College and Career Center

The California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) works to ensure that all 6th-12th grade students in California have access to a systematic baseline of guidance and support as they plan, prepare, and pay for post-secondary education and training.

CCGI has two overarching objectives:

1. All high school seniors graduate with a thoughtful, well-informed, post-secondary plan.

2. Students' academic transcript, unique identifier, and college and career planning data follow them in a manner that reduces information gaps that hinder student success.

What is CaliforniaColleges.edu?

CaliforniaColleges.edu is an interactive website designed to help your child plan and prepare for college and career.

When signed in, your child can:

• Complete grade-level appropriate activities designed to guide him or her toward a college and career plan that matches his or her goals and interests.
• Find and favorite ( ) careers, colleges, and majors.
• Plan high school courses and monitor progress toward completion of “a-g” course requirements, as well as CSU and UC eligibility.
• Apply to colleges and track submissions.
• Launch the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA).
• Store resumes, college application essays, and other important documents.

When signed in, you can:

• View your child’s activity on CaliforniaColleges.edu and monitor your child’s progress.
• Learn valuable information to support your child through the career exploration, college and financial aid planning, and application processes.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that ALL students sign up for California Colleges (CCGI) student accounts!

ALL of our college applications are launched from this platform, including Cuesta College.

• Go to California Colleges
• Under the welcome message, click on High School Student
• Scroll down to where it asks you “Why Create an Account?” and click on Create an Account.
• Click Register Your Account
• In the first field, begin typing San Luis Coastal. A drop down will appear. Be sure to select San Luis Coastal Unified.
• In the next field, begin typing San Luis High School. A drop down menu will appear. Select San Luis Obispo High School.
• Under Student ID, enter your School ID/Lunch ID number.
• The last field is date of birth; MM/DD/YYYY
• On the next page, click Sign UP with Google, enter your SLCUSD Gmail Account, then click NEXT
• Enter your SCUSD password and click NEXT
• Use the Sign in with Google option when logging in in the future.

College, career, and financial aid planning can be complicated, and you probably have a lot of questions.

CaliforniaColleges.edu is here to help guide you and your child through the process.

To create your parent account:

• Go to CaliforniaColleges.
• Click the lock icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
• Click on Create an Account in the box titled Parents.
• Enter the required information, including your child’s name, date of birth, school district, school, and student ID number.
• For the student ID number, you can enter your child’s Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), which is located in your child’s transcript, or local ID. If you need help finding your child’s ID number, contact your child’s counselor.

If you or your child have questions about how to sign in to or use CaliforniaColleges.edu, contact your child’s counselor.

If you have questions about your child’s academic progress, which courses your child should take, or how to use the Academic Planner or CSU and UC Eligibility tools, talk to your child’s counselor.

FAFSA

California Dream Act

California Scholarship Federation

California Student Aid Commission

Please click HERE to access a slideshow choked full of information on preparing for scholarships, how to apply and what to expect in the process.

SLOHS Scholarship Info & List

SLO County Regional Scholarships

MALDEF

The Community Foundation

PG&E Stem Scholarships

Special Education Services Scholarships

FastWeb 

Scholarship Search Engines

QuestBridge

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

Scholarships are typically for graduating Seniors intending to enroll in 2 or 4 year colleges or universities. They can be based on merit, service, talent, leadership, athletics or any other characteristic. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You should never have to pay money to obtain a scholarship.

We encourage all seniors to apply for Financial Aid and scholarships. 

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES Please submit your Scholarship Claim form and First semester quarter or semester course registration with your name on it by mail or email to cmartin@slcusd.org.

Scholarship Claim Form

Scholarship Thank You Letter SAMPLE

Click here for resources in Resume writing and for tips on getting a good Letter of Recommendation

2026-2027 FAFSA Updates

2025 Annual Statewide Financial Aid Workshop