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Dreamer Forms & Resources
The California Dream Act allows certain students who meet requirements for Assembly Bill 540 to apply for and receive state financial aid. Filling out the Cal Dream Act application can be a straightforward and easy process if you are prepared with the information necessary to complete the application. Below are some tips to help you submit an accurate
Student Forms Portal: https://humboldt.studentforms.com
Cal Poly Humboldt Financial Aid office has implemented the Single Sign-On (SSO) feature with the Humboldt Student Forms. You will see the "Create Student Forms Account" TO DO list item in the MyHumboldt Student Center. You will click the link in the TO DO list item which will direct you to the Humboldt Student Forms website.
The SSO will log you into the portal where you will need to confirm your personal identification information (name, Dream ID, and date of birth) that matches your financial aid application. Once you have successfully created your account, you will be able to take care of task electronically.
Creating a User ID & Password
Creating an account before you begin the Cal Dream Act application could prevent processing delays, and it only takes a few minutes to create. The User ID and Password is what you need to log-in to the application and it also allows you to sign your application electronically. Create User ID & Password!
If you are considered a dependent student, then your parent must request a Parent PIN in order to electronically sign your application. Request a Parent PIN now or sign application!
Gathering the Documents Needed to Apply
The Cal Dream Act application questions ask for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, whether you're a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the application:
- Your Tax Identification Number (TIN), it's important that you enter it correctly!
- Your parents' Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) if you are a dependent student
- Your driver's license number if you have one
- Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
- Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student: IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
- Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans non-education benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
- Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
Keep these records! You may need them again.
Getting Help
If you need help filling out the Cal Dream Act application and you are on-campus, our office will be offering a few drop-in workshops throughout the month of October, click here for more information
Starting Your Cal Dream Act
The Cal Dream Act application is available on October 1 for the next school year. We encourage you to fill it out as soon as possible in order to meet any deadlines. If you are starting the application for the first time, click on "Start A New Application." As you begin, keep in mind that your name and Tax Identification Number (TIN) must match those on your card. If you filled out a Cal Dream Act application last year and want to renew it, click "Login" on the Cal Dream Act home page and make sure to select the correct academic year.
Listing Colleges: Humboldt School Code
While completing the Cal Dream Act, you must list at least one school to receive your information and you can list up to 10 schools in total. The schools you list on the application will automatically receive your results electronically. Make sure to list Humboldt as one of your schools!
Cal Poly Humboldt - School Code: 001149
Determining Your Dependency Status
The Cal Dream Act asks a series of questions that determine whether you are a dependent or independent student for purposes of applying for state student aid. If you are a dependent student, you must report parent information, as well as your own information, on your application.
Reporting Parents' Information
If you are a dependent student, you will need to report parent information on your FAFSA form. If you don't live with your parents or if you don't have access to your parents' financial information, please contact our office immediately for further assistance.
Providing Financial Information
The Cal Dream Act asks for financial information, including balances of savings and checking accounts and information from tax forms.
The 2022-2023 Dream Act application asks for 2020 tax year information.
Signing and Submitting the Cal Dream Act
Before your Cal Dream Act can be processed, you will need to sign and submit the application. Here are some tips as you finish up your application:
- Be sure to sign with your username and password so your Cal Dream Act application will be processed as quickly as possible. If you are providing parent information, one of your parents will be required to sign your application.
- Once you see your confirmation page, you will know you have successfully submitted your Cal Dream Act application. If you provided an email address on the application, you will automatically receive the confirmation page by email. There are a few differences between the emailed confirmation and the one you will see on the application before exiting the application, so consider printing or saving your confirmation page before you exit.
- When you fill out the Cal Dream Act application, you are automatically applying for state financial aid.
Once you have completed your Cal Dream Act application, there is one more step for you to take, make sure you create an account for WebGrants 4 Students in order to maximize your Financial Aid award.
Once Humboldt receives your Cal Dream Act application, our office will process all applications for the Fall beginning in February and for the Spring beginning in November. If you are selected for verification, please review the Verification section on our website for more information. Humboldt Financial Aid begins awarding students in February and March, please review the Awarding Aid section on our website for more information.
We encourage all students who submit a Cal Dream Act application and list Humboldt as a school, to directly contact us to ensure that we received your application.
If you do not meet California residency requirements but you attended a California high school for a minimum of 3 years and graduated, you may be eligible to have your nonresident tuition fee waived. You would need to complete a California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request Form (for AB 540 students). The Humboldt Admissions Office handles all residency related questions.
- Dreamer Student Resources
- Cal Poly Humboldt's El Centro Académico Cultural de Humboldt as well as Scholars Without Borders.
- CSU: California State University Resources for Undocumented Students The following Assembly Bills allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition at the California State University campuses: Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540), passed in 2001, grants students meeting certain criteria an exemption from paying nonresident tuition at the CSU. Assembly Bill 2000 (AB 2000), passed in 2014. This is an expansion of AB540. It increases the scope of student eligibility for students who graduated early from a California High School with the equivalent of three or more years of credits. If a student graduates early, they must have attended CA elementary or secondary schools for a cumulative total of 3 or more years. It allows students meeting the criteria below to pay in-state tuition, the same as resident students. The California Dream Act (Assembly Bills 130 and 131) was signed into law in 2011. These two bills together compose the California Dream Act and gave AB 540 / AB 2000 students the right to apply for state financial aid, which includes Cal Grant A & B Entitlement awards, Cal Grant C awards, institutional grants and community college fee waivers.
- More CSU Resources for Undocumented Students: Legal Support Services, Systemwide Communication and Guidance, FAQ: DACA Update , Other Resources
- The California Student Aid Commission is an excellent resource for Dreamers and includes the following information: What is AB 540?, What is DACA?, Financial Aid for Dreamers, More about Cal Grant, Dream Act Application Instructions, Dream Act Application Worksheet, Dream Act Paper Application in English and Spanish, Selective Service Form, Parental Signature Form.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC)
- United We Dream
- Scholarships