(a) The California State University and each community college district shall, and the University of California is requested to, with respect to each campus in their respective jurisdictions that administers a priority enrollment system, grant priority in that system for registration for enrollment to a foster youth, former foster youth, homeless youth, or former homeless youth.

(b) For purposes of this section:

Terms Used In California Education Code 66025.9

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.

(1) “Foster youth and former foster youth” means a person in California whose dependency was established or continued by a court of competent jurisdiction, including a tribal court, on or after the youth’s 13th birthday and who is no older than 25 years of age at the commencement of the academic year.

(2) “Homeless youth and former homeless youth” means a student under 25 years of age, who has been verified, in the case of a former homeless youth, at any time during the 24 months immediately preceding the receipt of the youth’s application for admission by a postsecondary educational institution that is a qualifying institution pursuant to Section 69432.7, as a homeless child or youth, as defined in subsection (2) of Section 725 of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2)), by at least one of the following:

(A) A homeless services provider, as that term is defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of § 103577 of the Health and Safety Code.

(B) The director of a federal TRIO program or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs program, or a designee of that director.

(C) A financial aid administrator for an institution of higher education.

(D) A homeless and foster student liaison designated pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 67003.5.

(E) For American Indian students, a representative of the student’s tribe or a representative of a tribal organization that is a homeless services provider.

(c) For purposes of this section, a student who is verified as a homeless youth as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) shall retain that status for a period of six years from the date of admission to the postsecondary educational institution.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 574, Sec. 1. (SB 512) Effective January 1, 2022.)

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