Financial Aid, Admissions &
Records
A Presentation of Practices & Procedures
November 4, 2014
Financial Aid Nuts and Bolts
By: Delores Lee & Adrienne Jones
Higher Education Act of 1965
 The Higher Education Act of 1965 (Pub. L. No. 89-329) (HEA) was
legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965 as
part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society domestic agenda.
 The Higher Education Act of 1965 was reauthorized in 1968, 1971,
1972, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2008. Current authorization
for the programs in the Higher Education Act expires at the end of
2013. Before each reauthorization, Congress amends additional
programs, changes the language and policies of existing programs,
or makes other changes.
Higher Education Act of 1965
 The law was intended “to strengthen the educational
resources of our colleges and universities and to provide
financial assistance for students in postsecondary and
higher education.” It increased federal money given to
universities, created scholarships, gave low-interest loans
for students, and established a National Teachers Corps.
The "financial assistance for students" is covered in Title
IV of the HEA.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Step 1: Complete an online Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA)
 Submit only one application.
 Apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at www.pin.ed.gov
to electronically sign the FAFSA (student and parent)
 List CSUDH’s institutional code: 001141 in the Federal School Code
field on the FAFSA so that we can receive the application
electronically
 Review the application carefully to make sure all answers are
completed and are accurate. If students or parents have questions or
are unsure on how to complete the application they may contact or
visit the Financial Aid Office for assistance.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Step 2: Notifications
 Step 2: Notifications
 The Federal Processor will notify students once their FAFSA has
been submitted and provide them with a Student Aid Report (SAR).
Student should review the SAR for accuracy and make the necessary
corrections immediately.
 CSUDH will send students an acknowledgement letter once we
receive their FAFSA
 If students completed a Cal Grant GPA Verification Form in addition
to their FAFSA by the March 2 deadline they will be notified by the
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) if there were selected to
receive a Cal Grant. They will be sent a California Aid Report (CAR)
and must follow the printed instructions.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Step 2: Notifications
 Students are randomly selected by the Federal Government
for a verification process. In this event our office will send
students an email notification and direct them to their
MyCSUDH Student Center to view their To Do List.
– Students selected for this process must submit documents
to verify information reported on their FAFSA.
– Students are notified through their campus email account
with a document submission deadline
– Typical documents requested
 Tax Transcript
 Proof of citizenship or residency status
 Verification Form
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Step 3: Financial Aid Award
 If students are eligible, they will receive an email
notification to check their financial aid award on
the Student Center at MyCSUDH
 Students will also receive a Financial Aid Award
Guide which contains pertinent information about
the different financial aid awards as well as
explains their rights and responsibilities as a
financial aid recipient.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Step 3: Financial Aid Award
 Students must accept or decline their financial
aid online on the Student Center at My.CSUDH
within 15 days to avoid cancellation of their
awards.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Top 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid
 Listing the incorrect social security number, name
or date of birth
 Incorrectly reporting income information
 Reporting incorrect marital status
 Leaving questions blank
 Missing parent’s and/or student’s signature
How to Apply for Financial Aid
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To be eligible for federal financial aid, students must:
Be a U.S. citizen of eligible non-citizen
Be registered with Selective Service (if required)
Be admitted to the University seeking a degree, certificate of
credential
Not owe a refund on a Federal grant or be in default on a Federal
educational loan
Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Be enrolled at least half time (6 units undergraduate/credential: 4
units master’s)
No be convicted of any illegal drug offense or be incarcerated
How to Apply for Financial Aid
 Students are not eligible for financial aid is he
or she:
 Holds an “F” or “J” visa
 Holds an I-688A, I688B or I-797 visa
 Is admitted to the University as unclassified
 Is enrolled through Open University
California Dream/AB540 Students
 The California Dream Act of 2011 allows students
who meet AB540 criteria to apply for and receive
certain state and institutional financial assistance
programs.
 What are the AB540 requirements?
 Attend a high school (public or private) in
California for three or more years.
