Applying for Aid

FAFSA FILER Process

1. Create an FSA ID that allows you to sign your FAFSA® form electronically. Find out how to get an FSA ID and what to do if you forget your FSA ID.  Important note: Beginning with the 2024-25 aid year, all contributors on a student's FAFSA (student, spouse, parent(s) and step-parent(s)) must have an FSA ID. 
2. Fill out the FAFSA at fafsa.gov The simplified 2024–25 FAFSA is expected to be available for students to complete in December 2023 with a priority deadline of May 2. Late applications can be submitted after May 2, although CSAC administered grant aid may not offered to late applicants. Include UC Riverside’s school code: 001316. Additional FAFSA Resources.
3. Make Sure Your FAFSA® Form Was Processed three to five days after the electronic application was completed. Visit fafsa.gov and log in with your FSA ID username and password to review your Student Aid Report and to add the school code of any additional schools you are considering. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, you can check its status after it has been processed (roughly 7–10 days from the date mailed).
4. Make sure your Cal Grant GPA verification was submitted (new undergraduate students). Most California high schools and California community colleges automatically submit students' GPAs for Cal Grants. Check with your school to make sure; if they don't automatically submit your GPA, download the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form and have your school submit it to the California Student Aid Commission. The Cal Grant GPA Verification Form must be completed and filed (postmarked) by March 4, 2024.
5. If you are selected to receive a Cal Grant, you will receive a California Aid Report. You can check the status of your Cal Grant application at WebGrants for Students.
6. If you’re an entering new student, you should check MyUCR for any updates to your financial aid. If you’re a continuing student, you should check R'Web.
7. Check your email often. Adjust your filters so that emails from finaid@ucr.edu always get through.
8. Admitted entering students should expect to receive an email with instructions to review their preliminary Financial Aid Offer approximately one week after the students is notified that they have been admitted to UCR.

Additional FAFSA Resources

CADAA FILER Process 

1. Fill out the California Dream Act Application (every year!) between January 1 and the priority deadline of May 2. Late applications can be submitted after May 2, although CSAC administered grant aid may not offered to late applicants. Include UC Riverside’s school code: 001316.
2. Sign the CA Dream Act Application electronically with your PIN and have your parent sign with their assigned Parent PIN (both PINS are issued on your behalf by the California Student Aid Commission).
3. Make sure your Cal Grant GPA verification was submitted. Most California high schools and California community colleges automatically submit students' GPAs for Cal Grants. Check with your school to make sure; if they don't automatically submit your GPA, download the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form and have your school submit it to the California Student Aid Commission. The Cal Grant GPA Verification Form must be completed and filed (postmarked) by March 4, 2024.
4. If you do not have legal immigration status, fill out an fill out an affidavit stating that you have filed or will file an application to legalize your immigration status as soon as you are eligible to do so.
5. If you are selected to receive a Cal Grant, you will receive a California Aid Report. You can check the status of your Cal Grant application at WebGrants for Students .
6. If you’re an entering new student, you should check MyUCR for any updates to your financial aid. If you’re a continuing student, you should check R'Web.
7. Check your email often. Adjust your filters so that emails from finaid@ucr.edu always get through.
8. Admitted entering students should expect to receive an email with instructions to review their preliminary Financial Aid Offer approximately one week after the students is notified that they have been admitted to UCR.

Additional CADAA FAQ

Additional CADAA Frequently Asked Questions 

• Is it safe for me and my family to provide the information that is on the CA Dream Act Application?

  Q. Is it safe for me and my family to provide the information that is on the CA Dream Act Application?
  A. CSAC and UCR will use the information you provide ONLY to determine if you are eligible to receive state and institutional aid. Out offices abide by the FERPA policy in place at UCR and we encourage students to reach out to us if they have any concerns or reservations which might prevent you from being able to complete the financial aid process successfully.

• Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream Act Application?

  Q. Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream
  Act Application?
  A. On the home page, www.caldreamact.org, go to “California Dream Act Information &
  Resources”. This page lists all the available options for getting additional assistance.

• Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream Act Application?

  Q. Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream
  Act Application?
  A. On the home page, www.caldreamact.org, go to “California Dream Act Information &
  Resources”. This page lists all the available options for getting additional assistance.

• Why does CSAC ask for income information from the year before I go to school?

  Q. Why does CSAC ask for income information from the year before I go to school?
  A. The law requires that this information be used. Studies have shown that verifiable income
  information from the prior tax year is more accurate than projected income information and
  provides a reasonable basis for determining family financial strength in calculating the
  amount a student can afford to pay toward the cost of their education.

• What should I do if my family has unusual circumstances?

  Q. What should I do if my family has unusual circumstances?
  A. If you or your family has unusual circumstances that you feel impacts your ability to pay for
  school (such as loss of employment, loss of benefits, death, or divorce), complete the CA
  Dream Act Application normally and submit it as instructed. Once your Financial Aid Offer is prepared, you will have the option to request a Change of Income appeal, to adjust data elements used to calculate your EFC.

• What should I do if I have a special circumstance and cannot get my parent’s data to report on the CA Dream Act Application?

  Q. What should I do if I have a special circumstance and cannot get my parent’s data to report
  on the CA Dream Act Application?
  A. If you are considered a dependent student by the application but have no contact with your
  parents and are unable to provide your parents data on the CA Dream Act Application, you may
  have a special circumstance. If you are completing the CA Dream Act Application online, answer
  the questions to the best of your ability then sign and submit the form for processing. If you are
  completing a paper application, complete as much of the form as you can, sign, and submit it for
  processing. Your application will be incomplete, and no EFC will be calculated, however, ONLY the
  financial aid office at the first school listed on your CA Dream Act Application will still receive
  your data. Contact our office for further assistance to complete your application.
  Note: Not living with your parents or the fact that your parents do not want to provide their
  information on your CA Dream Act Application are not considered special circumstances.
  Examples of special circumstances are when your parent or parents are incarcerated, or
  you had to leave home because of an abusive situation.

• If I live with an aunt, uncle, or grandparent, should that relative’s income be reported on my CA Dream Act Application?

  Q. If I live with an aunt, uncle, or grandparent, should that relative’s income be reported
  on my CA Dream Act Application?
  A. Generally, no. You can only report your birth parents’ or adoptive parents’ income on
  your CA Dream Act Application. Only if a relative has adopted you and is now your
  adoptive parent can you report that person’s information on your CA Dream Act Application. However,
  you must report for question 45(J) any cash support given by relatives except food and
  housing.

• I’m going to get married this summer. How do I answer the question that asks if I am married?

  Q. I’m going to get married this summer. How do I answer the question that asks if I
  am married?
  A. You must answer based on your marital status on the day you complete and sign your CA
  Dream Act Application. Answer “Yes” if you are married on the day you complete and sign
  your CA Dream Act Application, otherwise, answer “No.” If you answer “No” and then marry
  after you originally file your CA Dream Act Application, you cannot change your answer. If you
  are still married when you apply in future years, you will file as a married student at that time.

• If my parents are divorced, whose information do I need?

  Q. If my parents are divorced, whose information do I need?
  A. Report the information of the parent with whom you lived the most during the 12 months
  preceding the date you completed the CA Dream Act Application. It does not make a
  difference which parent claims you as a dependent for tax purposes. If you did not live with
  either parent or lived equally with each parent, the parental information must be provided
  for the parent from whom you received the most financial support during the preceding 12
  months or the parent from whom you received the most support the last time support was
  given.

• I am entering financial information for my mother and stepfather on the CA Dream Act Application. Should I give my father’s Social Security number (SSN) and last name, or my stepfather’s?

