CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY NONRESIDENT TUITION EXEMPTION
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Students eligible for this exemption who are transferring to another California public college or university must submit a new request (and
documentation if required) to each college under consideration.
• Nonresident students meeting the criteria will be exempted from the payment of nonresident tuition, but they will not be classified as
California residents. They continue to be “nonresidents.”
• The California Dream Act extends Cal Grant A and B Entitlement awards, Cal Grant C awards, Chaffee grants, and institutional financial aid
to students that meet these criteria as well as the applicable criteria for eligibility for specific types of financial aid.
• AB540 does not provide federal student financial aid eligibility for undocumented students. These students remain ineligible for federal
financial aid.
• Undocumented students who are eligible for AB540 will remain ineligible for federal financial aid.
• Students who take adult school or community college courses while concurrently enrolled in a CSU to qualify for the AB540/SB68 exemption
will continue to be charged out of state tuition as nonresidents until the exemption requirements are fulfilled.
• Students who already earned a high school diploma or the equivalent from another state may not take courses to obtain a California high
school diploma or the equivalent in order to be granted the exemption.
DEADLINES
It is the responsibility of the students to verify all fee balances prior to the start of the term. Out-of-state tuition will be charged if the student did not
meet the residency or non-resident Tuition Exemption (AB540). If a student paid out-of-state tuition in previous terms, the CSU cannot grant retroactive
requests or change residency status as evidence of California residency was not provided to the campus by the stated deadlines.
Where to submit: Students will not be considered for this exemption unless the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request form is completed
and submitted along with supporting documents (i.e., official transcripts, proof of attendance at a California school) to the campus Admissions and
Records Office.
Current CSU Students: If you are a current student and are submitting the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request form for the first time, you
must submit the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request form with official transcripts from all institutions previously attended in California
by the last day of the term. Any documents received after the last day of the term will be processed for the following term. If a student has a break in
enrollment requiring an application for readmission or a student applies to a graduate program, you will need to resubmit a new AB 540 form at the
time of reapplication.
New Student Applicants: It is important to contact the campus Admissions Office to know when the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request
form (AB 540 form) with official transcripts can be submitted to the campus Admissions Office. All 23 CSU campuses will offer “conditional admission”
based on transcripts or work-in-progress. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit transcripts from all institutions previously attended in California. A
final transcript will be requested prior to enrollment.
If you think your status is an error, please contact the campus Admissions Office or refer to the California State University website, www.calstate.edu/
residency, for additional information.
FINANCIAL AID
California Dream Act (California Financial Aid for those Granted AB 540)
The California Dream Act allows certain students who have been granted the AB 540 Exemption to qualify for California financial aid. Students
wanting to be eligible for the California Dream Act must have a California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request Form on file and remain classified as
nonresidents. It is encouraged for students, particularly students with DACA or TPS, to review the eligibility requirements and seek financial aid advice
from the campus Financial Aid Office to learn more about the California Dream Act.
Contacting your Campus Financial Aid Office
It is encouraged for students to review the eligibility requirements and seek financial aid advice from the campus Financial Aid Office to learn more
about the California Dream Act or FAFSA.
2 | Revised: June 2022