Financial Aid and Scholarships

How to Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA): Prospective Undergraduate Students

Costs  |  Aid Programs  |  How to Apply for Aid (FAFSA)  |  How to Apply for Aid (DREAM)  |  After you Apply

 

School Code 001144 

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is the first step toward getting financial aid for college. 

Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and quick, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college (Federal Student Aid).  In addition, your FAFSA is used to determine your eligibility for California State and Cal Poly Pomona aid, and some scholarship providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their awards. 

The FAFSA Application becomes available every October 1st – and the priority deadline for applying is March 2nd (for the 2025 – 2026 academic year only, the application became available November 19th, 2024 and the deadline to apply is March 3rd, 2025).    

Complete the FAFSA at the same time as your admission application for Cal Poly Pomona – do not wait until you have been admitted. 

If you miss the March3rd FAFSA Priority Deadline, you will miss your opportunity to be considered for CA State and Cal Poly Pomona Institutional financial aid for the year. 

Apply Now - FAFSA

 

FAFSA Update

2025-26 FAFSA Now Available

The 2025-26 FAFSA is now available (as of November 19, 2024)! Submit your FAFSA by March 3, 2025 for the 2025-26 academic year (Fall 2025, Spring 2026, Summer 2026).

In order to be eligible for funding through the FAFSA Application, you must meet the citizenship eligibility criteria for Federal Student Aid: 

PLEASE NOTE: Students who received a Social Security Number through the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrival (DACA), and who qualify for AB540, should complete the California Dream Act Application in order to be considered for state financial aid, as they are NOT Eligible for Federal Student Aid. 

In addition to citizenship status, you must meet the other general eligibility criteria for federal student aid.  Review the information from Federal Student Aid for details. 

Most students are eligible to receive financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college or career school. Your age, race, or field of study won’t affect your eligibility for federal student aid. While your income is taken into consideration, it does not automatically prevent you from getting federal student aid. To receive federal student aid, you’ll need to… Qualify to obtain a college or career school education, either by having a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or by completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law AND Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program AND Be registered with Selective Service, if you are a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25) AND Have a valid Social Security number unless you are from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau AND Sign certifying statements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form stating that you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe a refund on a federal grant and you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes AND Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school In addition you must… Be a U.S. CITIZEN or U.S. NATIONAL You are a U.S. citizen if you were born in the United States or certain U.S. territories, if you were born abroad to parents who are U.S. citizens, or if you have obtained citizenship status through naturalization. If you were born in American Samoa or Swains Island, then you are a U.S. national. OR Have a GREEN CARD You are eligible if you have a Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C, also known as a green card, showing you are a U.S. permanent resident OR Have an ARRIVAL-DEPARTURE RECORD Your Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must show one of the following: Refugee Asylum Granted Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending) Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980) Parolee OR Have BATTERED IMMIGRANT STATUS You are designated as a “battered immigrant-qualified alien” if you are a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act. OR Have a T-VISA You are eligible if you have a T-visa or a parent with a T-1 visa. Start filling out the FAFSA form at fafsa.gov. The U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid provides more than $120 billion in grants, loans, and work-study funds each year to help pay for college or career school. Visit StudentAid.gov today to learn how to pay for your higher education.

Fact Sheets:   

The FAFSA asks for important personal identification information as well as financial information. You may be asked to provide identification and financial information for your parents as well.  Details about the type of information, and documents needed to complete the application are available from Federal Student Aid. 

You or your parents may be able to have your tax & income information imported directly from the IRS into your FAFSA.  Learn more about providing financial information from Federal Student Aid. 



Transferring Data from the IRS:

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) Electronically Transfers Your Federal Tax Return Information Into Your FAFSA Form. WHY EASY: Transfer info with the click of a button. FAST: Instantly retrieve your information. ACCURATE: Correctly fill in your information. HOW Log in to your current FAFSA form or start a new application at fafsa.gov. In the finances section of the online form, you will see a “Link to IRS” button if you are eligible to use the IRS DRT. Click the “Link to IRS” button and log in with your FSA ID to be transferred to the IRS to retrieve your info. Once at the IRS site, enter your information exactly as it appears on your federal income tax return and click the “Submit” button. Check the “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA form” box, and click the “Transfer Now” button. You will know that your federal tax return information has been successfully transferred because the words “Transferred from the IRS” will display in place of the IRS information in your FAFSA form. For your protection, your tax information will not be displayed on either the IRS site or fafsa.gov. The IRS DRT can be used by both students and parents. To learn more about the IRS DRT, visit StudentAid.gov/irsdrt. Federal Student Aid An Office of the U.S. Department of Education Proud Sponsor of the American Mind®

Additional Resources: 

For FAFSA Applicants, you’ll need an FSA ID, a username and password combination that allows you to sign your FAFSA electronically. If you are a dependent student you should also have your parent request an FSA ID.  