  Q. I am entering financial information for my mother and stepfather on the
  CA Dream Act Application. Should I give my father’s Social Security number (SSN) and last
  name, or my stepfather’s?
  A. If they have an SSN, you should provide the SSN and last name of the same person or
  people for whom you are reporting financial information. In this case, provide the SSNs and
  names of your mother and stepfather. If they have Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers
  (ITIN), provide those numbers. If they do not have an SSN or an ITIN, list all zeros in that field.

• What should I do if my parent that I live with is remarried and my stepparent refuses to supply information?

  Q. What should I do if my parent that I live with is remarried and my stepparent refuses to
  supply information?
  A. If you are a dependent student and your parent is remarried, the stepparent’s
  information must be included, or you will not be considered for student financial aid. If
  you believe that your situation is unique or unusual, other than your stepparent simple
  refusing to provide the requested information, you should discuss the matter further with
  your financial aid administrator.

• How does a family decide who should be counted in the household size?

  Q. How does a family decide who should be counted in the household size?
  A. Anyone in the immediate family who receives more than 50% support from a dependent
  student’s parents, or an independent student and spouse may be counted in the household
  size even if that person does not reside in the house. For example, a sibling who is over 24 but
  still receives most his/her support from the parents can be included. Siblings who are
  dependent (as defined by the CA Dream Act Application) as of the date you apply for aid are
  also included, regardless of whether they receive more than 50% of their support from the
  parents. Any other person who resides in the household and receives more than 50% support
  from the parents may also be counted, as long as they will continue to reside with
  your parents and the support is expected to continue through the award year. An unborn child
  who will be born during the award year may also be counted in the household size if
  the parents, or independent student and spouse, will provide more than half of the child’s
  support through the end of the award year. Household size and tax exemptions are not necessarily the same. Exemptions are used when filing taxes for the previous year, but household size refers to the school year that the student is applying for aid.

• My parents separated four months ago. I live with my mother. My parents filed a joint tax return and claimed me as an exemption. Do I report income for both parents, or for just for my mother?

  Q. My parents separated four months ago. I live with my mother. My parents filed a joint
  tax return and claimed me as an exemption. Do I report income for both parents, or for just for
  my mother?
  A. Report only your mother’s income and asset information because you lived with her the
  most. Use a W-2 Form or other record(s) to determine her share of
  the income reported and taxes paid on the tax return. On the application you would enter her
  information as “Parent 1.”

• If the student is separated but filed a joint tax return, how is the information reported?

  Q. If the student is separated but filed a joint tax return, how is the information reported?
  A. the student should give only their portion of the exemptions, income and taxes paid.

Financial Aid Application FAQS

• What if a student completed the wrong financial aid application?

  Q. What if a student completed the wrong financial aid application?
  A. First, we want you to know that the California Student Aid Commission honors the priority deadline of the first application submitted, even if it’s the incorrect application. If the wrong application was submitted, the student will need to complete the correct application. Additionally, California residents who complete the wrong application must contact CSAC at 1-888-294-7268 for help to complete the Application Conversion Form  to protect their eligibility for state aid programs.

• What if a student already completed the CADAA, and has now gained naturalized citizenship or became a permanent resident as a green card holder?

  Q. What if a student already completed the CADAA, and has now gained naturalized citizenship or became a permanent resident as a green card holder?
  A. The student should complete the FAFSA and contact CSAC at 1-888-294-7268 for help to complete the Application Conversion Form  to protect their eligibility for state aid programs.

• What if a student completed more than one CA Dream Act Application?

  Q. What if a student completed more than one CA Dream Act Application?
  A. An undocumented student who completed more than one California Dream Act Application will need to contact CSAC t 1-888-294-7268 to request help with getting their applications merged into one application.

• What if a student completed both the CA Dream Act Application and FAFSA?

  Q. What if a student completed both the CA Dream Act Application and FAFSA?
  A. A student who completed both the CADAA and the FAFSA will need to submit a completed Application Conversion Form  to the California Student Aid Commission to determine whether student will be eligible under either the CA Dream Act or the FAFSA. Provide a completed copy to the UCR Financial Aid office at finaid@ucr.edu to initiate a correction to your file.