September 2026 marks CalKIDS‘ first-ever Scholarship Month! CalKIDS, or the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program, provides eligible students with scholarship accounts to help pay for higher education expenses.
Since its launch in 2022, CalKIDS has awarded $2.4 billion in scholarships to over 6 million California children. More than $1.9 billion has gone unclaimed, and some of it may already be set aside for you. There are two eligible groups:
- California public school students enrolled in grades 1 through 12 during the 2021-2022 academic year can claim up to $1500 in scholarship funds
- Additionally, all children born in California on or after July 1, 2022 can claim a CalKIDS Scholarship of up to $175
Scholarships are automatically created for eligible students. To check if you qualify, students can access the CalKIDS eligibility checker. To claim your CalKIDS scholarship, you will need your SSID (Statewide Student Identifier), date of birth, and school county. Funds can then be sent directly to a higher education institution once the student is enrolled and can be used until the student is 26.
We strongly encourage students seeking financial support for higher education to check their CalKIDS eligibility. For more information, visit the CalKIDS Contact Page.