How to Apply for Financial Aid

The 2026–27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is open.

Note: The Estimated Annual Amounts displayed above are subject to change for each individual student. The amounts provided are for the maximum award amount for each program and is not guaranteed to each student.

1. Maximum amount shown is based off of a student enrolled full-time (12 units) with a -1500 SAI. Pell grant will be prorated based off of students enrollment (full-time, half-time, three-quarter time, or less than half time).

2. SEOG awards are made on a first-come basis until designated funds are exhausted.

3. Applicable for Bachelor Program students only. Award amounts vary depending on enrollment. Must be enrolled in at least half-time (6 units).

4. Will be prorated based off of students enrollment. Must be enrolled in at least half-time (6 units).

5. Will be prorated based off of students enrollment. Must be enrolled in at least half-time (6 units).

6. This includes what the student is eligible for in Cal Grant A, B, or C and up to an access award of up to $6,000 for qualifying Cal Grant A and B recipients and up to $4,000 for eligible Cal Grant C recipients.

7. Students enrolled in 12 to 14.99 units may be eligible for up to $1,298 annually. Students enrolled in 15 or more units may be eligible for up to $4,000 annually.

8. Applicable to eligible foster care youth. 

9. Freshmen or students who have completed 29 units or less may be eligible for up to $3,500. Sophomores or Students who have completed 30 or more units may be eligible for up to $4,500. Juniors/Seniors in the Bachelor's Degree Program may be eligible for up to $5,500.

10. Dependent students may be eligible for up to $2,000. Independent students may be eligible for up to $6,000.

StudentAid.gov Account Creation Instructions (step-by-step) for Individuals Without a Social Security Number (SSN)

This process outlines the steps needed in order for an individual without an SSN to have their identity verified and StudentAid.gov account created.

Step 1: An individual should visit StudentAid.gov, select “Create Account” and complete all steps, including answering 1-4 knowledge-based verification questions via TransUnion®.

Step 2: Upon completing the Create Account process, the individual will see a confirmation page with the results of their identity verification. If they fail the TransUnion® process, FSA will automatically assign a case number to the individual.

Step 3: Once the case number is created, FSA will send them a verification email in their preferred language (English or Spanish), which will include their case number, along with guidance on how to submit copies of unexpired acceptable documentation (listed below) to verify their identity. Individuals will also be required to submit an attestation and validation of identity form along with their approved identity documentation. This form will be available on https://studentaid.gov/forms-library.

Acceptable Documents to Establish an Individual’s Identity: 

Provide one (1) of the following documents to establish identity:

U.S. Driver’s License

U.S. State/City Identification Card

Foreign Passport

or

One (1) set of documents below to establish identity:

Municipal Identification Cards + utility bill

Community ID + utility bill

Consular Identification Cards/Matricula Consular + utility bill

Step 4: Upon receipt of the email that FSA was unable to verify their identity, an individual is then required to submit one or a combination of their acceptable documentation from the list above and a signed attestation form to: IDVerification@ed.gov.

Step 5: FSA will review an individual’s submitted documentation and signed attestation form to ensure it is acceptable and matches the account information provided during the Create Account process. If there is a successful match, the Department will finalize the account creation. The individual will receive an email indicating their identity has been verified and that they may now use their account username and password (FSA ID) to log in at StudentAid.gov and complete applications for student financial assistance programs.

For more infromation visit studentaid.gov