The CA Dream Act is state-based financial aid for eligible undocumented students. With this application on-file, students can receive certain types of financial aid such as: private scholarships funded through public universities, state administered financial aid, university grants, community college fee waivers, and Cal Grants. 

 The financial aid students receive is free and does have to be paid back. Only Dream Loans must be paid back, but these are only available for students attending a Cal State University (CSU) or University of California (UC). 

Click here to learn more about your eligibility from our Financial Aid department.

Undocumented students, with or without DACA, who live in California and meet the eligibility requirements for AB540, AB2000, or SB68, as well as students who have a U Visa or TPS status, can use the California Dream Act application.

AB540, AB2000, or SB68 are state laws that authorize undocumented students who meet specific criteria to pay in-state tuition at California’s public colleges and universities.

Click here to learn more about your eligibility from our Financial Aid department.

Students can fill out the CA Dream Act application at the following link: https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.  

Guidance with the application is also available at our DREAM Program located inside the Equity Center (Building 16-E). 

After students submit their application, the California Student Aid Commission processes and forwards the application to all the colleges and universities listed. Once the colleges and universities receive your application, they review it to determine what types of financial aid you may qualify for. They will contact you through your student portal and/or student email if additional information is required.  

Students should only complete one of the applications (not both), according to the citizenship requirements below:  

1. You are eligible to complete the FAFSA at FAFSA® Application | Federal Student Aid if you are a: 

• • U.S Citizen  
  • Permanent Resident  
  • Eligible non-citizen 
  • T Visa holder  

2. You are eligible to complete the California Dream Act at https://dream.csac.ca.gov if you are: 

• • Undocumented  
  • Have a valid or expired DACA  
  • U Visa holders 
  • Have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) 
  • Meet the non-resident exemption requirements under AB 540  

Note: If you have further questions, including how to ensure if you are completing the correct financial aid application, you can visit the Immigrants Rising website and review the document titled, “FAFSA VS CA Dream Act: Apply to the Correct Financial Aid,” at FAFSA vs CA Dream Act: Apply to the Correct Financial Aid in CA – Immigrants Rising

The Mt. SAC Scholarship Program Office manages over $400,000 in scholarships. Many of these are available to undocumented students, and in fact, our students have won several of these scholarships before. 

Scholarships are awarded in varying amounts based on need, merit, major and/or educational goals. Many are specifically for undocumented students and allies in the DREAM Program. 

 Only one application is required to be considered for the Mt. SAC Scholarship Program. This application typically becomes available by January and the deadly is usually in April of each year. For more information, please visit: https://www.mtsac.edu/scholarships/. 

Beyond the Mt. SAC Scholarship Program, you may also find additional scholarships for undocumented students at these websites: 

• Immigrants Rising’s List Scholarships: https://immigrantsrising.org/wp-content/uploads/Immigrants-Rising_List-of-Undergraduate-Scholarships.pdf (Links to an external site.
• DREAMers Roadmap: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dreamers-roadmap/id1093842555 (Links to an external site.) 
• MyUndocumentedLife: https://mydocumentedlife.org/ (Links to an external site.) 
  Hispanic Scholarship Fund: https://www.hsf.net/scholarship (Links to an external site.) 
• Scholarship Resources for Undocumented Students: https://www.edumed.org/financial-aid/undocumented-students-scholarships-resources/
• Davis Putter Scholarship Fund - https://davisputter.org/
• Good Tidings Foundation Scholarship - https://goodtidings.org/impact/education-and-scholarships/