California Dream/AB540 Students
 Graduate from a California high school or attained
the equivalent prior to the start of the term (for
example: passed the GED or California High
School Proficiency exam)
 File an AB540 Affidavit (California Non-Resident
Tuition Exemption Request form) which indicates
that the student has filed an application to legalize
their immigration status or will file an application
as soon as they are able to do so. The affidavit
must be submitted to the Admissions & Records
Office
California Dream/AB540 Students
 Students will not be able to complete the FAFSA
and will need to complete the online Dream
Application at https://dream.csac.ca.gov
 The Cal Grant GPA verification form is still
required, in addition to the Dream application, for
Cal Grant consideration
 Not all students who complete a Dream
application will be eligible for a financial aid
award
Types of Financial Aid
 Financial aid consists of federal, state and private funds intended to
assist students and their families pay for school related expenses
taken from the FAFSA or Dream application.
 Scholarships – free money based on merit.
 Applying for scholarships require different applications and may have
different deadlines and requirements.
 Read all scholarship applications carefully.
 Scholarship information is available on our website at:
www.csudh.edu/scholarships
 Grants – federal or state funds awarded based on need and do not
require repayment
Types of Financial Aid
 Federal Grants (using FAFSA)
– Federal Pell Grant (limited to up to 6 years of
full time enrollment)
– Federal Supplemental Educational
Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
– Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Types of Financial Aid
 State Grants (using FAFSA or CA Dream Application)
 Cal Grant (A &B) – students must submit the Cal
Grant GPA verification form
 Chafee Grant
 Middle Class Scholarship (MCS)
Types of Financial Aid
 Institutional Grants (using FAFSA or CA Dream Application)
 State University Grant (SUG) Undergraduate students cannot have
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accumulated more than 150 semester units;
Undergraduate transfer students cannot have accumulated more than 75
semester units at the CSU;
Credential students cannot accumulate more than 30 units. Please note:
Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Military credit and Prebaccalaureate credit and credit by examination will not count against the new
SUG limits.
Masters students cannot accumulate more than 125% of the required units
according to their published program length.
Students pursuing a certificate, second Bachelor’s, second Credential or second
Master’s degree are not SUG eligible; regardless of where they received their
previous degree(s).
Types of Financial Aid
 Institutional Grants (using FAFSA or CA Dream
Application)
 EOP Grant - Educational Opportunity Program
grants are awarded to students who have been
admitted to the University through the
Educational Opportunity Program. Students must
demonstrate financial need to qualify for this
grant. Grants range from $400 - $800 depending
on financial need and the availability of funding.
Types of Financial Aid
 Work-study – federal funds provided for
employing students who qualify for financial aid
 Student Loans– borrowed money that must be
repaid
 Federal Perkins Loan
 Federal Direct Loans (subsidized, unsubsidized,
Graduate PLUS)
 Federal Direct Parent Loan (PLUS)
Special Circumstances
 Students may notify to the Financial Aid Office if
there are any changes to the information they
initially reported on their FAFSA.
 The student may be asked to submit
documentation to re-evaluate their file based on
their current status
 If a student is unable to provide parent
information on the FAFSA they should speak with
a representative in the Financial Aid Office to
discuss their options for completing the FAFSA
Special Circumstances
 Examples of special circumstances:
 Death of a parent
 Parent/student loss of employment
 Parents divorce/separation
 Student estrangement from parents
 Homeless students
 Other: students with unique situations should
contact the Financial Aid Office for guidance
Questions??
Office Hours
Welch Hall B-250
Phone: 310)243-3691
Fax: 310)516-4498
www.csudh.edu/financialaid
Email: finaid@csudh.edu
 Hours
– Normal hours
 Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
 Friday 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
– First Saturday of each semester
 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Extended office hours are offered at
the beginning of each semester
Admissions, Records,
& Financial Aid
A Presentation of Practices & Procedures
November 4, 2014
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
By: Frank Colon
Satisfactory Academic Progress
 What is Satisfactory Academic Progress
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Minimum CSUDH GPA
Unit Completion
Unit Cap
Financial Aid Warning
SAP Appeals
Financial Aid Limitations
– Loans
– Grants
Satisfactory Academic Progress
CSUDH is required by federal law to
establish, publish and apply reasonable
standards for measuring whether a student
is maintaining Satisfactory Academic
Progress (SAP) toward a degree objective
and to ensure progress toward the degree
for all periods of enrollment, whether or not
a student has received financial aid. These
standards are applicable to all financial aid
recipients at CSUDH and affect eligibility for
all federal and state aid, including grants,
student loans and work study.
