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Why Financial Aid Matters

Free Money for College – Don’t Miss Out

Over 80% of CSUSM students receive aid
Assists to pay Tuition, books, housing, and more
Apply early (on time) for limited funding opportunities

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FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS

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For students who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens

Including Permanent residents, U.S. nationals, T-1 visas, I-94, and more

October 1st

FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS

For students who meet eligibility requirements for a non-resident exemption

Including DACA, TPS, U visas, and more
Commonly known as Dream students

October 1st

California Dream Act Application

CADAA

Free Application for Federal Student Aid

FAFSA

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DEPENDENCY STATUS

For the 2026-27 award year, an independent student is one of the following:

Born before Jan. 1, 2002
Married (and not separated)
A graduate or professional student
A Veteran
A member of the armed forces
An orphan
A ward of the court
Someone with legal dependents other than a spouse
Someone who is unaccompanied and homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless

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CONTRIBUTOR

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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CONTRIBUTORS ON THE 2026–27 FAFSA

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STEPS FOR CONTRIBUTORS

Important: Being a contributor does NOT implicate financial responsibility. However, if a required contributor needs to provide their information and they do not provide it, it will result in an incomplete FAFSA.

All contributors must have their own individual email account.

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A student’s or parent’s answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information.

Students or parents invite contributors to complete their portion of the FAFSA/CADAA form by entering the contributor’s name, date of birth, social security number and email address

Contributors must provide personal and financial information in their own sections of the FAFSA/CADAA form – but they are not financially responsible for the student’s education costs.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: CONTRIBUTORS

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2026-27 FAFSA: FSA ID

All students and contributors must create a StudentAid.gov account to complete the FAFSA/CADAA online.

Users will be presented with the following questions in the account creation process

Personal Information (Name, DOB, Social Security Number)
Account Information (Username and password)
Contact Information
Communication Preferences
Challenge Questions

Users will continue to set up multi-factor authentication

Identity match with the Social Security Administration (SSA) will be completed when a Social Security Number (SSN) is provided

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Divorced Parents

The parent that contributes most to the student’s living expenses is the parent that will provide their information to the student’s FAFSA.

If the parents' contributions are equal, then the parent with the higher income must complete the FAFSA.

The other divorced parent’s income will not be reported, nor will they be counted in the household size

The FAFSA will provide clear instructions on which parent(s) should be providing income and household information and who should be reported as in the household

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2026-27 FAFSA: FSA ID CONT.

San Diego State University

All contributors must have an FSA ID to access the 2026-27 FAFSA online

Identity match required for each contributor to verify FSA ID – everyone will go through an identity match, even if there is a paper FAFSA.

A verified email address will be required to establish an account

Users can apply without entering an SSN

Users without an SSN will complete a knowledge-based identity verification process (More information to come)

Undocumented parents or undocumented spouses of US Citizens or Permanent Residents

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FAFSA OVERVIEW

Every required contributor must have an FSA ID to sign the FAFSA application

Give consent to transfer federal tax information from the IRS to the FAFSA.

If a student or contributor refuses, the student will not be considered for federal student aid and without that data, cannot be considered for state or institutional financial aid.

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2026-27 CADAA

When completing the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), students will need to create an account. Both the contributor and student sections will be accessed and completed through the student's CA Dream App portal

Students have access to both their section and the parent section. The application must be signed, or parents may provide their information for signature purposes. Establishing the student account and obtaining the parent's signature is a more streamlined process compared to the FAFSA.

Additionally, students are required to set up three security questions and enable multi-factor authentication for enhanced account security.

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ONCE THE FAFSA / CADAA IS COMPLETED

The data including the calculated SAI will be sent to the schools listed on the application

Some schools will send estimated offer letters to applicants, others wait until admission decisions are made

Most schools are anticipating to provide financial aid offer letters before the May 2nd admission decision deadline

Check your selected schools’ websites for updates

Most schools notify students of awards via email, be on the lookout!

Submit any requested documents to ensure accurate and correct financial aid offers

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CALCULATING FINANCIAL AID AWARDS

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Financial Aid Resources

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FINANCIAL AID RESCOURCES

Grants (federal, institutional, and state)

Scholarships

Private Scholarships

University Scholarships

Loans

Federal Student Loans

Federal Parent PLUS Loan�Private Loans

Work Study

Federal Work-Study

CA Dream Act Service Incentive Grant (DSIG)

Cal Grant

Chafee Grant

Middle-Class Scholarship

Pell Grant

State University Grant

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

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SCHOLARSHIPS

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STRATEGIES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

Use a free scholarship search site
Search for year-round open scholarships
Check out local organizations and nonprofits
Research colleges and their institutional scholarships
Take advantage of employer scholarships
Use creativity and talent for nontraditional scholarships

CSU San Marcos

San Diego State

CSU Long Beach

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Application period:

Opens October 1st
One application for a variety of different scholarships

Visit our scholarship website for Additional Scholarship Opportunities and deadlines:

CSUSM GENERAL

SCHOLARSHIP

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