Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 754, Sec. 3. (SB 1210) Effective January 1, 2015.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California DREAM Loan Program.
Article 23 - California DREAM Loan Program
California Education Code — §§ 70030-70039
Sections (11)
Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 754, Sec. 3. (SB 1210) Effective January 1, 2015.
The California DREAM Loan Program, which may also be referred to as the DREAM Program, is hereby established.
Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 622, Sec. 1. (SB 633) Effective January 1, 2024.
As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings:
(a)An “academic year” is July 1 to June 30, inclusive. The start date of a session shall determine the academic year in which it is included.
(b)“Award year” means one academic year, or the equivalent, of attendance at a qualifying institution.
(c)“Commission” means the Student Aid Commission.
(d)“Cost of attendance” means the student’s tuition and fees, books and supplies, living expenses, transportation expenses, and any other student expenses used to calculate a student’s financial need for purposes of federal Title
IV student aid programs.
(e)“Enrollment status” means part-time status or full-time status of a student at a qualifying institution.
(f)“Expected family contribution” means a student’s expected family contribution calculated, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69506, according to the federal methodology (as established by Title IV of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070 et seq.)).
(g)“Financial need” means a student’s financial need calculated pursuant to the federal financial need methodology (as established by Title IV of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070 et seq.)).
(h)“Graduate program” means a program of study leading to a graduate or professional degree, including,
but not limited to, a teaching credential, the prerequisite for which is a baccalaureate degree or undergraduate degree.
(i)“Grant-eligible student” means a student who has applied for financial aid using the application established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 69508.5, known as the Dream Act Application and has been previously awarded a Cal Grant, Middle Class Scholarship, or institutional need-based financial aid.
(j)“Instructional program” means a program of study that results in the award of a baccalaureate degree or undergraduate certificate, or undergraduate coursework in a program of study leading directly to a first professional degree for which no baccalaureate degree or undergraduate degree is awarded.
(k)“Participating institution” means any campus of the California State
University or the University of California that elects to participate in the DREAM Program pursuant to the requirements specified for a qualifying institution as set forth in this article.
(l)“Satisfactory academic progress” means those criteria required by applicable federal standards published in Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. A participating institution may adopt regulations defining “satisfactory academic progress” in a manner that duplicates those federal standards, provided that, to the extent consistent with applicable federal standards, the regulations adopted by the participating institution provide that homelessness, as defined as a “homeless individual” within the meaning of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11302(a)), or as defined as a “homeless child or youth,” as defined in subsection (2) of Section 725 of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec.
11434a(2)), is an extenuating circumstance for students who are otherwise unable to meet the requirements deemed to constitute “satisfactory academic progress” at that institution. The institution may consider this extenuating circumstance, in its discretion, to the extent consistent with federal standards, to alter or excuse compliance with those progress requirements.
Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 526, Sec. 2. (SB 354) Effective January 1, 2020.
(a)Commencing with the 2015–16 academic year, a student attending a participating institution may receive a loan under the DREAM Program if the student satisfies all of the following requirements:
(1)The student is exempt from paying nonresident tuition under Section 68130.5, or meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California.
(2)The student applies for financial aid using the application established by the
commission pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 69508.5, known as the Dream Act Application.
(3)The student is enrolled at least half time in good standing in one of the following programs at a participating institution:
(A)An instructional program.
(B)Commencing with the 2020–21 academic year, a graduate program.
(4)The student is determined by the participating institution to have financial need.
(5)The student maintains satisfactory academic progress at the participating institution.
(6)The student is not incarcerated.
(7)The student is not in default on any federal student loan, state student loan, or student loan issued by the California State University or the University of California.
(8)The student is enrolled in one of the following programs:
(A)A program eligible for participation in the Cal Grant Program.
(B)Commencing with the 2020–21 academic year, a state-supported graduate or professional degree program.
(b)(1) The
commission or the participating institution shall require the student to affirm in writing that the student satisfies the requirements of paragraph (7) of subdivision (a).
(2)A student seeking an award shall authorize the commission to access any information pertinent to certify that the student meets the requirements of subdivision (a).
(c)The commission,
in collaboration with the participating institution, shall certify that the student satisfies all of the requirements specified in subdivision (a) before the participating institution may issue an award to the student pursuant to this article.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that this article is a state law within the meaning of Section 1621(d) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 702, Sec. 1. (AB 681) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)The amount of a DREAM loan offered to an individual student by a participating institution shall be determined by the institution, subject to the following provisions:
(1)The loan may not exceed the financial need of the student.
(2)(A) A student who is enrolled in an undergraduate program may not borrow more than four thousand dollars ($4,000) under this
program within a single academic year.
(B)A student who is enrolled in a graduate program may not borrow more than twenty thousand five hundred dollars ($20,500) under this program within a single academic year.
(3)(A) A student who is enrolled in
an undergraduate program may not borrow, as an undergraduate student, more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) in the aggregate under the program.
