Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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.

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.

How do I know if I'm protected from being disenrolled from my classes when I have a payment deadline approaching?

To determine if you have a payment protection hold (often referred to as a "Disenrollment Protection Hold") on your Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) student account, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your CSUF Student Portal: Access your student portal using your NetID and password.
2. Access Titan Online: Click on the "Titan Online" link within the portal.
3. Go to the Student Homepage: Select "Student Homepage" or "Student Center" within Titan Online.
4. Check the "Tasks" tile (or "Holds" section): Look for a section or tile labeled "Tasks" or "Holds" on your Student Homepage. The number of active holds will be displayed.
5. Review hold details: If there's a hold present, click on it to see the name of the hold, the department that placed it, and details on how to resolve it. 
   1. If it says "Disney Aspire" then you have been tagged as an Aspire student and CSUF will work with Guild to have your tuition and fees covered by Disney after the start of the term.
   2. If you have another protection hold that says "FA-Anticipated Aid" this means that you will be receiving enough financial aid to cover your balance, and you will still be protected from being dropped.

In the case of a "Disenrollment Protection Hold," this signifies that your confirmed Anticipated Aid is equal to or greater than the charges on your account, and your courses are protected from being dropped due to non-payment. If your Anticipated Aid doesn't cover the full balance, you'll need to pay the difference by the deadline to prevent disenrollment.

What is my "Anticipated Aid" and what does it signify? 

Your Anticipated Aid is the eligible financial aid that has been awarded to you and is expected to be disbursed. For your courses to be protected from disenrollment due to non-payment, Cal State Fullerton says your Anticipated Aid must be equal to or greater than your total charges.

When you might need to take action:

• Anticipated Aid is less than due charges: You will need to pay the difference by the payment deadline to ensure your courses are not dropped, according to CSUF Student Business Services.
• "Hold Pell Disb-Accepted" is on your account: This hold is placed while the Department of Education processes your Pell grant. If it lasts longer than 1-3 days, you may need to contact the Financial Aid office.

If you have any questions or concerns about a hold on your account, the fastest way to get a response from the Office of Financial Aid is by calling 657-278-3125.

What if I have an external scholarship and I am enrolled in fewer than 6 units?

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.

Where do I send my external scholarship check?

 Scholarship checks should be sent to the following address below.

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

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.

How do I submit a request for External Scholarship Needs Analysis or Financial Aid Eligibility Review?

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.

How does the financial aid process work with Study Abroad? 

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.

Please note: Financial Aid is typically not available during Summer and Winter Session.

How will my financial aid award change if I Study Abroad? 

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.

 

When will my financial aid pay out? Who will you send it to?  

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.

What if I need more money to pay for Study Abroad program costs?  

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. 

How long can I Study Abroad and continue to receive financial aid?  

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.

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.

My Guild Application was approved, when will I be tagged by CSUF to have my tuiton and fees covered?

• Students who have been approved by Guild between November 2 and May 1 will be tagged for the Fall semester if they are enrolled.
• Students who have been approved by Guild between May 2 and November 1 will be tagged for the Spring semester if they are enrolled. 

*Students must be enrolled in the correct, Disney-approved program.

**If you are accepted into your program within 8 weeks of the start of the term, please contact DisneyAspire@Fullerton.edu and ask if you can be tagged for the upcoming term.

***Approval of your Guild Application does not mean you have been accepted into the program at CSUF. If you're applying for admission, adhere to all deadlines. Please note that admission to the unniversity is a seperate process from approval by Guild. Please review the CSUF Admissions website.

I'm a part of the Disney Aspire Program, but I keep getting emails from SBS that say I need to make a payment. Will I be dropped from my classes and how can I confirm that I've been tagged as a Disney Aspire student?

If you have been tagged as a Disney Aspire student and accepted for the upcoming term at CSUF, you will see a "Disenrollment Protection Hold" in your student portal at least 3 days before the Titan A payment deadline. If you don't see this protection hold, and feel that you should be accepted as a Disney Aspire student for the upcoming term, contact DisneyAspire@fullerton.edu immediately or the Scholarships Office at (657) 278-3862

I have financial aid grants or scholarships, can I save these for other educational or living expenses since Disney Aspire will cover all my tuition and fees?

No. Unfortunately, Disney Aspire will only cover the remainder of tuition and fees  after  all other qualifying aid is applied first. This includes most merit and financial need-based awards, including scholarships, federal and state financial aid, State University Grant, etc. Non-qualifying aid that you may still receive in addition to Disney Aspire is loans, Federal Work Study, and Middle Class Scholarship.

Is Extended Education, Open Univeristy, or the Online Degree Completion Program in Business Administration, Humanitites & Social Sciencies, or Sociology covered by Disney Aspire?

No. Disney Aspire does not cover courses offered through Fullerton Extension and International Programs (EIP), including Open University. When you are applying through Cal State Apply, be sure that you are selecting a program in "Campus" and NOT "Extended Education". When registering for courses, be sure to confirm that the Course Career us listed as Undergraduation or Postbaccalaureate, NOT "Extended Education".

Please email acadvise@fullerton.edu or call (657) 278-3606 if you are having trouble determining whether a course or program is offered through CSUF EIP.

Will Disney Aspire cover tuition and fees for classes during Summer or Winter terms?

Disney Aspire will only cover courses taken during the Fall and Spring terms, Courses taken during Summer and Winter terms will not be eligble for Disney Aspire funding. Should you decide to enroll in a Summer or Winter term course, you will need to pay out of pocket.

I changed my major/program, will that impact my Disney Aspire benefits?

Most likely. Not all CSUF programs are approved for Disney Aspire benfits. If you move from an approved program to a non-approved program, you will lose your benefits. If you move from a non-approved program to an approved program, you may not be automatically added to the approved list. You will need to contact DisneyAspire@fullerton.edu and ask to be added.

*If you change your major/program within 6 weeks of the start of the term, you may not be able to be tagged for the upcoming term.