Grants

Cal Grant is a tuition-specific state entitlement award funded by the California Student Aid Commission. You must have a GPA of at least 3.0, financial need, and be a resident of California.
 

The following are Cal Grant award types that PLNU participates in:

• Cal Grant A Entitlement

• Cal Grant A Transfer Entitlement

• Cal Grant A Competitive

• Cal Grant B Entitlement

• Cal Grant B Transfer Entitlement

• Cal Grant B Competitive

Students apply for Cal Grants by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a verified GPA on or before March 2.

Read more about the FAFSA.

Read more detail about the Cal Grant.

California Dream Act

The California Dream Act of 2011 allows undocumented and documented students who meet the requirements to apply for and receive CA state financial aid.  

Who is Eligible?

• Students who have attended a CA high school for a minimum of three years
• Students who graduate from a CA high school or pass the CA High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) or get a General Equivalency Diploma (GED)
• Students who are enrolled at an accredited and qualified CA college or university
• Fill out an affidavit to legalize immigration status as soon as eligible

Students can apply online for a Cal Grant and other state aid using the CA Student Aid Commission's secure CA Dream Act Application at caldreamact.org. Apply for a Cal Grant by March 2.  

Your CA Dream Act application information is not shared with federal databases. Dream Act student and parent information is protected by the same privacy and information security laws and safeguards as all other Cal Grant Applicants.

Most of this information is extracted from the most current California Grant Manual (last published September 2004). For more information regarding California State aid and for income and asset ceilings, please visit the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) website at csac.ca.gov or calgrants.org. CSAC administers the Cal Grant and other financial aid programs. Each program has specific eligibility requirements, award amounts, and selection requirements. 

There are numerous federal- and state-funded grants you may qualify for based on financial need. Make sure to fill out your FAFSA to apply.

Here are just a few of the federal and state grants that are available:

Federal Grants

• Pell Grant: The federal Pell Grant assists undergraduate students who have high financial need. Award amounts are based on the student’s Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and enrollment status.
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG): SEOG is a “campus-based” award for undergraduate students receiving Pell Grants. Because funding is limited, not all eligible students will receive a SEOG award.

State Grants

• Chafee Grant: The California Chafee Grant program gives money to current or former foster youth to use for career and technical training, or college courses. The grant may be used to help with living expenses.

• Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents (LEPD) Grant: Grants are available for dependents and spouses of California law enforcement officers who were killed or totally disabled in the line of duty. Law Enforcement Personnel Dependents Grants are need-based and may be used to attend any California post-secondary school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Grants range from $100 to $11,259 a year, for up to four years.

• National Guard Education Assistance Award Program (CNG EAAP): The California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program is a state-funded program designed to provide an educational incentive to improve skills, competencies, and abilities for up to 1,000 service members who remain active in the National Guard, the State Military Reserve, or the Naval Militia.

Read more details about state and federal grants and learn how to apply.

PLNU offers grants to students based on several different criteria:

• Point Loma Forward Grant: The Point Loma Forward Grant (need grant) is awarded to students with financial need who meet all eligibility requirements. To be considered, students must file a FAFSA.

• Church Scholarship, Nazarene Grant-in-Aid, and District Grants: The Nazarene Matching Grant program is for Nazarene students from the Southwest Educational Region of the Church of the Nazarene (#9), which is comprised of the following districts: Anaheim, Arizona, Central California, Hawaii, Los Angeles, New Mexico, Northern California, Sacramento, Southern California, SW Latin American, and Western Latin American. The program consists of three awards: the Church Scholarship, the Nazarene Grant-in-Aid, and a District Grant.

• Associated Student Body (ASB) and Resident Assistants (RA): Students who serve as officers in ASB or as RAs are awarded stipends for their service that are treated as financial aid. Both ASB and RA awards are treated as need-based if the student’s financial aid package includes any form of federal or state need-based aid.

• Departmental Awards: Each year, various academic departments award a limited number of departmental scholarships to selected students. Students should contact their academic department for applications and deadlines. Students in their freshman year are not eligible for these awards.

Read more details about institutional grants and learn how to apply.

If you are a child of a pastor or missionary, you qualify for a tuition discount:

• Missionary Child Discount: The Missionary Child Discount provides a percentage discount on tuition charges for dependent children of Nazarene and non-Nazarene full-time missionaries. This includes U.S. citizens whose parents are assigned outside the U.S. as missionaries, educators, or General Board appointees, and foreign nationals whose parents are appointed as missionaries outside their home country or who are assigned by the General Board.

• Pastor’s Child Discount: The Pastor’s Child Discount provides a percentage discount on tuition charges for children of full-time career pastors (senior pastor, licensed or ordained pastoral position).

Read more details about tuition discounts to see if you qualify.