Financial Aid Deadlines

Financial Aid Application

If you need financial aid to help pay for college, you must complete one of the following Financial Aid applications:

• If you (the student) are a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, you should file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
• If you are not a U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident but qualify for a non-resident tuition waiver under AB-540, you should file a California Dream Act Application

Financial Aid Documents

Every year, a percentage of students are selected for a process called Verification. If you are selected for Verification and/or are required to submit additional documents to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, we will send you an email communication with instructions.  Submit all requested documents to our office by the priority document deadline to ensure that your file is evaluated in time for you to receive financial aid. Failure to meet the document deadline deadline can impact your Financial Aid Award.  

Once you submit all requested documents, your documents will be reviewed for accuracy and will be processed by our staff. Typically, this process can take 2-4 weeks, but may take longer during our peak processing time. We encourage you to access your GET account regularly to verify if your documents were received and if additional information is required from you before your award can be determined. Additional information is available in our Forms page.

Residency Status for Financial Aid Purposes

Some students who are not classified as California residents for tuition purposes may qualify for the AB-540 non-resident tuition exemption. Interested eligible students should submit the AB-540 Affidavit (with supporting documents) to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. Please electronically upload the completed AB-540 packet via the Admissions Uploading Documents Website. To allow ample time for processing, we recommend that all students submit their AB-540 packet to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment by the Financial Aid Residency Document Deadlines stated below. 

General Scholarship Application

Cal State LA has over 400 scholarship opportunities to support your educational goals. You are eligible to apply if you are currently enrolled at Cal State LA and will continue to be enrolled, in a degree, credential, or certificate program in the 2024-2025 academic year. The General Scholarship Application opens on  March 11, 2024. Most scholarships require a letter of recommendation.  If you do not submit a letter of recommendation you will still be considered for scholarships but you will be considered for more scholarship opportunities with a letter of recommendation on file.