Maintaining Eligibility

Once you complete your financial aid applications and received aid to help you pay for your educational expenses, you will need to make sure you stay eligible throughout the academic year—and in subsequent years.

You’ll need to continue to meet:

  1. The basic eligibility criteria
  2. Make satisfactory academic progress
  3. Complete your financial aid the application -- FAFSA or Dream Act -- every year by the March 2nd as it is a priority deadline

Remember, the basic eligibility criteria that allowed you to get financial aid initially continues to apply throughout the time you’re receiving aid—not just when you first fill out the application and are awarded aid. Keep up to date on notifications from both the Office of Financial Aid as well as either the Department of Education or the California Student Aid Commission. 

Important Note: Please review each eligibility requirement for your understanding, as it is your responsibility to be knowledgeable about your requirements to maintain your financial aid. Throughout the website are the basic eligibility criteria for applying, awarding, disbursement and more.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY

You need to make satisfactory academic progress in order to continue receiving financial aid. In other words, you have to make good enough grades, and complete enough classes, to keep moving toward successfully completing your academic program. Visit Satisfactory Academic Progress    to learn more about how this works at CSUF.

REPEATED COURSEWORK POLICY

You may not be eligible to get aid if you are repeating a course that you already received financial aid for, visit Repeated Coursework  for more information. 

RETURN 2 TITLE IV POLICY- WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES

Withdrawing and/or dropping classes can impact your financial aid eligibility. Additionally, once you dropped some or all courses you may have to repay the university some or all of the funds you were awarded. 

UNIT CAPS POLICY

Federal regulations require that you complete your academic program within 150% of the standard time frame for your program. Click here to learn more about  Unit CapsOpens in new window .