Degree Objective
Minimum CSUDH GPA
 Doctoral, Masters: 3.0
 Credential: 2.5
 Undergraduates:
 Junior/Senior (60+ units): 2.0
 Sophomore (30-59 units): 1.8
 Freshmen (0-29 units): 1.5
 If the CSUDH grade point average falls
below the required minimum level, a
student will lose their financial aid
eligibility.
Unit Completion
 Students must complete at least 75% of
the units attempted with a passing grade
of A, B, C, D, I, CR, or RP (report in
progress). For example, a student who
enrolls in 12 units for a semester must
complete at least 9 units to maintain
financial aid eligibility. Non-passing grades
of F, IC, NC, W, WU, RD and AU will lower a
student's completion rate.
 If a student completes fewer than 50% of
their attempted units with passing grades
in an academic semester, they will lose
financial aid eligibility.
Unit Cap
 Students must complete their program within 150%
of their program's required units. For example, a
student in a 120 unit program must receive his/her
degree within 180 units.
 All graded coursework will be counted, including
transfer units, repeats, and withdrawals.
 Up to 30 remedial units may be excluded.
 Courses with grades of RD (report delayed) or RP
(report in progress) will be considered as
completed units until a final grade is determined.
 If a student fails to complete their program within
180 units, they will lose financial aid eligibility.
Financial Aid Warning
Students will be placed on warning status
(can receive aid) at the end of the
semester if any of the following applies:
 Completion rate of attempted units with passing
grades falls between 50% and 74%
If student is placed on warning status for
two consecutive semesters, they will lose
their financial aid eligibility.
SAP Appeals
 Students who become disqualified from
receiving financial aid will be notified on their
CSUDH e-mail account and will be provided
instructions on the financial aid appeal
process. Appeals will be evaluated based on
the student's extenuating circumstances.
 If a students appeal is approved they may be
placed on a Financial Aid Academic Plan for a
semester where they will be required to meet
certain terms (i.e.- complete all units, raise
CSUDH GPA, complete their degree).
 Students are notified regarding their appeal
decision through their Toro Mail email account.
Financial Aid Limitations
Umm…so, what does this mean?
 Students will need to stay on track
academically to complete their degree on
time.
 If a student takes longer than 6 years to
complete their degree they may not have
subsidized loan or grant eligibility to
assist with their education costs.
Financial Aid Limitations
Loans
 Effective July 1, 2013 there is a limit on the amount of time a
student can receive a Direct Subsidized loan for first time
Federal loan borrowers.
 Subsidized loan eligibility will be limited to 150% of the published
length of an academic program (equates to 6 years of eligibility
for a 4 year standard undergraduate program).
 Once a student has received their Direct Subsidized loans for the
maximum eligibility period they will only be eligible to borrow
Direct Unsubsidized loans.
 If a student continues to be enrolled in an undergraduate
program after receiving the maximum Direct Subsidized loans,
they will be responsible for the interest that accrues on their
subsidized loans.
 Additional information on the new federal regulations and
information on Direct loan eligibility can be found on our website:
www.csudh.edu/financialaid
Financial Aid Limitations
Grants
 The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may
receive is limited to 600% which is equivalent to six years
of full-time (12 units each semester) enrollment.
 Students may check their Pell Grant eligibility by logging
into the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
Student Access Website at:
http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/
Financial Aid Limitations
Grants
 The CSU has endorsed changes to the rules for awarding
State University Grant.
 Undergraduate students cannot have accumulated more
than 150 semester units.
 Undergraduate transfer students cannot have
accumulated more than 75 semester units at the CSU.
 Credential students cannot accumulate more than 30
units.
 Masters students cannot accumulate more than 125% of
the required units according to their published program
length.
 Students pursuing a certificate, second Bachelor’s,
second Master’s degree are not eligible for SUG;
regardless of where they received their previous
degree(s).
Questions
Office Hours
Welch Hall B-260
Phone: 310)243-3691
Fax: 310)516-4498
www.csudh.edu/financialaid
Email: finaid@csudh.edu
 Hours
– Normal hours
 Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
 Friday 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
– First Saturday of each semester
 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Extended office hours are offered at
the beginning of each semester