California · verified 2026-10-30
Cal Grant requirements
Cal Grant does not use the ACT or SAT. It is awarded on financial need and GPA — a 3.0 verified Cal Grant GPA for Cal Grant A and a 2.0 for Cal Grant B — with family income and asset ceilings, and a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application filed by the deadline.
No test score is used at any stage, so raising an ACT changes nothing for Cal Grant. It can still change what California colleges pay you directly.
No score needed here. Elsewhere it is worth money.
Cal Grant ignores your ACT. California colleges do not.
This is the distinction most families miss: a state award can be need-based or GPA-only while every dollar of a university’s own automatic merit still comes off a test score. At a 28 with a 3.5 GPA, 6 colleges in California publish an award on top of it.
See which colleges pay for my score →Every tier, and what it asks for
| Tier | ACT | GPA | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Grant AIncome and asset ceilings apply. | none | 3.0 verified Cal Grant GPA | Tuition and fees at a qualifying California institution |
| Cal Grant BFor students from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds. | none | 2.0 verified Cal Grant GPA | A living-expense stipend, plus tuition from the second year |
Where your ACT score does decide money in California
Cal Grant does not use a score, but California colleges do. At a 28 with a 3.5 GPA, from each college's own published chart:
$21,000/yr
$19,300/yr
$17,500/yr
$16,000/yr
$16,000/yr
$15,000/yr
Other state programmes
Email me every college that pays at a 28
Cal Grant is California. We have read the published award charts at 504 colleges nationally, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private. No account.
One email with your breakdown, plus occasional ACT tips. Unsubscribe in one tap.
Cal Grant questions
What are the Cal Grant requirements?
Cal Grant does not use the ACT or SAT. It is awarded on financial need and GPA — a 3.0 verified Cal Grant GPA for Cal Grant A and a 2.0 for Cal Grant B — with family income and asset ceilings, and a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application filed by the deadline.
Does the Cal Grant require an ACT score?
No. No test score is used at any stage, so raising an ACT changes nothing for Cal Grant. It can still change what California colleges pay you directly.
Does an ACT score change what California colleges pay?
Yes, separately from Cal Grant. At a 28 with a 3.5 GPA, 6 of the 7 California colleges whose award charts we have read publish a figure, the largest being $21,000 a year at Azusa Pacific. That is the college's own money, not the state's.
Verified 2026-10-30 against California Student Aid Commission. State programmes are reviewed annually and the thresholds move, so confirm against the administering agency before relying on them. College figures come from each college’s own published chart. A published threshold is not an offer.