The U.S. Department of Education has approved California Community Colleges’ application to make Title IV financial aid available to students who don’t have high school diplomas.
Title IV refers to federal grants to attend approved programs.
California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation with 116 colleges and 2 million students, applied to participate in the Ability to Benefit (ATB) program in June.
The approval means that 4 million Californians without a high school diploma now qualify to access federal financial aid and attend college courses.
Students will need to access colleges through an ATB process, and will have access to counseling and academic support, including math and writing workshops, tutoring services, accessibility services, and more….