Disbursement and Refunds

Disbursement dates are determined by federal regulations and Cal State LA policies. Disbursements are applied to all charges before a refund is issued. Refunds are issued by One Stop Financial Services based on a student’s enrolled refund method. 

• Mailed refund checks should arrive within 7-10 business days (Monday - Friday) after check is generated.
• Direct Deposit refunds are deposited into a U.S. bank account within 3 to 5 business days from the Anticipated Financial Aid Refund date. 

Please see One-Stop Financial Services and click 'Direct Deposit' to sign up.

How will my refund be sent to me?

Financial aid refunds will be mailed to you in the form of a check unless you enroll in Direct Deposit.

How can I request my refund be issued directly to my bank account?

Students with a domestic(U.S.) bank account can enroll in Direct Deposit to receive refunds directly to their bank account. Information on how to enroll in Direct Deposit is available at Direct Deposit. 

My refund hasn't arrived yet - where is it?

After a Direct Deposit refund has been issued, the funds should arrive within 1-2 business days.  If a student does not have Direct Deposit set up, they can expect to receive their refund via paper check within 7-10 business days for domestic addresses.

If your refund check has not arrived in the expected time frame, you should first verify when your refund was issued. You may do this by reviewing your mailing address in GET. 

For refunds that have been issued and did not arrive in the expected time frame, contact One Stop Financial Services.  

I don't understand the charges on my account. How can I get more information?

Please review your account activity and contact One Stop Financial Services for assistance.

About Paper Checks

The instructions here only apply to paper Financial Aid refund checks issued through One Stop Financial Services. Paper checks are mailed through U.S. Postal Service. 

Replacing a Lost Check

If a paper check was issued within the past six months and you have not received the check, complete a Stop Payment/Replacement Check Request Form. The form will be automatically submitted to One Stop Financial Services upon completion. 

If a check is not cashed within six months from the issue date, the check is considered stale-dated and will not be honored by a bank. 

Stale-dated refund Checks

On a regular basis, the Controller's Office will identify uncashed paper refund checks that are older than six months.  Financial Aid and Scholarships will cancel the payment and return excess funds back to the corresponding grant and/or loan program.