Pell Grants and Fee Waivers in 2003–04

In 2003–04 over half a million students attending the 109 California community colleges received about one billion dollars in financial aid to help meet their college expenses. Nearly all of the aided students received Board of Governors Fee Waivers to cover their enrollment fees. Less than one-half of the aided stu-dents also received federal Pell grants to help cover other educa-tion expenses, such as books and supplies, food, housing, and transportation costs, while enrolled. Both in terms of the number of students served and the total aid funds provided, the federal Pell grants and the Board of Governors Fee Waivers are the most important financial aid programs for California community college students. Both programs are need-based, which means that eligibility is primarily determined by income, and most of the awards go to lower income students. Pell grants require the student to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This long and complicated applica-tion form is used to calculate an index called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC index, which is largely based on family or personal income and assets (but considers other factors as well), is used to determine eligibility for Pell grants and other federal student aid programs. The federal aid application is also used to qualify applicants for a Board of Governors (BOG) Fee Waiver. However, students may choose to file the shorter and separate BOG fee waiver application instead of the federal form to qualify for a fee waiver. Since it is shorter and less complicated than the FAFSA, some students file only the BOG fee waiver application and skip the federal aid application