Financial Aid Offer
2026-27 Financial Aid Offers: We are anticipating our financial aid offers for the upcoming school year will be out by the end of March.
If you have submitted a valid Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA), your financial aid offer will be sent by email. Offers are emailed to admitted undergraduate students in March and to graduate students by early June. Check your email for a link to view your financial aid offer. Offers are not sent through the mail.
Incoming students will receive a financial aid offer if they have been admitted to Chico State, have submitted a valid FAFSA or CADAA and have identified Chico State as one of their schools.
What Happens After You Submit the FAFSA or CADAA
Federal and state agencies will forward your information to the colleges listed on the FAFSA and CADAA and to the California Student Aid Commission. The Financial Aid & Scholarship Office will use information provided on your FAFSA or CADAA to determine if you are eligible to receive financial aid.
How You Are Notified of Your Offer
Financial aid offers will be emailed to you with a link to view your offer. Your offer will also be posted in your Student Center.
Important Information
Your financial aid offer assumes full–time enrollment. Full-time enrollment is:
- 12 financial aid-eligible units per semester for undergraduates, teaching credential candidates, and students pursuing a second bachelor's degree
- 8 units per semester for graduate students enrolled in a master's degree program
Instructions on how to accept your financial aid offer through the Student Center are included in your offer.
Verification:
If you are selected for verification, we will need a few documents from you to confirm your financial aid eligibility. Monitor your Chico State email, text messages, and your To-Do list in Student Center so you don’t miss anything.
If we request additional information, please respond as quickly as possible. Upload all required documents to your Financial Aid Account by June 15 (or as soon as you can) to avoid delays in your financial aid payment.
Once we receive your documents, we’ll review them and update your estimated aid offer if needed. As long as everything is submitted by June 15, your financial aid should be paid out on the first fall disbursement date (the Thursday before the semester begins).
Keep checking your To-Do list in case more items are needed. When your review is complete, we’ll email you—and you’ll also get an email when your financial aid offer is ready.
Your Financial Aid May Change
Your financial aid is estimated using the information you provided on your FAFSA or CADAA. Your offer may change for several reasons, including:
- Changes to your enrollment status
- Changes to your residency status
- Receiving additional aid from other sources (which may cause an over-award)
- Scholarships offered later in the year such as Middle Class Scholarship or Wildcat Scholarships
- Corrections to information that was reported incorrectly.
Your initial financial aid offer is based on full–time enrollment, which is 12 units per semester for undergraduates, teaching credential candidates, and students pursuing a second bachelor's degree, and 8 units per semester for graduate students enrolled in a master's degree program.
You will receive a revised financial aid offer via your email if there is a change to your award. Check both your email and Student Center frequently.
Click here for information on how funds are disbursed.
Haven't Received an Offer?
If you filed a 2025-26 FAFSA or CADAA and haven't received a financial aid offer from Chico State:
- Make sure you have Chico State listed as one of your schools
- Make sure your email address is correct
- Check your To-Do list in your Student Center for items that need to be completed before an offer can be made
- For FAFSA applicants: check studentaid.gov to see if your FAFSA shows “Action Required” or "Processed"
- If your FAFSA status shows “Action Required”, we won’t be able to make a financial aid offer to you until that has been resolved. Studentaid.gov has tips on making corrections to your FAFSA, if needed: How to Correct or Update Your FAFSA
- If your FAFSA status shows “Processed” and you don’t have any To-Do list items, make sure you have listed Chico State as one of your schools
- Here is information on how to submit your FAFSA if your contributor doesn't have a social security number