Research preview

Checked October 21, 2026. Confirm costs and aid with each school's financial aid office.

Start with the FAFSA

To be considered for federal and state grants, fill out the FAFSA. The 2027-28 FAFSA opened October 1, 2026 (U.S. Department of Education, 2026).

Cal Grant

Cal Grants are run by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). For a Cal Grant, submit the FAFSA or CADAA plus your GPA by March 2, 2027 (CSAC, n.d.; CSAC, 2026a). Students at California community colleges have a September 2, 2027 deadline (CSAC, 2026a). For 2026-27, Cal Grant C covers occupational or technical training programs at least eight weeks long, with a prorated award for programs of 8 to 14 weeks (CSAC, 2026b).

Workforce Pell: new, not available yet

Workforce Pell is a new federal grant for short career training programs of 150 to 599 clock hours (8 to 15 weeks). Schools must first get the program approved by the state (through CSAC) and then by the U.S. Department of Education. CSAC announced on October 15, 2026 that its state application portal for schools will open on October 21 (CSAC, 2026c).

Programs still need state and federal approval, so check with the school before counting on Workforce Pell (CSAC, 2026c). No program on California Pathways should be read as Workforce Pell eligible.

CSAC lists these student requirements: file the FAFSA and meet federal Pell Grant rules, hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent, be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, not be enrolled in a bachelor's or higher degree program, and enroll in an approved program at a participating school (CSAC, 2026c). Unlike regular Pell Grants, Workforce Pell can be used by students who already have a bachelor's degree, as long as they do not have a graduate degree (CSAC, 2026c).

Workforce Pell grants are paid through the school's financial aid office, so ask that office whether a program is approved (CSAC, 2026c).

References

California Student Aid Commission. (n.d.). Important dates and deadlines. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/important-dates-and-deadlines

California Student Aid Commission. (2026a). Cal Grant GPA verification form for the academic year 2027-28 [Form]. https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/g4-gpa-verification-2027-28.pdf

California Student Aid Commission. (2026b, August 25). Cal Grant C program updates and new priority occupations list (Grant Operations Memo 2026-31). https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2026-08/gom-2026-31.pdf

California Student Aid Commission. (2026c, October 15). California opens new Workforce Pell Grant application portal for institutions to determine career training program eligibility [Press release]. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-opens-new-workforce-pell-grant-application-portal-for-institutions-to-determine-career-training-program-eligibility-302910680.html

U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. (2026). 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid [Form]. https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf

California Pathways is a research preview. Confirm costs, aid and program approval with each school.