Financial Aid Fee Deferment

What is a Financial Aid Fee Deferment?

A Financial Aid Fee Deferment permits eligible students to postpone payment of class registration fees.  Deferments are issued based on the expectation that tuition and mandatory fees will be paid by financial aid.  This deferment protects your classes from enrollment cancellation and defers the required payment of tuition and mandatory fees until the student’s financial aid disbursement is received at CSULB.

The financial aid fee deferment does not automatically pay your fees; it only delays the payment.

Fee Deferments are only temporary credits and do not relieve you of the obligation to pay. Deferments made in anticipation of financial aid are not promises of aid; if you do not complete the financial aid process, or are found to be ineligible for financial aid, your fee deferment will be cancelled. If this happens you will be responsible for paying the full account balance by the payment deadline.

How do I qualify for a Financial Aid Fee Deferment?

You will qualify for a Financial Aid Fee Deferment if you meet the following criteria:

• You are currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student at CSULB (Undergraduate, Graduate, or Teaching Credential).
• You have filed a 2013-14 financial aid application by the CSULB Priority Filing deadline of March 2, 2013 (FAFSA for students eligible for Federal Student Aid; California Dream Act Application for students who meet the AB540 criteria, and who are not eligible for Federal Student Aid).
• Your most recent financial aid application (SAR) must have a valid EFC (or status of “Official”). If you receive a SAR with a status of “Rejected”, noted items must be corrected before you will be considered for a fee deferment.
• The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on your most recent SAR meets the eligibility criteria for need-based grants OR you borrowed a Federal Stafford Subsidized, Unsubsidized or PLUS Loan for 2012-13 Academic year.
• Any existing student loans are in “good standing” and you do not owe a repayment of financial aid to the Department of Education.
• You have no drug convictions that will prevent you from receiving financial aid.

PLEASE NOTE: Applying late for financial aid may jeopardize eligibility for a fee deferment.

CSULB’s Office of Financial Aid reviews student eligibility on a continuing basis. If you qualify, a fee deferment will be automatically placed on your account. It is your responsibility to ensure you complete all necessary steps and/or meet any deadlines required to maintain your eligibility for the fee deferment. Failure to do so will result in the expiration of your fee deferment, and payment of your registration fee will be required by the payment due date.

How do I maintain eligibility for the Fee Deferment?

Fee Deferments are only temporary credits and are made in anticipation of financial aid. If you are issued a fee deferment but subsequently fail to meet the criteria listed below, your fee deferment will expire; you will be responsible for paying your own fees and meeting the fee payment deadlines in effect at that time.

To maintain your eligibility for the Fee Deferment you must:

• Submit all requested financial aid documents to our office no later than July 17, 2013. Documents must be received in our office by July 17, 2013 – not postmarked. Be sure to check your To Do List on MyCSULB on a frequent basis to ensure you have no outstanding documents.
• Meet CSULB Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards
• If you do not meet CSULB’s SAP standards, and are SAP disqualified, your appeal must be received in our office (not postmarked) no later than four weeks after your SAP Status notification was emailed to you.
• If you have completed your financial aid file and receive a Financial Aid offer by July 10th, you must accept your offer by July 17, 2013.

If you do not meet the above criteria, your fee deferment will expire and you will be responsible for paying all of your tuition and mandatory fees and meeting the fee payment deadlines in effect at that time. Failure to meet the payment deadlines will subject you to disenrollment from classes.

What happens if I miss a Document Submission Deadline of July 17, 2013?

If you fail to meet the document deadline of July 17, 2013, your fee deferment will expire and you will be responsible for paying your fees by the fee payment deadline (August 14, 2013). If you turn in your documents at a later date (after July 17, 2013), you will still be considered for financial aid; however you will not be eligible for the fee deferment for the Fall semester, and will need to pay your registration fees by the fee payment deadline. Disbursement of any financial aid will result in a refund.

Do I get a Fee Deferment for the Spring Semester?

No. Fee Deferments are assigned only for the Fall semester. For the Spring semester, your accepted financial aid awards are considered to be anticipated aid – and will postpone the payment of your Spring fees until the aid disburses.

What are the conditions of a Fee Deferment?

Students utilizing a fee deferment to postpone payment of registration tuition and mandatory fees agree to the following conditions:

• To have university tuition and fees paid out of their financial aid awards.
• To complete their financial aid file prior to the document submission deadline (July 17, 2013 for Fall 2013 semester).
• To be responsible for paying any balance due for tuition and fees by CSULB payment due date of August 14, 2013 if they do not submit all requested documents by July 17 or if they fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Acknowledge that they will be subject to disenrollment from classes if fees and tuition are not paid in full by August 14, 2013.

Timeline/Important Dates

Date	Event
March 2, 2013	CSULB FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline
March 30, 2013	Financial Aid begins issuing Financial Aid Fee Deferments for Fall 2013 (eligible students notified via email)
April 2013	Registration for Fall 2013 begins
June 15, 2013	Spring Grades posted
June 18, 2013	Students reviewed for Satisfactory Academic Progress (only students whose FAFSA has been filed can be reviewed for SAP)
July 17, 2013	Deadline to submit any missing documents to complete Financial Aid file. Documents must be received in-office by this date – not postmarked. Fee deferment will be cancelled if documents are not received
August 14, 2013	Fall 2013 Fee payment Deadline
August 16, 2013	Financial Aid 1st disbursement to CSULB (funds will be credited towards tuition and mandatory fees on this date – not issued as refunds)
August 21, 2013	First refunds for Fall 2013 issued via eRefund
August 26, 2013	First day of classes for Fall 2013.