The California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant Program (DSIG) is gift aid awarded by the State of California and provides California Dream Act Applicant (CADAA) students with additional funds for performing a minimum number of community or volunteer service hours.

CADAA students with a Cal Grant B (or a Cal Grant A that met Cal Grant B eligibility) are eligible. The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) will award up to $4,500 per academic year ($1,500 per quarter) to eligible students. The grant will be available to the student for up to 12 quarters while they have an active Cal Grant A or B. Students must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress and complete any necessary verification for their Cal Grant award.

Eligible students must:

• Apply annually
• Attend a qualifying institution (UC Davis qualifies)
• Have sufficient unmet financial need
• Complete community or volunteer service hours within the eligible academic year
   

Students shall perform at least 100 hours per quarter of community or volunteer service. Students can volunteer with any of the organization(s) on the List of Service Organizations or with any organization not on the list if it meets the criteria for a qualifying service organization. 

Instructions and Application

For Section 2 of the application: please submit the application to UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships via Contact An Expert for staff to complete Section 2. Please allow 7-10 business days for us to return the application to you for completion and submission to CSAC.

For more information, review the DSIG FAQs. Click here for complete instructions and application: California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant Program

Institutional Work-Study is awarded, based on need, to AB540 students who are eligible to work. For AB540 students who are also undocumented, need is determined by the California Dream Act Application (CADAA). CADAA applicants must also hold a valid work authorization status in the United States to be eligible (e.g., certain individuals with pending asylum cases, Temporary Protected Status recipients, U Visa recipients, etc.).  

Because funding is limited, not all students with need receive a Work-Study offer. Work-Study allows a student to earn financial aid through employment. Instead of a financial aid payment, the student's Work-Study funding is paid in the form of a payroll check for time/hours worked. All job listings are available online at Handshake. For more information, visit Undergraduate Work-Study.

Loans are a form of financial aid that must be repaid. Educational loans have varying fees, interest rates, repayment terms, and/or borrower protections. The California DREAM Loan Program is provided to students who are Dream Act eligible by the State of California through the university. Students must have financial need and be attending a UC or CSU campus. This state loan program is funded by the state and the campus to provide eligible students with the opportunity to borrow to help pay for their education. Eligible students can borrow a maximum of $4,000 per year and a total maximum of $20,000 at one campus. The interest rate and loan terms match those of the federal subsidized loan each year.