Financial Aid and Scholarships is dedicated to assisting current and prospective students pursue their education at Cal State L.A by awarding scholarships, federal and state grants, and other aid to assist with educational costs. Financial Aid eligibility is determined by the information reported on your Financial Aid Application.
To be considered for Financial Aid, all students are required to meet the following:
- Be a US citizen or eligible noncitizen;
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular matriculated student in a degree objective or teaching credential program. Unclassified Post-Baccalaureate and Extension/Continuing education students are generally ineligible for financial aid.
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
- Not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a Federal Education Loan;
- Have financial need (except for Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans and Plus Loans);
- Be a California resident for state financial aid programs (SUG, EOP, Cal Grant A and B).
- Not exceed the allowable maximum units earned or attempted for all eligible programs
Unusual Enrollment History
The U.S. Department of Education has established regulations to prevent fraud and abuse in the Federal Pell Grant and Direct Federal Student Loan Program by identifying students with "unusual enrollment histories." Some students who have an unusual enrollment history have legitimate reasons for their enrollment at multiple institutions. However, such an enrollment history requires the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office to review your academic history in order to determine future financial aid eligibility. If selected by the Department of Education, this must be resolved before you will receive financial aid.
What is required from you:
- If you are selected for Unusual Enrollment, you are required to submit academic transcripts to Financial Aid and Scholarships for the schools you attended during the previous four (4) Academic Years. Transcripts must be submitted to our office by the Financial Aid Document Deadline. All documents can be uploaded directly via the document submission portal.
Determination:
- Once all transcripts have been reviewed, Financial Aid and Scholarships will verify whether or not academic credit was received at each institution during the relevant years. If approved, we will notify you via GET that you have satisfied this requirement and are eligible for Financial Aid. If after reviewing your transcripts we determine that you failed to receive academic credit at any institution, we will reach out to you via email and request supporting documentation. No aid will be disbursed until all required documentation has been received.