How much is this worth?

Systemwide tuition, which is roughly $1,300 a year at a community college, about $6,000 at a CSU and about $14,000 at a UC. Over a four-year degree at a UC it is the largest single benefit in the California corpus.

Does it cover housing and books?

No. It waives systemwide tuition and mandatory fees. Housing, books and campus-specific fees are still payable.

My parent is rated 60%. Is there anything?

Not under Plan A, which needs total disability. Plan B accepts any rating percentage and has no age limit, but tests your own income against $22,941 — so it depends on what you earn rather than on the rating.

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CalVet College Fee Waiver — Plan A (no income limit, age 14 to 26)

Waives all systemwide tuition at any California Community College, CSU or UC for the unmarried child of a totally disabled veteran, or one whose death was service-connected. No income test at all.

Verified August 18, 2026

What this benefit is

The CalVet College Fee Waiver removes all systemwide tuition at any California Community College, CSU or UC campus. Plan A is the route with no income test at all.

It is for the veteran’s CHILD, not the veteran. This is the largest California benefit that most veterans never realise applies to their family.

What it's worth: All systemwide tuition at a California Community College, CSU or UC

Systemwide tuition is roughly $1,300 a year at a community college, $6,000 at a CSU and $14,000 at a UC, so the value depends entirely on where you study.
It waives systemwide tuition and mandatory fees. It does not cover housing, books, or campus-specific fees.

Who is entitled to it

The unmarried child of a veteran who is totally service-connected disabled, or whose death was rated service-connected,
aged over 14 and under 27,
where the qualifying event happened before the child turned 21,
attending a California public institution as a California resident.

Exceptions

Plan A closes at 27. If you are past it, check Plan B — it has no age limit at all, though it does have a low income ceiling. Cal. Educ. Code §66025.3(a)

Plan A is for an unmarried child. Cal. Educ. Code §66025.3(a)

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

The thing most people get wrong

Plan A and Plan B pull in opposite directions, and families hear about only one

There are four plans and the two that matter are near-mirrors of each other. Plan A has NO income limit but requires the parent to be TOTALLY disabled and the child to be unmarried and under 27. Plan B has NO age limit and accepts ANY service-connected rating percentage, but caps the student’s income at $22,941. A family told about "the fee waiver" is usually told about whichever one the person in front of them knows, hears a disqualifying condition, and stops. If you were turned away on income, ask about Plan A. If you were turned away on age, ask about Plan B.

How to claim it

Deadline: Per academic year — reapply every year

1Take form DVS 40 to your County Veterans Service Office — not to the college. Every California county has one by statute.
2Sign the Plan A election statement; you can only be paid under one plan at a time.
3Reapply every academic year.

Form: DVS 40
File with: Your County Veterans Service Office
Documents you will need: dd214 · proof of relationship ca · va rating letter ca · proof of residence
You must re-file every year: An award covers one academic year — summer, fall and spring. You must reapply each year.

Common mistakes that cost people this benefit

Hearing an income limit and giving up. That is Plan B. Plan A has none.
Applying at the college. The application goes to your County Veterans Service Office, and every California county has one by statute.
Missing the pre-21 rule. The event that created entitlement — the death, or the total disability rating — must have happened before the child turned 21, even though the child can claim up to 26.
Forgetting to reapply. An award covers one academic year.

Worth knowingThe qualifying event must have happened before the child turned 21 — that is, the date the veteran died of service-connected causes, or the date the VA rated them totally disabled. A rating that arrives when the child is 22 does not open Plan A for them, though Plan B may still be available.

Worth knowingNo income limit at all. Families who are told about the fee waiver and hear an income figure are usually being told about Plan B, and give up without ever hearing that Plan A exists.

Questions people ask

How much is this worth?: Systemwide tuition, which is roughly $1,300 a year at a community college, about $6,000 at a CSU and about $14,000 at a UC. Over a four-year degree at a UC it is the largest single benefit in the California corpus.
Does it cover housing and books?: No. It waives systemwide tuition and mandatory fees. Housing, books and campus-specific fees are still payable.
My parent is rated 60%. Is there anything?: Not under Plan A, which needs total disability. Plan B accepts any rating percentage and has no age limit, but tests your own income against $22,941 — so it depends on what you earn rather than on the rating.

Sources

authority · statuteCal. Educ. Code §66025.3(a)
operating · published policyCalVet — College Fee Waiver

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.