Students who are U.S. Citizen or have eligible permanent resident status should file the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA). This financial aid application is used to determine financial aid eligibility for all federal, state, and institutional aid and must be submitted/renewed for each academic year. In addition to the FAFSA, separate applications are required for Cal Grants, Scholarships and the Federal Direct Student Loan.
Students who are AB540 students should file the Dream Act Application.
In addition to the FAFSA, California residents and AB540 students may file the GPA Verification form for Cal Grant consideration. There are two different GPA Verification Forms. The forms can be found at: http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=1177
The priority deadline listed below applies to all awards.
2016-17 Academic Year: March 2, 2016
2017-18 Academic Year: March 2, 2017
Financial aid funds are limited in many programs, with funding going to the earliest eligible applicants. Therefore, deadlines should be observed. Students pursuing their bachelor's and master's degree or their teaching credential can receive financial aid as long as they continue to be eligible and do not exceed the allowable maximum units earned or attempted.
NEW for 2017-18: Students may now begin to submit their applications as of October 1, 2016. In past years, January 1st was the earliest day to submit the applications.
The FAFSA Application and FSA User ID:
To file your FAFSA, You will need to use your FSA User ID and password to complete your Renewal FAFSA on the web at https://fafsa.ed.gov/. It allows users to electronically access personal information on Federal Student Aid Web sites as well as electronically sign a FAFSA.
If you are a dependent student, your parents will also need a separate FSA Username and password to complete the FAFSA. If you do not have a FSA User ID and/or you have forgotten your password, you can retrieve it from the FAFSA login page. For more information about the FSA User ID, please visit: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid
FAFSA Filing Helping and Important Reminders:
Cal State LA Title IV Code is 001140. For Cal State LA students, list this first on your FAFSA.
NEW for 2017-18: Students will provide income information from an earlier tax year. For example, for the upcoming 2017-18 academic year, students (and parents, as appropriate) will report their 2015 income and tax information, rather than their 2016 income and tax information.
FAFSA Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid
DRT (Data Retrieval Tool). You may complete your FAFSA using this tool. This will ensure that the FAFSA income information you provide is accurate. For more information on the Data Retrieval Tool, visit: https://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/learn/fafsa.jsp#irs-drt
For FAFSA and more information on financial aid eligibility: How do I qualify for financial aid?
Read your email and check your “To Do List” on GET portal:
After you have filed your 2016-17 or 2017-18 FAFSA, you will get updates via email. Check on your financial aid application status through your GET (Golden Eagle Territory) account.
Verification Documentation:
If you are asked to provide additional information to the financial aid office, do so as quickly as possible. It may take up to 8 weeks to process your file. This time frame may vary and is based on the volume of documents the office receives. Files are reviewed only after all requested documents are received and processed on a first-in, first-out basis.
IRS (Internal Revenue Service) Assistance and Tax Transcripts:
For questions and assistance related to completing your federal tax return, visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov
2017-18 FAFSA Workshops:
The Financial Aid Office provides free workshops. For a complete schedule, please visit our webpage @ http://www.calstatela.edu/financialaid/ or click here: 2017-2018 FAFSA Workshop Schedule.
American Opportunity Tax (Hope) Credit Information: Federal Tax Credits