Financial Aid General Info

All students who may need financial assistance for college are encouraged to apply for aid. Even those who think they may not be eligible may be surprised. So be sure to apply.

To apply for federal, state and college financial aid programs, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For the Cal Grant program you must submit a verified Cal Grant GPA by March 2nd. Some colleges may also request additional documents such as tax returns to complete your financial aid file, so you should respond quickly to all requests made by a campus financial aid office.

Sources and types of financial aid
About two-thirds of all student financial aid comes from the federal government and is based solely upon financial need, not grades or class rank. Other aid programs are funded by the state, institutions, and private organizations. Financial aid comes in several forms, including:

The Board of Governors Fee Waiver (BOGFW) Program waives enrollment fees for qualified students for the entire school year. Students may receive a waiver for any number of units, with no minimum. You qualify if you have some financial need, receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (AFDC/TANF), Supplemental Security Income/SSP or General Assistance and those who meet certain income standards.

Grants are a form of financial aid that doesn’t have to be paid back (unless you withdraw from school and owe a refund by agreement). Federal grant programs include Pell Grants, awarded to low-income students and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants for low-income students with exceptional financial need. Cal Grants are funded by the State of California and are administered by the California Student Aid Commission. There are several different types of Cal Grants. To learn about them, visit www.calgrants.org.

Scholarships are a form of aid that is based upon specific qualifications, talents, or merit, often without regard to financial need. Hundreds of thousands of scholarships and fellowships from several thousand public and private sponsors are awarded each year in the United States. See our “helpful links” page for free scholarship search sites on the web.

Work-study programs allow you to earn money to pay for your education through part-time jobs.

Loans for financing your education are available from a variety of programs, including:

• Subsidized Stafford Loans – available to students who meet financial requirements and are attending school at least part time. With these loans, the government pays the interest from the time you get the loan money until up to six months after you leave school.
• Unsubsidized Stafford Loans are available to any student regardless of financial need, but the student pays the interest while in school, and after leaving college.
• PLUS Loans – are available to the parents of students attending college.
• Perkins Loans – are administered by colleges and are for students with exceptional financial need.

Eligibility
Your financial aid eligibility will depend upon various factors. These include your parents’ income and assets, the number of people your parents support, and the number of children in your family who are attending college. Even if you aren’t eligible for grants, there are other kinds of aid available, including loan programs.

Your eligibility also depends on some additional factors. First, there are basic requirements that do not relate to your financial need. To be eligible for most financial aid you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen [see the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for more detail].
• Be registered with Selective Service (if required).
• Be working toward a degree, certificate or eligible goal (such as transfer).
• Not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal educational loan.
• Be a high school graduate or have the equivalent of a high school diploma (like a GED), or take a special test to show you have the ability to benefit from college education.
• Not have been convicted of drug possession or sales in the recent past (see the FAFSA for more detail).

Second, your family income, assets, and other financial factors are reviewed to see if you could be financially eligible to receive aid. Your eligibility relates to the cost of the college you attend. In other words, you’re likely to be eligible for more money if you’re attending an expensive college than if you’re attending a lower-cost institution.

Third, the aid you may be offered depends on when you apply, when you respond to requests from the Financial Aid Office, and any types of special eligibility you may demonstrate.

Finally, to continue receiving your financial aid, you have to make progress towards your educational objectives while you are in college.

Your college financial aid office can explain eligibility to you in more detail and answer any specific questions you may have.