How does earning a scholarship impact my financial aid?
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 (COA), 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 COA 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.
I have a stipend. When will I receive my payments?
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.
Can I donate to a scholarship or create a scholarship?
To create a scholarship at Cal State Fullerton or contribute to an existing scholarship, please contact College and Program Development.
I am an employee at Disneyland. How do I know if I am receiving Disney Aspire?
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.
How will the Middle Class Scholarship be affected if I receive a scholarship?
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.