(B)A student who is enrolled in a graduate program may not borrow, as a graduate student, more than one hundred eighteen thousand five hundred dollars ($118,500) in the aggregate under the program.
(C)A student may not borrow more than one hundred thirty-eight thousand five hundred dollars ($138,500) in the aggregate under the program, consistent with the limitations specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B).
(4)The proportion of program funding used for instructional programs and for graduate programs shall be determined at the discretion of the participating institution. Priority shall be given to loans for instructional programs.
(b)The interest rate for loans issued under the program shall be the same as the
then-current interest rate for undergraduate loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1087a et seq.).
(c)Except as provided in subdivision (d), the standard repayment term for a DREAM loan shall be 10 years. Repayment shall commence following a six-month grace period that begins when a student graduates or ceases to maintain at least half-time enrollment in a degree or certificate program.
(d)On or before January 1, 2020, a participating institution shall adopt procedures allowing a borrower to select an income-based repayment plan for the repayment of a DREAM loan, in accordance with the standards set forth in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program for income-based repayment plans.
(e)Interest shall not accrue on a DREAM loan during periods of at least half-time
enrollment in a degree or certificate program or during the six-month grace period specified in subdivision (c).
(f)Eligibility for deferment, discharge, or forbearance of a DREAM loan shall be determined by the participating institution in accordance with the standards set forth in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.
(g)On or before January 1, 2024, a participating institution shall establish loan forgiveness options for borrowers who receive a DREAM loan with similar standards as those set forth in the Federal Perkins Loan Program.
(h)(1) A borrower shall qualify for administrative relief consistent with the standards set forth in the Federal Direct Loan Program during periods of national emergency declared by the President of the United States.
(2)A borrower shall qualify for any state of emergency administrative forbearance on student loans that is provided by the Governor by executive order or the participating institution.
(3)A borrower shall be granted administrative relief for 90 days if the borrower lives or works where a natural disaster has occurred upon notification by the borrower, a member of the borrower’s family, or another reliable source that the borrower has been affected by the natural disaster.
(i)Participating institutions shall use a common promissory note, approved by the Treasurer, to issue DREAM loans.
Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 484, Sec. 3. (AB 2004) Effective January 1, 2023.
(a)It is the intent of the Legislature that, each fiscal year, funds shall be appropriated in the annual Budget Act to participating institutions for purposes of the DREAM Program.
(b)The annual Budget Act shall allocate funding to participating institutions based on the number of eligible students attending the institution who applied for student financial aid pursuant to Section 69508.5 the prior academic year.
(c)(1) Each participating institution shall deposit funds appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a) in a DREAM revolving fund established by each institution, subject to subdivision (e). DREAM loans shall be awarded from, and DREAM loan repayments shall be deposited
into, these revolving funds.
(2)In accordance with subdivision (d), participating institutions shall make DREAM loan repayment revenue available to offset state and institutional contributions to the DREAM loan program so that, as much as practicable, the respective annual costs to the state and to participating institutions shall be reduced equally.
(d)At the start of each academic year, before DREAM loans for that academic year are awarded, each participating institution shall contribute discretionary funds into its DREAM revolving fund so that the sum of the institution’s contribution of funds and the institution’s share of DREAM loan repayments equals or exceeds 50 percent of all funds in the institution’s DREAM revolving fund for each year of an institution’s participation.
(e)A participating institution
shall not receive any additional state funds if the receipt of these funds would reduce the percentage of the DREAM revolving fund derived from the sum of the institution’s contribution of funds and DREAM loan repayments to less than the specified percentage of all funds in the institution’s DREAM revolving fund as described in subdivision (d).
(f)(1) In the event that an institution terminates its participation in the DREAM Program, the institution shall continue to service DREAM loans, collect DREAM loan repayments, and perform all due diligence required by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq.) until the last students at that institution issued loans under the DREAM Program before the institution terminated its participation have repaid their loans.
(2)An institution described in paragraph (1) that terminates its
participation in the DREAM Program shall annually repay all funds provided by the state as the institution collects DREAM loan repayments.
(g)(1) The California State University and the University of California shall annually report to the Legislature as part of their respective annual financial aid reports the dollar amount of each DREAM loan awarded and number of students for whom a DREAM loan was awarded that academic year.
(2)Each institution, including an institution described in subdivision (f), shall annually report all of the following:
(A)The total amount of funding in the institution’s DREAM revolving fund.
(B)The annual amount contributed by the state to the institution’s DREAM revolving fund.
(C)The annual amount contributed by the institution to the institution’s DREAM revolving fund.
(D)The annual administrative costs of the DREAM Program at the institution.
(E)The annual amount contributed by DREAM loan repayments to the institution’s DREAM revolving fund.
(F)The annual amount of DREAM loans issued by campus.
(G)The annual amount of remaining DREAM loan debt owed by borrowers.
(H)The number of borrowers in DREAM loan income-driven repayment, deferment, discharge, forbearance, and loan forgiveness at the end of each fiscal year.
