The California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Information

The California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA) wishes to publicly thank and offer our appreciation to the Governor for his support of the Cal Grant program for California students. CASFAA would also like to thank the legislators and especially the members of the Higher Education Committee for their support of the students and parents of California. The State of California has one of the nation's premier educational systems for our residents. One of the major factors for this success is the foundation provided for financial assistance to achieve access -- the Cal Grant. While we realize that California is in the midst of a serious economic crisis, had the Cal Grant Program been cut or eliminated, it would have severed the critical lifeline now available to low income students receiving college or career technical education, and could have compromised the future of our state. With so many of our residents unemployed, more Californians are returning to college in an effort to enhance their ability to compete in the job market. Parents may be facing the devastating decision of telling their children that they can no longer afford to send them to college. These situations have a detrimental effect on California 's economy as these students leave college and enter the job force at a time when jobs are increasingly difficult to find. Students who graduate from college are more likely to find employment that leads to being productive taxpayers and consumers in our state. Maintaining the Cal Grant Program is a positive step to alleviate these circumstances. The California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA) is a non-profit organization of 1000 professionals representing 500 educational institutions in the State of California.