What Is the AB 19 California Promise Waiver? CCPG and AB 540

The AB 19 California College Promise waiver covers the $46-per-unit enrollment fee at participating California community colleges for first-time, full-time students, without any income test. It was created by Assembly Bill 19 and later extended to a second year by Assembly Bill 2. To receive it, you file a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, enroll in at least 12 units, and have no prior college degree or certificate.¹

What the Waiver Covers

AB 19 sends state funding to community college districts that meet participation requirements. Districts use that money to waive some or all enrollment fees for eligible first-time, full-time students.¹ At the current $46 per unit, a full-time student taking 12 units saves $552 in a semester. A student carrying 15 units saves $690.²

Districts can also spend Promise funds on grants for books, transportation, and childcare, and on academic and student support staffing.³ What each district chooses to offer beyond the fee waiver varies, so ask your college’s financial aid office what its Promise program actually funds.

Who Qualifies

The Promise waiver is not need-based. You do not have to show low income. But every one of the requirements below has to be met; missing one disqualifies you.

First-time college student. You have no prior postsecondary experience at any institution. Attending college for the first time in the prior summer term still counts as first-time, and entering with AP or other advanced-standing credits from high school does not disqualify you.³
Full-time enrollment. You must be enrolled in at least 12 semester units, or the equivalent, at the college.¹
FAFSA or Dream Act Application. You have to submit one of these even though the Promise itself is not need-based. The college uses it to check first whether you qualify for the need-based California College Promise Grant.³
No prior degree or certificate. If you have already earned any degree or certificate from a postsecondary institution, including one earned while dually enrolled in high school, you are not eligible.³

A few situations sit at the edges of these rules. Adult education courses you took before receiving a high school diploma do not count as prior college experience, so you are still considered first-time. ESL coursework only affects your status if you received college credit for it or completed other credit coursework alongside it. Foreign degrees may not disqualify you if they are not equivalent to an American postsecondary credential, but the college makes that call.³

The Second Year Under AB 2

AB 2 extended the Promise from a one-year benefit to a two-year benefit. If you received the waiver as a first-time student and stayed enrolled full-time through all primary terms of your first year, you can have your fees waived again in your second year using Promise funds.³ The two-year cap is a hard limit. Fees cannot be waived under this program beyond two academic years.

You can split your units across multiple California community colleges to hit the 12-unit threshold. Eight units at one college and four at another in the same term satisfies the full-time requirement.³

Districts have some room to work with students whose enrollment slips. A district may allow you to take a term off, or to appeal a non-completion, and continue in the program. That policy varies by district.³ If you think you might need to sit out a semester, talk to your financial aid office before doing so.

How the Promise Waiver Fits With the CCPG

The California College Promise Grant, or CCPG, is a separate need-based program that also waives enrollment fees. It was formerly called the BOG fee waiver. It has no first-time or full-time requirement and no two-year limit.³ The two programs share a name and cover the same fees, which is where students get confused.

Districts are instructed to use AB 19 Promise funds only for students who do not already qualify for the CCPG.³ That is why every Promise applicant has to submit a FAFSA or Dream Act Application. The college checks CCPG eligibility first. If you qualify for the CCPG, your fees are waived through that program, and Promise funds may still support you in other ways such as book grants. If you do not qualify for the CCPG, the Promise waiver covers your fees, provided you meet the first-time and full-time requirements.

The practical result for a first-time, full-time student is that enrollment fees are covered either way. The CCPG catches students with financial need. The Promise catches the rest. Receiving the waiver from either program does not reduce your eligibility for the Pell Grant or other financial aid.

How to Apply

There is no separate Promise application. You start by submitting a FAFSA, or, if you are an undocumented student eligible under AB 540, the California Dream Act Application.³ The financial aid office at your college takes it from there, determining which program pays your fees. You do not choose between the two.

Some colleges add local steps as part of their broader Promise participation, such as attending orientation or building an educational plan with a counselor. Check your college’s financial aid page for those deadlines and requirements.

AB 540 Students

Students who are not California residents for tuition purposes, including many undocumented students, can still qualify for the Promise waiver if they meet the requirements of the AB 540 nonresident tuition exemption. AB 540 exempts you from nonresident tuition if all of the following apply:⁴

You attended some combination of California high school, adult school, and California community college for the equivalent of three or more years.
You graduated from a California high school, passed the GED or California High School Proficiency Exam, completed an associate degree from a California community college, or completed the minimum transfer requirements for CSU or UC.
You are registered or currently enrolled at an accredited California institution of higher education.
If you are a noncitizen without current immigration status, you file a statement with the college that you have applied, or will apply as soon as eligible, to legalize that status.

Students on most nonimmigrant visas, such as F or B visas, are generally not eligible for AB 540. Students granted T or U visa status as victims of trafficking or other serious crimes are an exception.⁴ AB 540 students file the California Dream Act Application instead of the FAFSA to have their Promise eligibility evaluated.

1
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. California Code 76396 – California College Promise
2
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Community College Promise Grant and Financial Aid Manual
3
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. California College Promise Questions and Answers
4
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. AB 540 California Nonresident Tuition Exemption