(I)Borrower
demographic information, which shall include, but is not limited to, age, gender, race, ethnicity, completed education level, and family education level.
Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 622, Sec. 2. (SB 633) Effective January 1, 2024.
(a)It is the intent of the Legislature to establish the DREAM grant program.
(b)Commencing with the 2024–25 academic year, a grant-eligible student attending a participating institution may receive a DREAM grant pursuant to this section.
(c)Each participating institution may award DREAM grants to grant-eligible students if that institution has unawarded funds in the institution’s DREAM revolving fund that were new state, institutional matching, or loan repayment funds deposited during the previous academic year pursuant to Section 70035.
(d)DREAM grants shall be provided during the academic year immediately
following the academic year in which there was an unawarded DREAM revolving fund balance.
(e)In a given academic year, a DREAM grant shall not exceed a student’s financial need.
(f)The amount of a DREAM grant offered to an individual student by a participating institution shall be determined by the institution. Priority shall be given to DREAM grants for instructional programs.
(g)A DREAM grant awarded pursuant to this section shall not count
towards the annual and aggregate borrowing limits described in subdivision (a) of Section 70034.
Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 622, Sec. 3. (SB 633) Effective January 1, 2024.
Each participating institution is responsible for all the following:
(a)The participating institution shall determine a student’s eligibility for a DREAM loan.
(b)The participating institution shall award DREAM loan funds to students.
(c)The participating institution shall provide entrance and exit loan counseling to borrowers that is generally comparable to that required by federal student loan programs. Exit loan counseling shall include, but is not limited to, information about DREAM loan repayment, including repayment options, forbearance, deferment, discharge, and forgiveness.
(d)The
participating institution shall service DREAM loans, collect DREAM loan repayments, and perform all of the due diligence required by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq.).
(e)The participating institution shall establish mechanisms for recording the annual amount of the DREAM loan borrowed by each recipient, and the aggregate amount of DREAM loans borrowed by each recipient, in order to comply with the annual and aggregate borrowing limits set forth in Section 70034.
(f)The participating institution shall post information about the DREAM loan on the institution’s internet website. That information shall include, but is not limited to, DREAM loan eligibility requirements, DREAM loan interest rates for the past five years, how to apply for and accept a DREAM loan, and information about DREAM loan repayment, including repayment options, forbearance,
deferment, discharge, and forgiveness. The participating institution shall update its internet website to include information about administrative relief granted to borrowers.
(g)The participating institution shall award DREAM grants to grant-eligible students.
Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 71. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.
(a)The Trustees of the California State University and the Regents of the University of California shall adopt regulations providing for the withholding of institutional services from a student or former student who has been notified in writing at the student’s or former student’s last known address that he or she is in default on a loan or loans under the DREAM Program.
(b)The regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall provide that the services withheld may be provided during a period when the facts are in dispute or when the student or former student demonstrates to either the Trustees of the California State University or the Regents of the University of California, as applicable, that reasonable progress has been made to repay the loan or that there
exists a reasonable justification for the delay as determined by the institution. The regulations shall specify the services to be withheld from the student, which may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1)The provision of grades.
(2)The provision of transcripts.
(3)The provision of diplomas.
(c)“Default,” for purposes of this section, means the failure of a borrower to make an installment payment when due, or to meet other terms of the promissory note if the institution holding the loan finds it reasonable to conclude that the borrower no longer intends to honor the obligation to repay, provided that this failure persists for 180 days for a loan repayable in monthly installments, or 240 days for a loan repayable in less frequent
installments.
(d)This section does not impose any requirement upon the University of California unless the Regents of the University of California, by resolution, makes this section applicable.
Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 754, Sec. 3. (SB 1210) Effective January 1, 2015.
(a)Each participating institution is entitled to an administrative cost allowance for an award year if the institution elects to advance funds under the DREAM Program to students for that award year.
(b)The amount of the administrative cost allowance described in subdivision (a) shall equal 5 percent of the institution’s total amount of DREAM loan funds awarded to students for the award year that the participating institution advances funds to students under the DREAM Program.
(c)Each participating institution may charge its administrative cost allowance to its DREAM revolving fund.
(d)Each participating institution shall use its administrative cost allowance to offset the cost of administering the DREAM Program.
(e)Each participating institution is responsible for administrative costs that exceed its administrative cost allowance.
Added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 754, Sec. 3. (SB 1210) Effective January 1, 2015.
If a state court finds that Section 70033, or any similar provision adopted by the Regents of the University of California, is unlawful, the court may order, as equitable relief, that the participating institution subject to the lawsuit terminate all loans awarded pursuant to that statute or provision deemed unlawful by a state court, but no money damages, loans, or other retroactive relief, may be awarded. In an action in which a state court finds that Section 70033 or any similar provision adopted by the Regents of the University of California, is unlawful, the California State University and the University of California shall be immune from the imposition of any award of money damages, loans, or other retroactive
relief.