AB 540 Mini Brochure (pdf)

On October 12, 2001, Governor Gray Davis signed into law Assembly Bill 540 that added a new section to the California Education Code. The law created a new exemption from the payment of nonresident tuition for certain nonresident students who have attended high school in California and received a high school diploma or its equivalent. 

There are certain requirements that must be met in order to qualify as an AB 540 student: 

1. Must have attended high school in California for three or more years;
2. Must have graduated from a California high school or passed the GED; and
3. Must file an affidavit with the college or university.

Your high school attendance in California does not need to be in consecutive years. For example, if you were a high school student in 9th and 10th grade in California, left the state of California for 11th grade, but returned to complete 12th grade, you DO QUALIFY as an AB 540 student. 

You can download and print the affidavit and bring it with other required paperwork. The affidavit is not shared with any other entities and is for internal GCC use only. Click here to download the form. 

AB 540 students cannot receive any form of financial aid. The status is only for paying in-state tuition fees and does not qualify students for any other financial aid. 

GCC has its own privately funded scholarships for AB 540 students and additional ways of supporting these students financially. Please go the Financial Assistance for AB 540 Students section of this website. 

You will find useful information on this website for both high school students as well as current college students.

Additionally, there are resources and services available for high schools and parents.

College and Financial Assistance Programs for AB 540 students (pdf)