Eligibility

General Eligibility Requirements for the Federal Financial Aid Program

To be eligible for federal financial aid the student must:

• be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the U.S. with a valid Social Security Number.
• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student who will be working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program.
• if male, be registered for the Selective Service.
• maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.
• not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal educational loan.
• demonstrate financial need except for the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan and the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS).

If students do not meet the above criteria for federal financial aid, there are alternative loan programs and scholarships for which they may qualify.

Citizenship Requirements

To be eligible for federal financial aid the student must be one of the following:

• a U. S. citizen.
• a U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain's Island).
• a U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551 or I-551C Alien Registration Receipt Card.

OR

The student must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) showing one of the following designations:

• "Refugee"
• "Asylum Granted"
• "Indefinite Parole" and/or "Humanitarian Parole"
• "Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending"
• "Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)

Students are NOT eligible for federal financial aid if they:

• have an Employment Authorization Card/Document (Form I-688A, I-688B, or I-766) or a Temporary Resident Card (Form I-688).
• Have an Approval Form I-797, "Application for Voluntary Departure Under the Family Unity Program."
• have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464).
• are in the U. S. on an F1 or F2 student visa only.
• are in the U.S. on a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only.
• have a G series visa (pertaining to international organizations).

Social Security Number Requirement

Students must have a valid Social Security Number to apply for and receive federal financial aid.

Please note: A student who is a resident of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau is not required to provide a Social Security Number when completing the FAFSA; he/she will receive a special identifying number in lieu of a Social Security Number. In order to apply for Federal Student Aid (Pell Grant, SEOG, or Work Study), a student from one of these regions will need to complete a paper version of the FAFSA and send it to the following address:

Calculating Financial Need

Once CSULB receives a FAFSA, we will review all of the information provided in the application to determine the student's eligibility.

The student must meet the General Eligibility Requirements. An estimated Cost of Attendance is constructed for the student based on living arrangements and average student expenses. The student's actual expenses may be more or less than these expenses.

All financial data reported is used to calculate an Expected Family Contribution. This calculation is based on a standard formula determined by the U.S. Congress. This formula calculates the amount the student is expected to contribute toward his/her educational expenses.

The Expected Family Contribution and any Other Resources such as funds from grants, scholarships, or veteran's benefits are then subtracted from the Cost of Attendance to determine the student's financial need, which is the maximum amount the student may receive in need-based financial aid funds.

After the student's financial need has been calculated, we assemble a package of financial aid funds that meet the student's financial need to the greatest extent possible. This package is known as the financial aid award and may consist of a combination of one or more of the four types of aid available:

• Grants
• Loans
• Scholarships
• Federal Work-Study

The student's award letter or MyCSULB will list the type and amount of all financial aid offered.

The creation of a student's award package depends not only on financial need but also on when the FAFSA was filed and when the student's file was completed with our office. If the student receives additional funding from other sources such as grants or scholarships, we are required to consider these other sources in determining an award.

If other sources of funding are not included in a student's award letter or MyCSULB, the student must notify us of the source and amount of each award. We will issue a revised award letter or electronic notice if an adjustment is needed based on new information about other sources of funding.