(a) Commencing with the 2001–02 academic year, and each academic year thereafter, there shall be established the Competitive Cal Grant A and B award program for students who did not receive a Cal Grant A or B entitlement award pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), or Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436). Awards made under this section are not entitlements. The submission of an application by a student under this section shall not entitle that student to an award. The selection of students under this article shall be determined pursuant to subdivision (c) and other relevant criteria established by the commission.

(b) Commencing with the 2019–20 academic year, a total of 41,000 Cal Grant A and B awards shall be granted annually under this article on a competitive basis for applicants who meet the general eligibility criteria established in Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) and the priorities established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (c).

(1) Fifty percent of the awards referenced in this subdivision are available to all students, including California community college students, who meet the financial need and academic requirements established pursuant to this article. A student enrolling at a qualifying baccalaureate degree granting institution shall apply by the March 2 deadline. A California community college student is eligible to apply at the March 2 or the September 2 deadline.

(2) Fifty percent of the awards referenced in this subdivision are reserved for students who will be enrolled at a California community college. The commission shall establish a second application deadline of September 2 for community college students to apply for these awards effective with the fall term or semester of the 2001–02 academic year.

(3) If any awards are not distributed pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) upon initial allocation of the awards under this article, the commission shall make awards to as many eligible students as possible, beginning with the students with the lowest expected family contribution and highest academic merit, consistent with the criteria adopted by the commission pursuant to subdivision (c), as practicable without exceeding an annual cumulative total of 41,000 awards.

(c) (1) On or before February 1, 2001, acting pursuant to a public hearing process that is consistent with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the commission shall establish selection criteria for Cal Grant A and B awards under the competitive program that give special consideration to disadvantaged students, taking into consideration those financial, educational, cultural, language, home, community, environmental, and other conditions that hamper a student’s access to, and ability to persist in, postsecondary education programs.

(2) Additional consideration shall be given to both of the following:

(A) Students pursuing Cal Grant B awards who reestablish their grade point averages.

(B) Students who did not receive awards pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 69434), Article 3 (commencing with Section 69435), or Article 4 (commencing with Section 69436).

(d) All other students who meet the eligibility requirements pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) are eligible to compete for an award pursuant to this article.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 53, Sec. 11. (SB 77) Effective July 1, 2019.)