Flex Day - No Classes
Wednesday, October 12

Last day to apply for Fall 2016
degree or certificate
Friday, October 28

Veterans Day Holiday Weekend
No classes November 11-13

Financial Aid Services

Overview

Financial aid is money for college. It is provided by U.S. taxpayers to ensure that all those who want a college education have the financial ability to pay for their college expenses.

Financial aid is also a partnership between you as the student and the college that provides the money to help pay your college costs. If you receive financial aid, you are expected to enroll in courses needed to complete your chosen program, work hard at learning, and move responsibly toward successful completion of your educational goal.

We understand that the rules that govern the financial aid programs can sometimes be complicated. However, the staff at the CSM Financial Aid Office is available to answer your questions and provide special assistance if and when you need it. For additional information, please see our Financial Aid Handbook.

Let us know if you need assistance as a non-English speaking student. We can make arrangements to provide information in your native language.

Please stop by the office in College Center Building 10, Room 360, or call us at (650) 574-6146. We will be happy to assist you!

- Claudia Menjivar, Director of Financial Aid Services

Need help?

• Instructions for IRS Data Retrieval or Obtaining IRS Tax Transcript
• Visit us for one-on-one assistance at the Learning Center. Spring & Summer 2016 Financial Aid Outreach Hours

Financial Aid Videos

• The 6-minute FAFSA and FSA ID Tips for Parents video helps parents of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applicants navigate the FAFSA process from logging in to filling out and signing their child's FAFSA using their FSA  ID.
• For detailed instructions on how to create an FSA ID, view FSA's How To Create an FSA ID video.

Federal Updates

Corinthian Colleges Closures

• Frequently Asked Questions About Corinthian Colleges

Prior-Prior year (PPY) Tax Information on FAFSA
Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, students can now complete the FAFSA using 2 years’ prior tax information. With the switch to PPY, FAFSA will be available on October 1, 2016, rather than January 1, 2017.

• FAFSA available October 1, 2016 for 2017-2018 academic year
• 2017-2018 FAFSA will use 2015 tax year information

When a student is attending college	When a student can submit a FAFSA	Which year's income information is required
July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016	January 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016	2014
July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017	January 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017	2015
July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018	October 1, 2016 - June 30, 2018	2015
July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019	October 1, 2017 - June 30, 2019	2016

Benefits of PPY

• Filing the FAFSA earlier so that the students can figure out what their financial aid package/award would look like.
• This can increase the application’s accuracy and students won’t have trouble using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, decreasing the need for additional paper documentation, since tax date from 2 years prior would be readily available.

May 2015: Federal Student Aid ID replacing the PIN
The U.S. Department of Education is improving identity confirmation. Effective May 10, 2015 the U.S. Department of Education will replace the Student Aid PIN with the new FSA ID for all students and parents. You will need the new FSA ID to log into the Federal Student Aid websites. The first time you log into the sites after May 10th you will be prompted to set up an FSA ID. The process should only take a few minutes and then students, parents, and borrowers will use the FSA ID to access federal websites including:

• FAFSA on the Web
• NSLDS Student Access
• StudentLoans.gov
• StudentAid.gov

Please see the instructions for creating your FSA ID.

July 2012: Effective July 1, 2012 students can only a receive a lifetime maximum of up to 600% FEDERAL PELL regardless of when they received their first Pell grant. To view your Lifetime Eligibiilty Used (LEU) visit the NSLDS website. For more information about LEU please visit the Federal Student Aid website.

State Updates

As of January 1, 2013 AB-540 students are allowed to apply for and receive several types of financial aid, including:

• Board of Governors Fee Waiver
• State financial aid such as Cal Grants & Chafee Grants
• Assistance from EOPS, CARE or CalWORKS
• Privately funded scholarships

For more information visit our California Dream Act page.