Keeping Your Aid - Newly Admitted
The awarding and release of financial aid (federal, state and institutional) is contingent on you maintaining eligibility to receive financial aid funds. Maintaining eligibility includes demonstrating academic progress; meeting enrollment criteria; understanding how repeated coursework affects you; and much more.
You can make sure you stay eligible for financial aid by paying attention to a few things, including keeping on track toward graduation.
The decision about whether or not to drop a class is an academic issue; however, it is your responsibility to understand the financial implications of this decision. Dropping a class may impact your aid eligibility for the current and future semesters. Your aid will be recalculated at Census based on your verified enrollment; you may have to return some, or all, of your aid for the current semester – depending on your enrollment status. Review Undergraduate Aid Programs for details on how your enrollment will impact your specific awards
The impact on your aid eligibility depends on the time during the semester that you drop a class:
Period I: First two weeks (Fall and Spring)
- You will not receive a grade for a course you withdraw from during this time (the dropped course will not be recorded on your transcript)
- Financial Aid Awards may be adjusted based on specific enrollment requirements for each award.
- You are responsible for any charges resulting from an enrollment change and your aid eligibility
Period II: Third through fourth week/Census (Fall and Spring)
- You will receive a “W” grade for the course when you withdraw, which may impact your SAP Status
- Classes with a grade of W impact both the Pace of Progress and the Maximum Time Frame Standards for financial aid, as these courses are considered to be Attempted – but not Completed
- Financial Aid awardsmay be adjustedbased on specific enrollment requirements for each award.
- You are responsible for any charges resulting from an enrollment change and your aid eligibility
Period III: Fifth Week through the end of the semester (Fall and Spring)
- You will receive a “W” grade for the course when you withdraw, which may impact your SAP Status
- Classes with a grade of W impact both the Pace of Progress and the Maximum Time Frame Standards for financial aid, as these courses are considered to be Attempted – but not Completed
- Financial Aid awards that were already releasedwill not be adjusted
- New Financial Aid award amounts will be based on your enrollment at the time of awarding
The laws governing federal financial aid assume that a student must "earn" federal financial aid awards directly in proportion to the number of days of the term attended. In other words, you earn your financial aid as you attend class.
If you completely withdraw from all classes during a semester, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships must recalculate your aid eligibility based on the amount of aid you “earned” (according to the Return of Title IV Funds policy). If you received, or the school received on your behalf, more aid than was earned, the unearned funds must be returned to the federal programs, which may result in a balance due on your account.
Additionally, withdrawing from all classes can also affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress, which ultimately affects your aid eligibility. For more information, review our Understanding SAP page.
Impact on Financial Aid if you withdraw from all classes
- Your financial aid will be recalculated based on “earned” aid
- You will be notified by email with the results of the aid recalculation (within 30 days of withdrawing from CSULB)
- You will be required to return the portion of aid that was not earned
- If you have received a loan (for the current semester, or in previous semesters), your loans will enter into their 6-month grace period. If you have previously used the entire 6 month grace period – your loans will enter active repayment.
- All classes that receive a grade of “W” may negatively impact your SAP Status (both the Pace of Progress and the Maximum Time Frame Standards for financial aid), as these courses are considered to be Attempted – but not Completed
Federal and state regulations limit your eligibility for financial aid with regards to retaking or repeating coursework. You may only receive financial aid for one repetition of a previously passed course (grade of D or better). In addition, repeated courses will not count towards your actual enrollment for financial aid purposes. Make sure to review our Understanding Repeat Coursework and Aid Eligibility page.
Impact on Financial Aid
- You will be notified by email if you are registered for any courses that are considered to be not eligible for aid due to retaking / repeating the course
- Your enrollment for the semester will be verified at Census. If you are registered for any courses that are not eligible for aid due to retaking / repeating the course, your aid will be recalculated based on enrollment in aid eligible courses only
- The aid recalculation may result in an adjustment to your aid based on specific enrollment requirements for each award. Review Undergraduate Aid Programs for details on how your enrollment will impact your specific awards
- Each time you retake (repeat) a class, it counts as units attempted. This may negatively impact your SAP Status (both the Pace of Progress and the Maximum Time Frame Standards for financial aid), as these courses are considered to be Attempted – but not Completed
- You are responsible for any charges resulting from an enrollment recalculation (and your aid eligibility)
You must complete a new Financial Aid application each year!
Things change every year: New jobs, graduations, marriages, births, and more. One small change in your circumstances can have a big impact on your eligibility for financial aid. As a result, the financial aid application (FAFSA, or DREAM Application), determines your eligibility for only one academic year.
The financial aid application for the next academic year becomes available every October 1st – and the CSULB Priority Filing Deadline is March 2nd.
