Senate BillPassed first houseEducation
SB 323: Student Aid Commission: California Dream Act application.
What SB 323 does, verified December 6, 2025
The bill aims to amend the California Dream Act application to ensure it can be used by students eligible for state financial aid programs, regardless of their eligibility for federal financial aid. The California Student Aid Commission must clarify and update the application to accommodate this requirement. The commission will also consult with public and private colleges and universities to promote the application effectively and inform students and their families about available financial aid options. This change is expected to take effect by the start of the 2026-27 financial aid cycle.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: August 29 hearing postponed by committee. (2025-08-29)Alert me
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Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions24 total · showing 5
| Aug. 29, 2025 | August 29 hearing postponed by committee. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 | August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 | August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file. |
| Jul. 10, 2025 | Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jul. 09, 2025 | From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (July 8). |
Latest bill textAmended version, July 10, 2025 · 772 words
| Amended IN Assembly July 10, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate March 25, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 323
| Introduced by Senator Pérez (Coauthors: Senators Caballero and Cervantes) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Garcia and Solache) |
February 11, 2025 |
An act to amend Section 69508.5 of the Education Code, relating to student financial aid.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 323, as amended, Pérez. Student Aid Commission: California Dream Act application.
Existing law exempts a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges if the student meets certain requirements. Existing law makes a student who meets these requirements for exemption from nonresident tuition, or who meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California, eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the state to the full extent permitted by federal law. Existing law requires the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enables enable these students to apply for, and participate in, those student financial aid programs.
This bill would require the commission, by the start of the 2026–27 financial aid cycle, to amend the California Dream Act application, and any of its grant processing systems, to clarify and ensure that the application can be used by any student eligible for state financial aid programs, regardless of their eligibility for federal financial aid. The bill would also require the commission to consult with the segments of postsecondary education in promoting California’s public and private colleges and universities to promote the California Dream Act application in a manner that maximizes the amount of federal aid that students may access while apprising students of the choices available regarding which application they and their families may use. effectively and inform students and their families of their available financial aid application options, as provided.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 69508.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:69508.5.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a student who meets the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 68130.5, or who meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California, is eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law. The Legislature finds and declares that this section is a state law within the meaning of Section 1621(d) of Title 8 of the United States Code.(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the commission shall establish procedures and forms that enable students who are exempt from paying nonresident tuition under Section 68130.5, or who meet equivalent requirements adopted by the regents, to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs administered by the State of California to the full extent permitted by federal law.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that all forms of state-based aid in California be made equally available to students who are exempt, pursuant to Section 68130.5, from paying nonresident tuition and to all other students who qualify for state-based aid in this state.
(d) By the start of the 2026–27 financial aid cycle, the commission shall amend the California Dream Act application, and any of its grant processing systems, to clarify and ensure that the application can be used by any student eligible for state financial aid programs, regardless of their eligibility for federal financial aid.
(e) The commission shall consult with the segments of postsecondary education in promoting California’s public and private colleges and universities to promote the California Dream Act application in a manner that maximizes the amount of federal aid that students may access while also apprising students of the choices available regarding which application they and their families may use. effectively, including supporting measures to maximize student attainment of federal financial aid, where appropriate, while also clearly informing students and their families of their available application options.
(f) The commission shall inform students and their families of their available financial aid application options, including, but not limited to, by doing both of the following:
(1) Listing, in a prominent manner, on the commission’s internet website and the California Dream Act application, the application eligibility criteria for the California Dream Act application, the types of financial aid that each application will consider, and key distinctions between the applications.
(2) Ensuring that applicants actively acknowledge, before completing the California Dream Act application, that they will not be considered for any federal student financial aid programs.
Text of SB 323 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions