Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) electronically each year at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. The priority FAFSA filing date is March 2 and applicants applying by this deadline will receive first priority consideration for funds with limited allocations. If you would prefer to have a paper version of the FAFSA, you may obtain it from the Federal Student Aid Information Center at the toll-free number (800)4.FED.AID (800-433- 3243).
The federal processor conducts a social security match to verify the applicant's citizenship status, a selective service registration check (for males only), and a National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) match to verify outstanding student loans and/or federal grants from prior years.
The federal processor calculates an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) based on the applicant's income and household size. The EFC represents the amount the government believes that, based on a federally determined Needs Analysis formula, the family should be able to afford toward the applicant's cost of education for the year. The cost of education is determined by the university, and includes a standardized budget for living expenses, transportation to and from school, tuition, books, and personal miscellaneous expenses.
The federal processor electronically transmits the applicant's processed application data, called a Institutional Student Information Report (ISIR), to each school the applicant listed on their FAFSA (an applicant may add or delete schools from their ISIR). The California State University, Bakersfield 's (CSUB) Title IV School Code is 007993.
The school uploads the ISIR data into their computer system. If the applicant is admitted to the University (as well as to a graduate or credential program if a post- baccalaureate student), and their ISIR is not selected for "Verification" (as discussed in the next step), and they do not have any C-flags (as discussed in the next step), then CSUB may make a tentative Offer of Financial Aid at this time.
At least 30% of all financial aid applicants are randomly selected by the federal government for "Verification." The federal processor identifies those applicants selected for "Verification" by placing an asterisk (*) on the ISIR next to the EFC. This means that the school is REQUIRED to verify the applicant's ISIR data as being true and accurate. The school does this by requesting verification documents from the applicant such as; income tax returns, verification worksheets, W-2 forms, etc. Students selected for "Verification" must submit all required documents for review before CSUB will make a tentative Offer of Financial Aid. CSUB financial aid forms may be downloaded at http://www.csub.edu/FinAid/forms/index.html or requested by calling our office at (661) 654-3016.
If the federal government has a concern regarding the applicant's NSLDS record, or was unable to verify citizenship and/or selective service registration based upon the applicant's name, date of birth and SSN, then the federal processor flags the ISIR by placing a letter "C" (for "caution") next to the EFC. This means that the school is REQUIRED to verify the applicant's NSLDS eligibility, citizenship and/or selective service registration. The school may do this by requesting verification documents from the applicant, such as: Birth Certificate, permanent resident "Green" card, Social Security Card, Selective Service Registration Card, etc., and/or require the student to make corrects to their FAFSA or with the appropriate government agency.
Once the applicant submits all of the necessary documents, which must be scanned into CSUB's imaging system, and their financial aid file is complete, their file is forwarded to a Financial Aid counselor for review. Because of our applicant volume, any documents submitted after August 1, 2010 will likely delay the disbursement of your aid for the fall quarter.
For those applicants selected by the federal government for verification, the counselor verifies that the applicant's ISIR application data matches their verification documentation submitted. Among other things, the counselor checks academic progress for all continuing students (i.e., that the applicant completed the appropriate number of units in the prior academic year).
If the applicant's verification data does not match their application data, the counselor may request additional documentation and/or make the necessary corrections to the application ISIR data and recalculated their EFC. These changes are electronically transmitted to the federal processor, who will update your official FAFSA and transmit it back to the schools.
Once the applicant's official ISIR data matches their verificaiton documentation, the counselor will certifiy the file, which means the applicant is ready to be awarded aid through our automated packaging process. A notification that an Offer of Financial Aid has been made will be e-mailed to applicants. This offer may be viewed online via your myCSUB Student Self-Service link. The offer lists the applicant's budget and tentative offer of aid. If the offer includes federal student loans or work-study, the applicant must accept or decline these funds. If the applicant accepts these funds, there are additional requirements that must be completed before these funds can be disbursed (refer to the Types of Aid link on our web page for more information).
Once Steps 1 through 3 are completed, and the student is registered in the appropriate number of units, the applicant's aid for the quarter is ready to be disbursed into the their university account (which will occur no sooner than 10 days prior to the beginning of the term).
Once the aid is disbursed into the applicant's university account, it will be credited toward any outstanding fees or charges (please be aware that federal regulations prohibit us from automatically deducting prior year balances from current year aid. Thus, prior year balances must be paid by the student in cash, credit, or check). If there is any remaining credit balance, a refund check will be issued to the applicant via direct deposit into the applicant's checking or savings account. If you do not have a Direct Deposit Authorization Form on file with CSUB Student Financial Services, please complete and submit one immediately. You may download this form at http://www.csub.edu/BAS/fiscal/studaccount/forms/DirectDeposit_FinAid.pdf. If you have questions regarding the Direct Deposit Authorization Form, please contact the CSUB Student Financial Services office at (661)654-3225.
Note: Upon admission to the University, applicants may view their financial aid award, holds, messages, etc., on-line via the Student Self-Service at: MyCSUB