California Law AB 2251 Mandates Clear College Aid Appeal Rules by 2027

California colleges and universities must overhaul their financial aid websites by fall 2027 under Assembly Bill 2251, a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2026 that requires campuses to clearly display how students can request a cost-of-attendance adjustment and how each institution calculates its estimated student budgets, according to a CalMatters report by Mariam Farag and Max Guerra published in the Mountain View Voice.

Closing the Information Gap on Cost-of-Attendance Appeals

Authored by Democratic Assemblymembers Celeste Rodriguez of the San Fernando Valley and Marc Berman of Menlo Park and sponsored by John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), AB 2251 addresses widespread transparency gaps across California's 3 public higher education systems:

• Underestimated Budgets & Missing Breakdowns: A 2024 JBAY study found that more than half of California colleges use cost-of-attendance estimates lower than what students actually pay—with some underestimating annual expenses by over $10,000—capping the total grants, scholarships, and loans a student may accept. A March 2026 JBAY report led by education director Jessica Petrass found that 83% of public campuses do not publish expense category breakdowns (such as housing and transportation), and only 17% of UC campuses, 26% of Cal State campuses, and 22% of community colleges disclose the data sources behind their estimates.
• Student Experiences & Cal Grant Projections: Junely Merwin, now a consultant for The Foster Youth Pre-College Collective who attended Cal State Fullerton on a full-ride scholarship in 2015, recounted having to navigate multiple staff members to adjust her budget for child care, while UC Santa Cruz first-generation student Jackie Cordero described struggling to document family income changes after her father was injured. Laura Szabo-Kubitz of The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) praised the law, and the California Student Aid Commission estimates the state may spend $805,000 to $2.3 million more annually on Cal Grant awards assuming a 3% to 5% increase in approved adjustments.