Cost and Aid FAQs
As you prepare to embark on your college journey, we know you probably have lots of questions about costs, financial aid and other money matters. We鈥檙e here to help.
Financial aid is money that is given, paid, or loaned to you to help pay for your college costs. There are several types of financial aid for college students:
- Grants and scholarships are given as awards and do not require repayment.
- Loans are borrowed from a lending institution. You are required to repay the loans with interest and loan related fees.
- Work-Study/Student Employment are part-time positions, on or off campus, which allows you to earn money for your education.
Learn more about different types of aid on our Financial Aid page.
Depending on your eligibility, financial aid can be used to pay educational expenses including tuition fees, books and supplies, food, housing, transportation, and some personal expenses while you attend college.
You can view the most current Cost of Attendance figures here.
Students and their families are expected to contribute to the cost of college to the extent that they are able. Your eligibility for financial aid depends on your Student Aid Index, your year in school, your enrollment status, and the cost of attendance at the school you will be attending.
You can use our to calculate an estimate of your eligibility.
If your financial aid is not sufficient to pay University charges, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance. Visit Student Business Services for information on payment options including installment payment plans.
The Financial Aid office is primarily responsible for processing your financial aid award and determining the amount of assistance you may receive. The Student Business Services office applies financial aid to your student account, manages payments on your student account and processes refunds as appropriate.
The Financial Aid & Scholarships office has walk-in counseling hours where students can meet with the designated counselor on call.
Students may also email their assigned counselor directly to schedule an individual appointment if they do not wish to meet with the counselor on call during walk-in hours.
To check our walk-in counseling hours and confirm who your assigned counselor is, please visit the Contact Us page.
Visit the Contact Us page for our office's contact information, location, hours, and staff.
Submit a or a between October 1 and March 2 (state priority deadline) of the year you wish to enroll.
You may submit your FAFSA after the March 2 application deadline; however, financial aid funds may be limited.
Learn more about how to apply on our Financial Aid page.
Financial Aid is available to students admitted to undergraduate and graduate degree programs. You may be eligible for grants, loans and scholarships to help make college an affordable experience.
To determine your eligibility, you must first file a and list Cal State Channel Islands as an institution to receive your information.
Our Federal School Code is 039803.
If you or your parents' income will be substantially less than the income reported on the FAFSA, you may request to have your circumstances reviewed. You should also meet with a Financial Aid counselor to discuss the changes in your income.
If you listed the Cal State Channel Islands federal school code on your (039803), the federal processor will send your data to our school electronically within one to two weeks after you submit your application.
Make sure to carefully review your FAFSA Submission Summary and check that you submitted the most accurate information. Your FAFSA Submission Summary will also notify you of any additional information you may be required to submit to the Financial Aid & Scholarships office.
When you completed the , a Student Aid Index (SAI) was calculated for you. You were also assigned a Cost of Attendance (COA), which is based on your at-home, on-campus, or off-campus residency.
Your need was determined by subtracting your SAI from your COA:
COA - SAI = Financial Need
We also used your SAI to determine your eligibility for certain grants.
Students are randomly selected for the Verification process by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) or the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and may also be selected by the Financial Aid & Scholarships office.
Check your "To Do" list on the portal to see exactly what documentation is required. Be sure to submit your documentation by the published deadline date if you are selected for verification.
Your FAFSA Submission Summary will also indicate whether you were selected for verification. Be sure to read through your FAFSA Submission Summary carefully.
You may request a free tax return transcript from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in one of the following ways:
- Online: (Select the "Get Transcript Online" option)
- By mail: Use the IRS Form 4506T-EZ
- By phone: Call 1-800-908-9946
For more detailed information on how to request a federal tax transcript, please visit the .
Please refer to the following processing timeframes:
- Loan Requests (Parent/Grad PLUS, Private Loans, Loan Change Forms) = 30 business days
- Income Adjustment Appeal = 30 business days
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal = 30 business days
- Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) Appeal = 30 business days
- External Scholarship Processing = 2-4 weeks upon receipt
Note the varying processing turnaround times for requests and/or submission of information. Incomplete or discrepant information may delay the following time frames. All information is reviewed in the order it is received.
*Students are randomly selected for the Verification process by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) or the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and may also be selected by the Financial Aid & Scholarships office. If you are selected for verification, you are first notified by ED or CSAC and also notified by our office via your myCI email. Requested items will be displayed on the myCI To Do list until the items have been received.
For other processing time frames and/or to check your financial status, please email us at financial.aid@csuci.edu.
Each semester, we begin disbursing financial aid on a specific date. After this date, Student Business Services office conducts weekly disbursements.
Before your aid is disbursed, you must submit all requested documents, accept your aid (via ), and enroll in the required number of units. You must also allow time for the Financial Aid & Scholarships office to review your verification documents and make any necessary corrections to your FAFSA data.
Disbursements will occur on a weekly basis starting the first week of classes. Financial aid refund checks are processed by the Student Business Services office and may take up to 10 business days after your financial aid is disbursed to your student account.
Your financial aid funds will only be disbursed if you are enrolled in sufficient units. You must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to financial aid policy.
The University applies your financial aid first to tuition and fees, second to housing fees and third to any other outstanding payments that may be due.
Yes. If you are receiving any external private scholarships from the University, government or private sources, you are required to report these funds to the Financial Aid & Scholarships office.
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1976, as amended and contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFS 99, subpart D99.30), requires a written and dated consent from any student (18 years of age or older) before disclosing personal identifiable information from the student's education/financial records to a third party.
