Financial Aid & Scholarship Office, CSU, Chico
Award Information
After you submit the FAFSA
The Office of Federal Student Aid will use the information on your FAFSA to make a determination of your eligibility to receive aid and forward your information to up to six colleges listed on the FAFSA and also to the California Student Aid Commission.
If you provide an e-mail address on your FAFSA, you will receive e-mail notification when your application has been processed and your student aid report (SAR) is available to review online.
If you do not provide an e-mail address, you will receive either a summary or an eight-page SAR by postal mail. If you do not receive your SAR within four weeks, you should contact the Office of Federal Student Aid directly at 800-433-3243.
The Student Aid Report contains your application responses, your expected family contribution, and instructions for completing the application process. Carefully review the instructions on the SAR and submit online corrections via FAFSA on the Web using your U.S. Department of Education PIN. If all information is correct, you may print a copy of the SAR for your records.
Receiving Notice of Your Award
The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office will receive your application information from the Office of Federal Student Aid. For new students, after we determine you have been accepted for admission, we will establish an estimated financial aid offer. Continuing students will receive an estimated financial aid offer after FAFSA information has been received. It is necessary to reapply for financial aid each year.
We will send you notification via e–mail as soon as your estimated financial aid offer is available to view online. Initial award notifications will be sent by mid-April to students who have completed the FAFSA and had the information sent to CSU, Chico. Complete instructions will be included for accessing your Student Center to view and accept your financial aid offer and prepare for receiving financial aid at CSU, Chico.
Next we will determine if any additional information is needed from you to confirm your eligibility for aid. If so, we will send you a request by e-mail.
Send us any requested documents by June 1 or within three weeks of receiving our request. This will allow you to avoid a delay in disbursement. When documents are received and scanned into your file, the request will be removed from your to do list.
We review your documents and award information and make corrections as needed to your estimated offer. This review may take several weeks. Initial award amounts are estimates. You will receive updated award notifications via e-mail if there is a change to your award. Access your portal account to view and accept your financial aid offer or revision.
Awards are subject to change
Your financial aid is estimated using your initial FAFSA information. Your award may be revised if any information was incorrectly reported. Other common reasons for award adjustment include changes in enrollment, residency status, or overawards due to receipt of aid from other sources. Student athletes receiving the athletic grant–in–aid are also subject to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulations governing the individual limit of countable aid, which includes both institutional and outside aid.
Your initial financial aid offer is based on full–time enrollment, which is 12 units per semester for undergraduates and teaching credential candidates, and eight units per semester for graduates.
You will receive updated award notifications via e-mail if there is a change to your award.