Frequently  Asked Questions

Every student's financial aid package is unique and may be impacted by additional grant funding. It is important to review your financial aid package again if you are the recipient of a scholarship.

In general, all financial aid is limited by two factors: your cost of attendance and your unmet need.

The cost of attendance, or budget, is the standard amount that it has been determined it costs a student to attend CSUF for nine months. This includes billed expenses, such as tuition and fees, and non-billed expenses, such as transportation and books and supplies. Aid cannot be awarded above this amount, since, theoretically, all educational expenses would be covered under the standard cost of attendance. There are exceptions that can be made on a case-by-case determination by our office. If you believe that you have significant educational expenses that are not being considered in the standard cost of attendance, you can submit a Cost of Attendance Appeal.

Unmet need is the difference between cost of attendance and what you are expected to be able to contribute to your education (your expected family contribution). Need-based programs, such as Federal Work-Study; Subsidized Loans; State University Grant; Cal Grant; and scholarships, all must fit into your unmet need. If you receive need-based funding that exceeds your unmet need, the new funding will likely replace loans and then State University Grant or Cal Grant.  

If you have specific questions about how a scholarship affects your financial aid, please reach out to us.

Stipends are usually paid in monthly installments. Stipends are normally disbursed in the beginning of the month. However, you may contact your program administrator or faculty PI to confirm the dates you expect to receive your stipend.

To create a scholarship at Cal State Fullerton or contribute to an existing scholarship, please contact College and Program Development.

Contact your Disney Aspire Coach to confirm if you are eligible and award amount. Please note that Disney Aspire is a last payer tuition and fee waiver, it will only cover the remainder of tuition and fees after any other Financial Aid or scholarships.

If you are a recipient of the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) and are also expecting to receive a scholarship, grant, or any other type of aid please expect that MCS may be reduced. MCS is designed to be the last payer

MCS 2.0 is subject to adjustments during the award year; any changes to the above MCS formula may result in an MCS award amount adjustment. Any additional financial aid offers received may result in reductions or loss of MCS eligibility, including but not limited to scholarships, state/federal grants, stipends, tuition/fee waivers, emergency and basic needs grants etc.

Per California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), a recalculation of the MCS will need to be done which may lead to a reduction of the MCS grant. It may take a few weeks to see the updated MCS reflected on your financial aid account.

We process external scholarship funding based on an assumption that you must be enrolled either half-time (6 units) or full-time (12 units). If you are enrolled in fewer than 6 units, your external scholarship funding will not be disbursed, even though your donor sent the funding to the University. If you know that you will be enrolled in fewer than 6 units, ask your donor to send along an authorization statement that you are still eligible for the scholarship even though you are enrolled less than half-time.

Please, contact Student Business Services at (657) 278-2495 to verify if they received your scholarship check. Make sure to have your donor make the checks payable to California State University, Fullerton, and include your name and student ID on the check's memo line. The donor should also note the term for which you or they would like the funds applied (Fall, Spring, or Fall/Spring) and any enrollment requirements (full-time, half-time).

Keep in mind that after the check has been sent it may take between 8 to 12 weeks to see the scholarship posted on your account. All funding begins disbursing ten days before the start of each semester; so even if your donor sends the check early, you might not see it apply to your account until just before the term. 

Once funds have been deposited and your enrollment confirmed, CSUF will post your scholarship on your student account.

If you need the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office to complete a needs analysis form or confirm eligibility for an external scholarship, you can submit the document to our office via the options below. We will complete processing within 5 to 7 business days from the date received.

In-Person: GH-178 (across Office of Financial Aid)
Email: Message Portal

Mailing Address:
California State University, Fullerton
Student Business Services, GH-180
ATTN: Cashiers
P.O. Box 6808
Fullerton, CA 92834-6808

Please confirm how you would like to receive a copy of the completed form (mail, email, or fax). Make sure student name, CWID, and signature have been entered before submitting.

The Study Abroad Coordinator collaborates with the Office of Financial Aid’s (OFA) Special Programs Counselor by sending a list of participants to the OFA along with estimates of the program costs. The Special Programs Counselor will review these costs, update students’ budgets with allowable educational expenses, and make any necessary adjustments to the student’s financial aid award. The student would be notified via campus email of any changes to their award.  Financial Aid is typically not available during Summer and Winter Session .

It depends. For a majority of students, their financial aid award  will  not change.   Examples of how your award may change are provided below:

• For students participating in a  Non-CSUF  study abroad program, only federal aid is applicable towards study abroad costs (ex., Federal Pell Grant & Federal Direct Loan, etc.).
• For students participating in a  Chancellor’s Office  – OR – a  CSUF  study abroad program, both state and federal aid is applicable towards study abroad costs (ex., State University Grant, Cal Grant, Federal Pell Grant, & Federal Direct Loan, etc.).

Please note : if your program costs are lower than the standard budget for attending CSUF during the semester, your financial aid eligibility and award may be reduced. In most cases, the program costs are higher than the standard budget and so your financial aid eligibility may   potentially increase. Increased financial aid eligibility typically allows for you to borrow more  loan funds . It does not usually increase your eligibility for grants.

Based on federal regulations, if your study abroad program starts  before CSUF’s semester start date, your disbursement date will remain the same as the first disbursement for CSUF. If your study abroad program starts  after  the CSUF semester start date, your disbursement date will be 10 days prior to the start of your program abroad

• If you are participating in a  Chancellor’s Office  – OR – a  CSUF  program, your funds will normally be applied toward your tuition and fees. If your financial aid award exceeds the amount of your tuition and fees, the remaining funds would be sent to you via direct deposit or paper check.

• If you are participating in a  Non-CSUF  program, your financial aid funds will be sent to you via direct deposit or paper check. Your program fees would not be deducted prior to disbursement, which means that you will be responsible for using the funds to pay for your program fees and educational expenses while abroad.

If your accepted financial aid award is not sufficient to cover your program and you are unable to pay out-of-pocket, you may consider borrowing outside alternative loans. You can apply for an alternative private loan through the lending institution/bank of your choice. If you are a dependent undergraduate, your parents may apply for a Federal PLUS loan on your behalf. If you are a graduate student, you may consider applying for a Federal Graduate PLUS loan. Learn more about, including how to apply for, a Parent PLUS or Grad PLUS Loan. 

There are limits to how many semesters you may use financial aid for study abroad purposes. If you anticipate studying abroad for an extended period (more than 1 year total), please contact The Office of Financial aid at (657)-278-3125 so your eligibility can be evaluated.