Under FERPA regulations, the Financial Aid & Scholarships office reserves the right to withhold financial information from a third party. Students who wish to grant designated individuals the authorization to speak with a Financial Aid representative regarding the students' financial aid offer must complete the FERPA Online: Authorize to Release form through the myCI portal, via CI Records each academic year.
To receive federal student aid, you must meet certain requirements including:
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- have a valid Social Security number
- have a high school diploma or GED
- be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program at a school that participates in the federal student aid programs
If you submitted your FAFSA or CADAA, your eligibility will be automatically reviewed for various types of aid starting with federal, state and institutional grant or gift aid followed by federal loan options (if applicable).
You may log into your portal to review your financial aid offer and confirm which types of aid you qualified for.
The number of units you must maintain is determined by the type of aid you receive. Please refer to the unit requirements in the following aid category descriptions.
- For an Undergraduate or Credential Classification:
- Full time is 12 or more units
- Three-quarter time is 9 to 11 units
- Half-time is 6 to 8 units
- Less than half-time is fewer than 6 units.
- For a Graduate Classification:
- Full-time is 8 graduate level units
- Half-time is 3 graduate level units
- Less than half-time is fewer than 3 graduate units.
Most aid is based upon full-time enrollment. If you drop classes during the Add/Drop period, the Financial Aid & Scholarships office may adjust some of your financial aid to the appropriate enrollment level. You may be required to repay the difference between the full-time aid amount and the adjusted amount.
If you must fully withdraw from a semester, the Financial Aid office is required to recalculate your financial aid eligibility. You may be required to repay a portion of your financial aid that was disbursed to you
The Financial Aid & Scholarships office will measure your academic progress at the end of Spring semester. Financial aid recipients are expected to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards to remain eligible for their aid. There are three components measured in the SAP policy:
- Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Pace: percentage of cumulative units taken which must be passed
- Maximum Time Frame: the maximum number of attempted units based on program requirements
Refer to the following chart for guidelines specific to your student type.
|
Student Type |
Minimum Cumulative GPA |
Minimum Pace |
Maximum Time Frame |
|
Undergraduate |
2.00 |
67% |
180 units |
|
Post-Baccalaureate (credential or second bachelor鈥檚) |
2.50 |
75% |
Varies by program |
|
Post-Baccalaureate (graduate) |
3.00 |
80% |
Varies by program, |
Students must meet the requirements outlined in the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy to continue receiving financial aid each semester. Students who do not meet SAP standards will be notified of their standing at the end of each semester after official grades have been posted.
Students may receive financial assistance during a summer session as long as a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is on file and the student has not used up all their financial aid eligibility (e.g. grants, loans, etc.) during the prior Fall and Spring terms.
You may view your Financial Aid Award at the portal. Look under CI Records > Self Service > Student Center > in the "Finances" section > View Financial Aid and select the appropriate aid year.
If you are accepting a federal student loan and are a first-time borrower at Cal State Channel Islands, you must visit to complete a Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling.
If you are a continuing student and have previously borrowed loans, you only need to "accept" your loans through your myCI portal.
The (MPN) is the written contract between the borrower and the Department of Education and explains the terms and conditions of the loan. An MPN can be used to borrow one or more loans for one or more academic years (up to 10 years). There are two types of MPNs in the Direct Loan Program: one for Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans and one for Direct PLUS Loans.
(LEC) explains the obligations the student agrees to meet as a condition of receiving a Direct Loan. Topics include understanding your loans, managing your spending, repayment terms, avoiding default on your loan, and making finances a priority. Loan Entrance Counseling is only required for student borrowers, not for parent borrowers.
Parent PLUS Loans cannot be accepted by the student in their online portal. Parents who are interested in borrowing a Parent PLUS loan must at StudentAid.gov to determine if they will qualify based on their credit history. If approved, a first-time parent borrower must also (MPN).
If your loan funds have not been disbursed to your student account and you wish to reduce/cancel the amount of your loan(s), you may do so through your portal when you initially accept/reject your loan(s).
If you wish to increase and/or cancel a portion or all of your student loan after the funds have been disbursed to your student account, you must send an email with your request to financial.aid@csuci.edu.
If you applied for a private loan and wish to receive these funds at Cal State Channel Islands, you will need to complete a Private Loan Request Form located in our financial aid forms library for each academic year that you wish to receive a private loan.
The Financial Aid & Scholarships office will certify that you are meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), you are enrolled in sufficient units (typically at least half-time units), and that the funds you requested fit within your cost of attendance.
After your loan is certified with the lender, please allow 10-15 business days for the loan to be disbursed to your student account due to a consumer protection federal regulation that prohibits the lender from disbursing funds until the 10-day cancellation period has passed.
Your dependency status determines whose information you must report on the .
- If you're a dependent student, you will report your and your parents' information. Providing information on the FAFSA does not mean your parents are obligated to assist with college costs.
- If you're an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you're married, your spouse's).
Learn more about your dependency status at the .
You must meet at least one of the FAFSA independent student criteria to be considered 鈥渋ndependent鈥� for financial aid purposes; whether or not you physically live with your parents may not make a difference.
Learn more about at the Federal Student Aid website.
The FAFSA uses a unique definition of "Independent." If you answered 鈥淣o鈥� to all the dependency questions on the FAFSA, you must provide parent information to complete the FAFSA.
Learn more about at the Federal Student Aid website.
If you are unable to obtain your parents' information, or if you believe you qualify for a dependency exception, you should speak with a Financial Aid counselor.
Contact the Financial Aid & Scholarships office
Address
1 University Drive
Camarillo, CA 93012-8599
Phone
Main: 805-437-8530