Once all of the necessary documents have been received, the student's file is considered to be complete and a review of the file for final awarding purposes takes place.

The order in which a file will be reviewed is dependent upon two factors:

1. A determination as to the extent of financial need; and

2. The completion date of the financial aid file.

The initial step in awarding is to determine the budget that is applicable to the student's particular situation. This budget represents standardized budgets for the traditional nine-month academic year at CSUB. Please keep in mind the budgets used by our office to determine eligibility for aid reflect average costs for our student population and are intended to provide sufficient funds for most students in most circumstances.

The next step is to determine the expected family contribution (EFC). As financial aid is designed to assist with your educational expenses, expected family contribution is the calculated amount that you and your parents (if applicable) are expected to contribute toward your costs. This amount is determined according to a formula established by Congress known as Federal Methodology.

Finally, the amount of financial resources/scholarships is determined. You may have other resources available to assist you with your educational costs, such as Veterans Education Benefits, scholarships, etc.

The student's financial aid eligibility is then arrived at by taking the Standard Student Budget minus the expected family contribution (EFC) and any additional financial resources/scholarships. This eligibility document illustrates how financial aid eligibility is determined for a single, dependent student who lives off-campus in an apartment.

Preliminary Aid Information System (PAIS)

The California State University (CSU) Preliminary Aid Information System (PAIS) is designed to allow any interested prospective student the opportunity to derive an estimate of their financial aid eligibility. By answering a few questions online, the student will receive information about their Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and their estimated eligibility for grants and loans to attend a California State University campus.