California Polytechnic State University

Cal Poly Financial Aid

The Financial Aid Office helps you plan your finances and organize your resources to cover your college costs. Financial assistance is a resource designed to supplement the cost of education, and is not intended to be used as a student's sole means of income. The types and amounts of aid Cal Poly awards or recommends are subject to availability of funds, enrollment status, and financial need. Cal Poly students have a variety of financial aid programs available for assistance. Programs vary in eligibility criteria, award amounts, and repayment options.

IMPORTANT UPDATES

EMPL ID# is the 9 digit Cal Poly ID number found on the student's portal under the Personal Information Tab.
Our primary form of communication is via email. Students must check their Cal Poly email for important notices and updates.

2012-2013

• To-Do Item Due Dates - We encourage students to not wait for a due date but to submit documents as soon as they are able. Submitting documents after the due date it will not negatively impact aid (see exceptions below) though it may delay disbursement of aid.
• IMPORTANT DEADLINE: Documents must be submitted no later than November 1, 2012 to keep campus based aid. In all circumstances documents must be submitted prior to the last day of a student's enrollment for any aid.
  
• The priority filing period for financial aid at Cal Poly is January 1st to March 2nd. Students can apply for financial aid after March 2, and will be considered for any aid for which they remain eligible. To apply for aid, complete the 2012-13 FAFSA
  
• Housing deposit: If families plan to use financial aid to fully pay fees and housing, you may check the financial aid box on the housing application and you will not need to make a deposit at this time. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not end up using financial aid to cover the full cost of fees and housing you will need to make up the payments to bring yourself current.
  
• Updating tax information on the FAFSA. New for 2012-13: IRS Data Retrieval Tool. If you file your taxes electronically, 3 weeks after filing you can update your FAFSA with the IRS data by doing the following: Go to www.fafsa.gov and click on update current 2012-13 FAFSA. Change the tax filing status from "will file" to "already completed" and a series of questions will appear to determine if you can use the IRS Data Retrieval. If you can, you will be given the opportunity to select that option. This will draw the data directly from the IRS into the FAFSA record. Cal Poly will then draw in the revised FAFSA and be able to confirm your financial aid award using accurate and verified tax information.
  
• Families who have experienced a significant change in income from 2011 to 2012 may submit a Change of Income Form after July 1, 2012.
  

2011-2012

• Summer Aid: financial aid to attend summer is extremely limited. Students are instructed to register for summer classes during the regular rotation schedule. In May financial aid students who are not on SAP probation will automatically be reviewed and will be sent an email indicating their eligibility, if any, for summer aid after which they can decide if they will remain in the courses or not. Students on SAP probation will not be able to be reviewed until after spring grades are posted and will need to plan to pay for summer directly and then be reimbursed by financial aid if it is determined they have eligibility.
• Any document required to finalize your financial aid award will be noted on your to-do list at my.calpoly.edu. Required documents should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. Please do not Fed-Ex or send Priority Mail. Regular mail, FAX or email is acceptable and will not negatively impact the award.
• If you have not completed the 2011-12 FAFSA, it is not too late to apply. The FAFSA must be received prior to the last date of enrollment for aid consideration. We encourage students to complete the 2011-12 FAFSA as soon as possible for consideration for any federal aid you might be eligible to receive.
• Families who have experienced a significant change in income from 2010 to 2011 may submit a special condition form. All required documentation must be included with the form.

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Last Update: 4/26/12

Financial Aid
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
phone: 805.756.2927  
fax: 805.756.7243  
financialaid@calpoly.edu