The California Dream Act was made into law by California Assembly Bills 130 and 131 in 2011. This law allows undocumented students, DACA recipients (valid or expired), U Visa holders and students under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), who qualify for a non-resident exemption under the AB 540 provision to receive certain types of state-funded financial aid such as private scholarships funded through public universities, state administered financial aid, university grants, community college fee waivers, and Cal Grants. The full language of the law and eligibility requirements is stated in CA Education Code 68130.5.
More information about the non-resident tuition exemption and AB 540 can be found at: sdmiramar.edu/services/dreamers/ab540.
Financial Aid Applications
There are two primary sources of financial aid: federally funded and administered aid and state-funded and administered aid.
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is the form for federally-funded aid.
- The CA Dream Act Application (CADAA) is the form for state-funded aid in California.
You should complete only ONE of these applications, never both! The form that you are required to submit (and the aid you are eligible to apply for) is dependent on your current immigration status. Note: Undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid.
Know Your Status; Know Your Application
You may be eligible to submit a FAFSA® for federally funded student aid if any of the following statuses applies to you:
- U.S. Citizen
- U.S. National
- Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR; Green Card)
- Eligible non-citizen (must have an I-94 issued by USCIS)
- Refugee
- Asylum Granted
- Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)
- Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
- Victims of human trafficking, T-Visa (T-2, T-3, or T-4, etc.) holder
- Battered Immigrant-Qualified Alien or their child (VAWA designee)
- Parolee (You must be paroled into the United States for at least one year and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose and that you intend to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.)
- Ukrainian citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023
- Afghan citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2023
- Citizens of Compacts of Free Association countries (some restrictions apply)
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Republic of Palau
Read full FAFSA® eligibility requirements at studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements.
You may be eligible to submit a CADAA for state-funded student aid if you meet the non-resident exemption requirements and any of the following statuses applies to you:
- Undocumented e.g., out-of-status, with pending status, or have never had any lawful immigration status
- Have valid or expired Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection
- Have a valid or expired U-Visa
- Have Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
Read full CADAA eligibility requirements csac.ca.gov/post/california-nonresident-tuition-exemption.
School Codes
San Diego Miramar College has two school codes. Be sure to use the correct code for the appropriate form! Remember, you should file a FAFSA or CADAA, never both.
FAFSA
Use: 014172
CADAA
Use: 01182000
California Dream Act Application (CADAA)
The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) processes the CADAA application and any aid you are entitled to can only be used at eligible California public or private institutions (CCC, CSU, UC, and some private institutions). The application can be found at dream.csac.ca.gov.
CADAA Deadline
The priority application deadline is March 2.
Submit your CADAA by March 2 to maximize your financial aid options. Students attending a CA Community College who miss the March 2 deadline can still apply by September 2; however, you may not get the fullest award that you would otherwise be eligible to receive.
You must submit an application for financial aid each year that you plan to enroll in classes.
After completing the CADAA, CSAC will send your application data to all the colleges listed on your application. Qualifying for a Cal Grant is not automatic; it is a need-based program. You must meet financial income and asset eligibility, and GPA requirements. After receiving your CADAA and GPA, CSAC will process your application to determine if you are eligible to receive a Cal Grant.
After the initial successful submission of your CADAA, CSAC will send you an email with your nine-digit Dream Identification number (Dream ID). If you haven’t received an email from CSAC, be sure to check your spam/junk folders.
Keep your nine-digit Dream ID in a safe place; you will use your Dream ID number to create a WebGrants 4 Students account and whenever you contact the Miramar Financial Aid Office or CSAC. After completion of your CADAA, you MUST create a WebGrants 4 Students account at mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov in order to check the status of your Cal Grant eligibility.
After completion of your CADAA, you must create a WebGrants 4 Students account at mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov in order to check the status of your Cal Grant eligibility. Additional information on how to apply for a Cal Grant can be found at csac.ca.gov/how-apply.
Students who are under the age of 24 as of December 31 of the award year and do not meet any other very limited criteria, are considered “Dependent” for financial aid purposes and therefore, must provide parental information. One parent must sign your application, even if you do not live with your
legal parents (your biological and/or adoptive parents). Widowed stepparents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, foster parents, siblings or legal guardians are not considered your parent(s) for financial aid purposes, unless they have legally adopted you.
If you are unable to get your parent information, complete the application as much as you can and contact the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. The Financial Aid Office will evaluate your situation and inform you if they can override the need for parent information. CSAC does not have the authority to override dependency or financial information.
No! Your parents’ citizenship status does NOT impact your eligibility to receive financial aid. The CADAA and FAFSA do not contain any questions that ask about your parents' immigration status, and your parents' immigration status is not considered in any financial aid decisions.
Below is a list of documents that you may need or that will assist you in submitting your financial aid application.
- Driver's License, if you have one
- Social Security Card, if you have one
- Alien Registration Card, if you have one
- ITIN, if you have one
- List of colleges you are interested in attending to list on the application
- Most current bank statements
- Any records of untaxed income
- Tax information (1040’s and W2’s).
- This includes your parents' tax information if you are a dependent student.
- Both the FAFSA and the CADAA use prior-prior-year tax information to determine aid eligibility.
Is It Safe To Fill Out a CA Dream Act Application?
“The information provided via the California Dream Act Application is used solely to determine eligibility for state financial aid and isn't shared with the federal government or used for immigration enforcement purposes. The CSAC will protect this information to the fullest extent of the law."
Still have questions about the FAFSA® or CADAA? Attend one of our Dreamers Workshops! The CSAC Statewide Cash for College webinars are another good resource. They provide students and their families information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and California Dream Act Application (CADAA).