Financial Aid

Financial aid is federal, state, institutional or private assistance that comes in the form of grants or scholarships, which do not have to be paid back, work-study, a part-time job on campus, and student loans, which must be repaid starting six months after you leave school or fall below half time enrollment.

Students must be enrolled in a Title IV eligible school and enroll in an eligible program to qualify for financial aid.

The first step in applying for state or federal financial aid is to complete the FAFSA. application online. Students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID to log-in and sign the application. The FSA ID is made up of a username and password, and is needed to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. The FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents. 

After the FAFSA is processed you will receive a Student Aid Report. If you provided an email address on the FAFSA, the processor will email you the Student Aid Report. This report details the information that you provided and informs you of any corrections that need to be made. At the same time that you receive the Student Aid Report, the Financial Aid Office receives your information electronically. The financial aid office uses this information to determine if additional information or documentation is required, at which time, the staff will send you a letter indicating what is needed.

The Cal Grant deadline is March 2 of each year. The earlier you apply and submit any other required information to the financial aid office, the more likely you are to have funding available when you start school. PAU’s deadline to submit all your financial aid documents in order for your bill to display your anticipated aid is July 1.