California College Promise Questions and Answers
July 3, 2019
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c. Increasing the percentage of students who successfully transfer from a community college
to the California State University or the University of California and increasing the
percentage of students who graduate from college with a baccalaureate degree.
d. Reducing and eliminating regional achievement gaps and achievement gaps for students
from groups that are underrepresented at the California Community Colleges, including, but
not limited to, underrepresented students, low-income students, students who are current
or former foster youth, students with disabilities, formerly incarcerated students,
undocumented students, students meeting the requirements of Assembly Bill 540 of the
2001–2002 Regular Session of the Legislature, and students who are veterans.
7. What should a district do if it already has a locally funded College Promise that includes a tuition
waiver that is duplicative of the tuition waiver allowed in this program?
Answer: A district is not required to expend any monies received from this program on providing
tuition assistance to students. Pursuant to Legislative intent, a district should use funding to
advance the goals outlined in the program. See answers to questions 3 and 6.
8. Must a student enroll in 12 units or more for every term they attend to receive a waiver of fees?
Answer: Generally, 12 units is required. Section 76396.3(c)(1) of the California Education Code
states:
“For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
“Full time” means 12 or more semester units or the equivalent.
To be eligible for a fee waiver, a student must enroll in 12 units during the summer term.
However, to maintain continuing eligibility in the program, a student must only enroll as a full-
time student in their college’s primary terms. If a student enrolls in less than 12 units in summer,
or if the student does not enroll in any summer units, the student does not lose eligibility to
continue participation in the following fall term. (See question 9)
9. What is full-time equivalent for DSPS students?
Answer: The law, as currently written, tells us that students must be in 12 units to be considered
full-time for purposes of using AB 19 funds to waive fees.
At the time of the release of this Q and A, explicit language on disabled student participation
included in 2019 Assembly Bill 2 (AB 2) has not yet been passed. Therefore, the answer below is
accurate until the law is changed.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and
Government Code section 11135, prohibit discrimination in programs that receive state funding.
A strong argument can be made that disabled students whose Academic Accommodation Plan
(AAP) permits them to take less than 12 units should be considered full-time for eligibility under
the College Promise.