Student financial aid: Cal Grants: qualifying institutions: financial aid offer letter template.

Here's a clear, neutral summary of SB 416 for an informed general audience:

Senator Pérez's proposal to standardize financial aid offer letters across California's higher education institutions would establish new requirements for institutions participating in the Cal Grant Program. The legislation mandates the creation of a uniform template that all qualifying institutions must use when presenting financial aid packages to prospective students.

The California Student Aid Commission would convene a workgroup by April 2026 comprising representatives from all higher education segments, student organizations, and subject matter experts. This group would identify common terminology and structural elements currently used in financial aid letters, then develop a standardized template by July 2027. The workgroup would submit its template and findings to the Legislature at that time.

Beginning with the 2028-29 academic year, all institutions would need to adopt this template for their conditional offers of attendance to maintain their status as qualifying institutions under the Cal Grant Program. This requirement would apply across California's public universities, community colleges, private non-profit institutions, and eligible private postsecondary schools that participate in federal student aid programs.

The measure adds these template requirements to existing Cal Grant institutional eligibility criteria, which include meeting specific cohort default rates, graduation rates, and satisfactory academic progress standards. The legislation does not require additional state funding for implementation.