Student Jackie Cordero in front of McHenry Library at UC Santa Cruz on Oct. 27, 2026. (Jessica Parga / CalMatters) Colleges and universities will soon have to make it easier for students to request more financial aid, as well as be more transparent about how they estimate the cost of attendance. A new law signed by…

A new California law will require colleges and universities to clearly inform students how to request additional financial aid if they believe their awarded amount is not enough. Institutions must also publish how they calculate their costs of attendance, which is used to determine how much financial aid students…

Los Angeles Pierce College(Delilah Brumer / EdSource) Isabella La Rocca has been waiting for her financial aid refund for more than a month. Santa Rosa Junior College’s financial aid office told the 21-year-old she could expect her disbursement via the BankMobile app by Sept. 16 — a date that came and went, she said.…