who are considering attending or transferring to an eligible university or private college and not current or prospective SCC students.
Entitlement Cal Grants are awarded automatically to all eligible students while competitive Cal Grants are awarded to a specific amount of the most eligible students. While many eligibility criteria are shared (e.g., being a California resident), there are important differences. Namely, entitlement awards are awarded to students who exceed a certain threshold (varies by aid year; for reference, see 24–25 and 25–26) of financial need and meet minimum GPA requirements, while competitive awards do NOT
consider financial need and are awarded to a set amount (for 24–25, this was 13,000) of students per year who have the highest applicant scores.
In order to be eligible for the competitive Cal Grant awards, students must submit their FAFSA/CADAA by March 2 and their GPA verification by March 3 of a given aid year. If a student wants to receive the competitive Cal Grant in Fall and Spring 2027, they should submit by March 2/3, 2026.
Many more students receive the entitlement awards than the competitive awards annually. However, since eligibility for the competitive awards is not need-based, it is still an important source of financial aid for students that you should be aware of.