CA AB2572

Establishes the Adult Learners Grant Program administered by the Student Aid Commission, requiring annual legislative appropriation, to provide grants to California residents age 25+ enrolled solely in distance education courses at qualifying institutions pursuing degrees or credentials in high-demand fields.

Limits grant eligibility to applicants with incomes below the living wage threshold for their county or metropolitan area, with prioritization for Pell Grant-eligible students, single parents, former foster youth, rural students, first-generation college students, and those in employer-demanded fields.

Defines qualifying institutions as California public postsecondary institutions or nonprofit private institutions that are regionally accredited, participate in federal Pell Grants and at least two other federal student aid programs, maintain a federal student loan cohort default rate below 10 percent, and are approved or exempt from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.

Requires participating institutions to annually report demographic data, program completion rates, graduate employment rates, and wage data for grant recipients to the Student Aid Commission.

Extends oversight requirements to out-of-state institutions without physical California presence that participate in the program, requiring them to comply with state and federal laws and permitting them to contract with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education to handle California resident complaints.