Awards may be missing from your financial aid package for reasons such as incomplete or inaccurate information on your FAFSA, failing Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress, or missing documentation. To resolve this, it is essential to consistently monitor both your Workday Inbox and your CCA email account for the most up-to-date information and any necessary actions.

Your financial aid awards may be in provisional status or are offered as estimated awards due to the following reasons:

1. You have not completed the required FAFSA verification or submitted requested documentation.
2. You failed Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress and do not have an approved SAP appeal.
3. You have not completed the PLUS loan application through Federal Student Aid required to utilize the offered Graduate PLUS Loan.
4. Estimated Cal Grant: You may be awarded an Estimated Cal Grant on your initial financial aid offer letter based on the California Student Aid Commission’s (CSAC) income and assets ceiling requirements (2024-25), which does NOT guarantee your Cal Grant eligibility. Please review WebGrants 4 Students for your eligibility and/or any incomplete requirements. [**If you become ineligible for Cal Grant based on GPA, verification or other requirements, deemed by CSAC, your financial aid package will be reduced accordingly, and you will receive a revised offer letter.]

Your dependency status is determined based on your answers to questions listed on FAFSA. If you believe you have a special circumstance or are unable to provide parental information, please contact our office for further assistance.

If your personal or financial circumstance has changed since you completed your FAFSA, please submit a financial aid request on Workday and allow 2-3 weeks for your request to be reviewed.

There are a few potential reasons you might still have an outstanding balance.

1. There are charges on your bill that are not typically included in your estimated Cost of Attendance, such as health insurance or miscellaneous fees.
2. Your actual CCA housing charge exceeds the estimated on-campus housing cost within the Cost of Attendance.
3. The deduction of loan origination fees, which are subtracted from the loan amount, resulting in a portion of the loan not being applied to your balance.
4. If you have accepted work-study, it utilizes a portion of the Cost of Attendance.

To increase your MAX PLUS loan to cover all charges, you may request an increase to your cost of attendance by completing the cost of attendance petition request in Workday.

You may consider the following options to help cover your balance:

1. Contact the Student Accounts Office to set up a payment plan
2. Apply for outside scholarships
3. Apply (or have a parent apply) for a PLUS loan
4. Apply for a private loan
5. Participate in work-study by looking for on-campus employment

Financial aid awards are typically disbursed no sooner than 10 days prior to the start of each semester, with disbursed financial aid initially covering charges on your student bill. To ensure the timely disbursement of your awards, it's essential to promptly address any outstanding requirements, such as submitting verification documents and completing loan requirements found in your Workday Inbox or responding to any emails from the Financial Aid Office.

A financial aid refund will occur if your finalized financial aid exceeds the institutional charges on your student bill. Once disbursed, financial aid refunds typically take 7-10 days to process by the Student Accounts Office.

For Undergraduate students, federal financial aid may be awarded for less than full-time enrollment. Institutional financial aid, including merit and need-based scholarships, can only be awarded to students enrolled in 12 units or more. If you elect to enroll in less than full-time units, you must have an approved Reduced Course Load by ISS, Access and Disability or Academic Advising for institutional aid to be awarded.

For Graduate students, students’ financial aid may be prorated based on the number of units applicable towards their degree.

No. Students may only receive financial aid for units applicable to their degree.

Loan repayment begins 6 months after you graduate or drop below ½ time enrollment. Your enrollment is reported to your loan servicers automatically, and they will reach out to you directly once you are nearing your first repayment date.

Please check out this page for the full glossary