Financial Aid

How to Apply

To be eligible to receive federal student aid, you must be pursuing an Associate Degree
or be in a non degree program (certificate) leading to gainful employment. For more
information about the completion rates, costs and median loan debt of our non degree
programs. Go to Gainful Employment.

Applying for state and federal financial aid is free. Simply complete the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA asks for information about a student's
family's finances, mostly from tax returns. But a student does not need to wait until
parents (or student) file a tax return - a student can use estimates from December
paystubs and other end-of-year records. The numbers can be corrected later, if necessary.
Meeting deadlines is more important than holding the FAFSA until a student has actual
numbers.

A student needs to file the FAFSA only once each year. There are paper and electronic
versions, both available in English and Spanish. Pick up the paper FAFSA at a college
or high school. The online FAFSA is available on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov

We suggest students file the FAFSA online as opposed to a paper FAFSA as our school
will get your information more quickly and with greater accuracy.

For Cal Grants A,B,C, a student needs to submit the California Student Aid Commission's
GPA Verification by March 2nd (or the second cycle of September 2nd if attending a
community college). In many cases, the college or high school submits the GPA on your
behalf. Please check with your high school or college to see if that is the case.

You'll receive an Electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) Information Acknowledgment in
the mail about 2 weeks after submitting your online FAFSA. If you provided your e-mail
address, you'll receive an e-mail with a link to your SAR on the Web in no more than
5 days. If you submitted your FAFSA by mail, you'll receive a SAR in the mail in approximately
4 weeks. The report contains a summary of information provided on the FAFSA and list
the student's expected family contribution - the number used to determine the eligibility
for state and federal aid.

Santa Barbara City College will receive your SAR information if we are listed as one
of the six schools. Our school code is 001285. After receiving your application, the
office may contact the student for additional information in order to complete the
student's file.