Governor Signs Cervantes Bill to Extend Application Deadline for State Financial Aid Programs

(SACRAMENTO) – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1887 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, into law. AB 1887 extends the application deadline for state financial aid programs, including the Cal Grant and Middle Class Scholarship, from April 2 to May 2. The new law is a response to the ongoing implementation issues with the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which has left many California students unable to apply for financial aid and wreaked havoc on the enrollment timeline for colleges and universities.

“Making the path to fulfilling our students’ dreams of achieving higher education more affordable and accessible is among the highest duties of our state government, and Assembly Bill 1887 being signed into law is a way to honor that duty,” said Assemblymember Cervantes. “This new law will give California students more time to complete the FAFSA and gain access to the financial resources they need to begin their college careers in earnest.”

In late 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, which was intended to streamline the FAFSA and make it more accessible for working families. This included reducing the number of questions asked of student applicants from more than 100 questions to less than 40.

However, the implementation of FAFSA reforms has not been easy. Delays in necessary technological upgrades and reduced staffing levels helped contribute to the new FAFSA being made available several months late in 2023. One significant problem is that students with parents who are undocumented have experienced an error message because their parents lack a Social Security number. This has rendered these students unable to complete the FAFSA. Nationwide, FAFSA submissions are down nearly 33 percent compared to the previous academic year.

Assembly Bill 1887 extends the application deadline for state financial aid programs from April 2 to May 2. The new law also allows the federal government to have more time to solve the ongoing implementation issues with the new FAFSA, including the barrier blocking students with parents who are undocumented from completing their applications. It will also provide our colleges and universities with more time to make admissions decisions, provide financial aid award offers, and finalize their enrollment decisions.

“I am grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature—especially Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire—for working with me to move Assembly Bill 1887 rapidly through the legislative process so we can give California students more time to apply for financial aid,” said Assemblymember Cervantes. “I also want to thank Governor Newsom for moving quickly to sign the bill into law so our students can get immediate relief.”

Because Assembly Bill 1887 includes an urgency clause, it goes into effect immediately after being signed into law by the Governor. You can find more information about AB 1887 here.

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