Undocumented Student Center

The California Dream Act is a series of two bills, AB130 and AB131, that allow AB540/SB 68/AB2000 eligible undocumented students in California to apply for in-state financial aid. AB130 allows AB540/SB68/AB2000 students to apply for scholarships at California public colleges and universities that are funded from non-state sources, and AB 131 allows for AB540/SB68/AB2000 students to apply for in-state financial aid for public universities and colleges.

In order to apply for financial aid through the California Dream Act, you must qualify as an AB540/SB68/AB2000 student by meeting the requirements listed in the Quick Guide to SB68: Expansion of In-State Tuition Eligibility in California.

Items to Note

• Ineligible students can still attend California colleges as long as they meet the admissions criteria and are accepted by the college or university. They also must pay non-resident fees.
• The California Dream Act Application is unrelated to the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Learn more here: Understand the Differences: In-State Tuition vs. CA Dream Act vs. DACA

If you are an undocumented student and you meet AB 540/ SB 68 eligibility, you can apply for state financial aid.

Apply for CA Dream Act

• The application opens October 1 and the free California Dream Act Application (CADAA) must be submitted by March 2 to qualify for California aid.
• There is an additional deadline of September 2 for students completing the CA Dream Act that are attending a community college.

Items to Note

You can still apply after March 2, but you’ll lose Cal Grant eligibility and Universities of California (UCs) and California State Universities (CSUs) require that you submit the application by March 2 in order to receive state financial aid during the academic year that you plan to attend at that university.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Any information provided by the student to Sierra College is protected under FERPA.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grants eligible undocumented youth a two-year renewable temporary relief from deportation and a social security number for work authorization.

DACA does not currently provide a long-term pathway to citizenship and is unrelated to the California Dream Act. Students do not have to be DACA-eligible to apply for the California Dream Act and vice-versa. Each program has unique eligibility criteria.

The term “DREAMer” originated from The Federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The Federal DREAM Act aims to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth who grew up in the United States.

First introduced to Congress in 2001, the Federal DREAM Act has not yet passed into law. Young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children do not have pathways to citizenship. Although pathways to citizenship are not available for undocumented youth, some states (like California) passed their versions of the DREAM Act.

The California Dream Act (CADA) was passed in 2011. It enables eligible undocumented students to receive state-funded financial aid and privately funded scholarships. CADA does not deal with immigration or pathways to citizenship. It is only to receive state financial aid.

Undocumented students are not eligible for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or to receive any federally funded student financial aid, including Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, work-study and student loans.

Students who receive a social security number from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not eligible to apply for FAFSA.

To get started on the CADAA, you will need to create a username and password to sign the California Dream Act electronically.

It is important that you save your username and password after creating it so you can use it to sign-on to CADA in the future.

The Sierra College school code is: 001290-00

You will need your and/or your parent’s federal income tax returns, W-2 and other records of money earned.

A Social Security number is not needed to apply for the California Dream Act Application (CADAA).

If you have a DACA (valid or expired) or employment authorization Social Security number, U Visa, or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), you will need to complete the CADA application.

If you are not AB540 eligible, you are not eligible to receive financial assistance in the form of state grants. However, successful completion of the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) is required to be eligible to receive additional resources, such as book vouchers, parking permits, emergency grants, and Sierra College scholarships.

Please visit the California Student Aid Commission for details.