An estimated 46,000 University of California students who were awarded state-funded Cal Grants will receive their grants in fall 2009 despite the current state budget impasse, UC President Mark Yudof announced on July 16.

“Despite the ongoing budget impasse in Sacramento, we need to make sure our Cal Grant recipients receive the funds they have been promised,” said Yudof. “These students, all of whom have financial need, rely on Cal Grants to pay for their fees and cover other expenses such as books and housing. Their ability to enroll at UC should not be endangered by a late state budget.”

Yudof said the university, on a temporary basis, will use funds from short-term accounts to cover the estimated $125 million in Cal Grants for the fall term with the expectation that the state will reimburse the university once the Legislature and governor adopt a final state budget.

He also called on the state to honor its commitment to provide Cal Grant funds that fully cover UC’s fees, and warned that financial access to UC for low-income students would be threatened if the state reduces or eliminates funding for the Cal Grant program.

Yudof said the university’s decision applies only to Cal Grant awards for fall 2009, and that any future decisions regarding Cal Grants will be made within the context of UC’s overall budget situation and state funding for the program.

This statement is posted at: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/21523