Graduate Student Handbook, Financial Aid

Step 9

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to remove the cost barriers that may prevent you from pursuing your educational goals. Assistance is available from a variety of programs funded by federal, state, university and private sources. Students who demonstrate significant financial need may qualify for grant aid while students with less need may obtain low cost loans. Financial need is determined through a federal formula that assesses the family’s relative financial strength and ability to contribute to meeting the student’s educational costs.

Financial aid options are available to graduate and professional students.  Although some funding sources, such as the Federal Pell Grant, are available only for undergraduate study, there is a wide variety of loan and scholarship dollars for graduate study.  Please click here to see an overview of the the eligibility criteria, sources for assistance, and application processes for obtaining financial aid.  To find out additional information about financial aid please check out the Financial Aid website: http://www.fullerton.edu/financialaid/

ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

To ensure timely processing and disbursement of your aid, please note the following enrollment requirements for graduate students:

  • Federal regulations require half-time enrollment to receive Federal Stafford loan funding.
  • At CSUF, you must be enrolled in at least six units per semester of 400/500 level courses to meet this requirement. 
  • Lower division courses do not count toward your graduate degree program; therefore, they are not counted toward the half-time enrollment requirement for financial aid purposes. This section applies more specifically to MS Accountancy students who need to complete 15 units of 300 level Accounting Prerequisites. If you are taking lower division courses as pre-requisites for your graduate program or for any other reason, you will not be eligible to receive a financial aid payment unless you are also enrolled in the equivalent of 6 upper-division and/or graduate units.

TYPES OF AVAILABLE AID

Federal Perkins Loan
Federal Perkins Loan  is a federally funded program providing long-term low-interest loans for students who demonstrate financial need. Interest does not accrue on the loan and there is no repayment while the student is enrolled at least half time. Repayment begins nine months following graduation, withdrawal, or enrollment below half-time status. Graduate student who qualify may receive up to $8,000. For details (click here).

Federal Direct Stafford Loans
Federal Stafford loans are available to assist you in meeting your educational expenses. Subsidized Stafford loans are based on demonstrated financial need; the government pays the interest on your behalf while you are enrolled at least half-time (six credit units). Unsubsidized Stafford loans are available if you do not qualify, in whole or in part, for a subsidized loan to meet your expenses. You may elect to pay the interest on your unsubsidized student loan while you are enrolled or you may request that the interest be capitalized and repaid along with the principal after you complete your program.  For more details see the financial aid website (click here).

To receive a Federal Stafford loan, you must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident and you must meet all other Federal Student Aid eligibility requirements. These requirements are published in the U.S. Department of Education Guide to Federal Student Aid.

Federal Direct Plus Loans for Graduate Students
Graduate PLUS loans are available to graduate students. The PLUS loan is a long-term loan program with a fixed interest rate.  Eligibility for PLUS loan is base on your good credit history. Like the unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan, the interest on a PLUS loan accrues from the point of disbursement.  PLUS loans may not exceed the cost of education minus other aid.  For more details see the financial aid website (click here).

Annual Loan Limits
Annual loan limits are $20,500 for combined subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Your total eligibility will be determined by the CSUF Office of Financial Aid based on your direct program costs and standard allowances for room and board, transportation and personal expenses. Your loan cannot exceed your annual program costs. Please see the financial aid website for details on loan maximums.

Scholarships

Cal State Fullerton is pleased to offer a wide variety of scholarships and awards to honor outstanding achievement. Nearly $2 million in scholarships and awards is paid annually at Cal State Fullerton. Students apply for scholarships and are nominated for awards.

In addition to scholastic achievement, financial need and other factors may be considered in the selection process. Many scholarships use the standard found through the Financial Aid website. Read and follow the “application procedure” for each scholarship or award in which you are interested. Most applications are due the last Friday in February and recipients are notified by the selection committee, usually in late May. Due to the large number of applications received, non-selected applicants are not notified.

CSUF Logo
Produced by the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton.
Contact the web administrator for comments or problems with the website.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2010.