
Do You Apply For Financial Aid Every Semester – On the last day to add classes each semester, the Financial Aid Office will calculate the units in which you are enrolled to determine your eligibility for state and federal financial aid. The last day to add classes each semester is referred to in the Financial Aid Office as the “freeze date.” For example, for fall 2022, students had until 11:59 p.m. on September 5 to add/drop classes that count toward financial aid.
Financial Aid will only pay for units you are enrolled in as of the freeze date. There are no exceptions. This includes waitlisted and late start classes. You must be enrolled in all of your units for financial aid by the freeze date. Students will not be paid for classes added after the freeze date.
Do You Apply For Financial Aid Every Semester
The dates listed on the disbursement schedule are the earliest possible date a student can receive that type of aid. After that date, disbursements will be processed weekly to pick up new students. What could affect or delay your payout dates:
Financial Aid Programs
Your initial payout may be lower if you are enrolled in a late start course. The Financial Aid Office will pay for your late start units on the second Friday of the date the late start class(es) begin.
You can check your eligibility for an award in myGateway under the ‘Financial Aid Awards’ section. To receive financial assistance, you must have a completed file and be in good standing or cautioned. For more information, please refer to the Satisfactory Study Progress (SAP) policy.
Please note: If you repeat a course, financial aid will only be awarded and paid for the same class twice (you cannot pay for a third attempt) – however, the fee waiver (CCPG) will still cover the $46/unit cost of the course class .
If you drop units before the freeze date, you may have to repay some or all of the aid you received. This happens because financial aid awards are adjusted up and down based on your units enrolled through the freeze date. If you drop units before the freeze date, you may not be eligible for the second payout if you receive a Pell grant.
Financial Assistance Programs
NOTE: If you withdraw from all of your classes, you may be required to repay any financial aid you received for the semester. A payment hold may also be placed on your file until the refund has been made.
After you register for classes and receive financial aid, you will receive instructions from BankMobile Disbursements on how to select a repayment preference. You can also log in to myGateway, click on the Student tab and then scroll down. On the right side you will find a BankMobile link under the Student Refund Payment section.
Once you select your refund preference, it will remain active as long as you attend Cypress College. If you ever want to change your preference, you can access and manage your profile at www.RefundSelection.com.
Cypress College offers month-long winter intersession classes online, and financial aid is available for eligible students. Financial aid is limited to one school per semester. Payments for winter break are considered part of the spring semester. Students are not eligible for spring aid at another institution if they are receiving winter aid at Cypress College.
Acceptance Letters Vs Financial Aid Letters
*Students have until 11:59 p.m. on September 4, 2023 to add/drop classes, after which students will be locked into those units for financial aid purposes.
Financial aid is disbursed at various times throughout the semester. Please refer to the payout schedule for payout dates for each semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer). To ensure that your financial aid is disbursed on time, please ensure that all of your requirements are completed in myGateway at least two weeks before the start of the semester.
If your file is completed after the date(s) you see on the schedule, you can expect your payout approximately 2-3 weeks after your file is completed. Please note that all payouts typically arrive at the end of the business day on Friday (not in the morning). If the money is transferred to your bank account, it may take another 1-2 business days for the money to reach your account.
The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) is a fee waiver that is not paid to students. It remains in the student’s account to waive the registration fee when he or she registers for courses. Complete the FAFSA at fafsa.gov or the Dream Act application at caldreamact.org starting October 1. For priority considerations, please apply by March 2*.
Financial Aid And Scholarships
Your FAFSA or Dream Act information will be added to myGateway. To determine your eligibility, you must complete your file.
Satisfactory academic progress (SAP and award status can be viewed in myGateway. Remember to check myGateway regularly for important updates.
Visit our Request Assistance page for help filing your FAFSA or CADAA (California Dream Act) application.

Make sure your home campus is Cypress College. You can do this while you wait for your financial aid application to be processed.
Research Progress Report
Check whether your residence status is correct. You can also do this while you wait for your financial aid application to be processed.
The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) and Cal Grant waiver require eligible students to be an eligible California resident – meaning you must have lived in California for at least one year plus one day before the start of the semester .
Your residency status is determined by how you answer residency questions on your Cypress College application (OpenCCC, not your FAFSA or CADAA). If for any reason your residency status is listed as non-resident and you ARE a California resident, you will want to correct your residency status with Admissions & Records.
To prove you are a California resident, you must complete the online Residency Update Request form with Admissions & Records.
Things You Should Know About Financial Aid
Your residency code must be Indefinite Non-Res Exemption (AB 540) or Indefinite Non-Res Exemp DACA. You must submit the California Non-Resident Tuition Waiver Request (AB540 & AB2000) online with Admissions & Records.
To prove your eligibility for the special exemption, complete the form carefully and provide all requested documentation (official transcripts/attendance records that validate the information you provided). If you are unsure of what information to provide, please contact Admissions & Records for clarification to avoid delays in processing your form.
After you have approved your residency with Admissions & Records, please contact the Financial Aid Office with your student ID number so we can ensure your financial aid file is updated.
We strongly recommend that students review and familiarize themselves with the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy before receiving assistance.
Scholarship Renewal Criteria
You can check your SAP status while you wait for your financial aid application to be processed.
To receive financial aid awards (any awards other than the CCPG), your SAP status must be Good, Warning, or Probation.
Students will receive their SAP status by email before the start of each semester. You can also view your SAP status via myGateway:
If your SAP status shows ‘No Academic History’, please email us with your student ID number at financialaid@ so we can resolve this for you.
Financial Aid Grant Agreement
If you are disqualified for “Ineligible Major for Aid,” you will need to update your major (see instructions below) with Admissions & Records (A&R). Once you have updated your major, please email us (don’t forget to include your student ID number) at financialaid@ so we can update your SAP status.
If you are disqualified from the maximum time frame, GPA, and/or completion percentage, you must file a SAP appeal at .studentforms.com. If you don’t see the objection when you log in, please contact us so we can add it there for you.
Provided by study advisors. You can request this by completing this online form. A study advisor will review your transcripts and provide the necessary items. You will be contacted upon completion or if there are any questions. If you have a current Comprehensive Education Plan, you can find it in DegreeWorks under the Plans tab.
Appeals are processed in order of receipt. Your objection must be processed within one week of the day you submit it.
Do You Need To Submit The Fafsa Every Semester?
Complete all requested documentation at .studentforms.com (your login will be the same as myGateway, to initially set up your account they will ask you to verify certain information – make sure you type it exactly as you do on your FAFSA /CADAA).
Cal Grant Eligibility: You may also receive an email from CSAC notifying you that you may be eligible for a Cal Grant award. If you don’t receive an email from them, follow the instructions in Step 6 below to check your eligibility. You must also fill in all the required information requested by them.
You can check your Cal Grant eligibility approximately 1-2 weeks after submitting your FAFSA/CADAA, or while you wait for your verification documents (step 5) to be reviewed.
To check your eligibility, log in to WebGrants4Students. When you log in, you will see a Cal Grant menu with four cards.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
The card on the far left is the ‘Application Status’ or ‘Award Status’ card (see sample images below).
GPA – any high school or college can submit a GPA for the student. like you
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