You can get your FSA ID as you fill out the FAFSA, but getting an FSA ID before you begin the FAFSA could prevent processing delays, and it only takes a few minutes to apply. You can find out more information and apply for an FSA ID.  

All applicants for financial aid are considered either “independent” or “dependent.” Dependent students are required to include information about their parents on the application. By answering a few questions, you can get a good idea of which category you fit into.  Visit Federal Student Aid’s page on Dependency Status for information on the difference between a dependent and an independent student, and to determine your dependency status for financial aid purposes. 

Fact Sheets:

If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need to report parent information on your FAFSA. Visit Federal Student Aid’s page on reporting parent information to find out who counts as your parent, what to do if you don’t live with your parents, and what to do if you don’t have access to your parents’ financial information. 

The FAFSA Form & FSA ID Tips for Parents

Who is Your Parent When You Fill Out the FAFSA:

Dependent students are required to report parent information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). If you’re not sure whether you are a dependent student, go to StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency. For reporting purposes, “parent” means your legal (biological or adoptive) parent or stepparent, or a person that the state has determined to be your legal parent. Use this guide to figure out which parent’s information to include (depending on your family situation). Question 1: Are your parents married to each other? If yes, then report information for both parents on the FAFSA. If no, then answer question 2. Question 2: Do your parents live together? If yes, then report information for both parents on the FAFSA, even if they were never married, are divorced, or are separated. If no, then answer question 3. Question 3: Did you live with one parent more than the other over the past 12 months? If yes, then report information on the FAFSA for the parent you lived with more. Also, if this parent remarried, you will need to report information for your stepparent on the FAFSA. If no, then report information on the FAFSA for the parent who provided more financial support over the past 12 months or in the last year you received support. Also, if this parent remarried, you will need to report information for your stepparent on the FAFSA. The following people are not your parents unless they have legally adopted you: Widowed Stepparent Grandparents Foster Parents Legal Guardians Older Brothers or Sisters Aunts or Uncles If you’re not sure whom to report as a parent, you can visit StudentAid.ed.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info or call 800-4-FED-AID (800-433-3243). Federal Student Aid An Office of the U.S. Department of Education Proud Sponsor of the American Mind®

 Fact Sheets: 

In order to electronically sign your FAFSA, your parent(s) will need a valid Social Security Number in order to apply for an FSA ID. If your parent is not able to apply for an FSA ID, you can print a signature page by selecting Print Signature Page on the “My FAFSA” or “Signature Status” page. Visit Federal Student Aid for more details.

Your family is primarily responsible, to the extent they are able, for paying for your college expenses.  Under very limited circumstances, an otherwise dependent student may be able to submit the FAFSA without parent information due to special circumstances.

In situations such as the ones below, you may be able to submit your application without parent information despite being considered a dependent student: 

  • Your parents are incarcerated.
  • You have left home due to an abusive family environment.
  • You do not know where your parents are and are unable to contact them (and you have not been  
    adopted).
  • You are older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied, and are either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless. 

The online application will ask you whether you are able to provide information about your parents. If you are not, you will have the option to indicate that you have special circumstances that make you unable to get your parents’ information. The site then allows you to submit your application without entering data about your parents. 

Once you’ve submitted your FAFSA, you will need to reach out to our office to discuss your options.  Be sure to gather as much information and supporting documentation about your situation as you can (legal documents; letters from a school counselor, a social worker, or clergy member; any other relevant information that helps document your special circumstance). 

Fact Sheets:

Completing the FAFSA is not the last step; your FAFSA has to be processed, and then you get an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which Cal Poly Pomona uses to figure out how much aid you can get. Find out more about what happens after you fill out the FAFSA, how to review your Student Aid Report and how to correct any errors.