Financial Aid - Student Accounts - Cal Poly Skip to content Administration & Finance menu A&F Services my CalPoly login Search menu Financial Services Student Accounts Financial aid disbursement and loans * Fees * Fees Home * Fee Breakdown * Fee Descriptions * Fee Waivers * Summer Fees * Fee Governance & Policy * Payments * Payments Home * What to Pay * When to Pay * How to Pay * Payment Plans * Financial Aid * Financial Aid Home * Disbursement * Institutional Loans * Loan Information * Direct Deposit * Resources * Refunds * Refunds Home * Fee Refund Policy * Holds * Taxes * Forms * Video Guides * Video Guides Home * Share My Information * Contact TERM 202X Important Dates Fees Viewable - First Years: - 08/25/202X Fees Viewable - Returning: when enrolled starting 08/28/202X Financial Aid Disburses: 1/22/202X Fees Past Due: 12/07/202X - Class Cancellation: 12/16/202X Learn more * A&F Home * Student Accounts * Current: Financial Aid Financial Aid At Cal Poly, Student Accounts and our Financial Aid Office each have important roles in the release and application of your financial aid award. This page clarifies how your aid award is handled from the time your aid package is offered through the disbursement and application of the award towards charges each term. Choose the section that best applies to your questions. * The Basics - An Overview of Financial Aid * The Process - How Your Aid Award Moves Through the Student Account * Tools - A Calculator and other Resources to Help You Financial Aid Basics The Financial Aid process begins at the Financial Aid Office . They will assist you in securing resources such as grants, scholarships and federal loan programs to help you fund your education and meet ongoing payment deadlines. Questions about your award including amounts offered, To-Do List Requirements or why your financial aid is listed as "pending" but has not yet disbursed should all be directed to the Financial Aid Office . Call 805-756-2927 (1:30pm - 3:30pm, Monday through Thursday) or email [email protected]. Once aid is disbursed by the Financial Aid Office office each term - usually one week before classes begin - the Student Accounts Office takes over and applies your aid to unpaid financial-aid-eligible balances for that term. Once aid has disbursed and applied, there will either be remaining balances that need to be paid from personal resources or excess financial aid which is refunded to the student (or Parent Borrower in the case of a Parent PLUS Loan). Student Accounts handles any refunds of credit balances - whether those credits come from excess financial aid or personal payments. Check out our video tutorials to help you understand Charges, Payments, Registration Holds and how Financial Aid is applied. * Video Guides for Students * Video Guides for Mustang Supporters The Financial Aid Process Financial Aid is awarded for the year but is disbursed (released to the Student Account) and applied on a per term basis. Aid for one term can only be applied to balances due for that term. Example: Fall Semester aid cannot be used to cover a past due balance from the previous year or held on the Student Account and applied to spring. Cal Poly Charges Tuition-Registration one term at a time as a student becomes enrolled in classes for that semester. On Campus Housing and Dining charges are usually posted for one term at a time, and then split into monthly due dates and amounts automatically. When thinking about Financial Aid at Cal Poly, it is important to understand three key concepts - Deferral, Disbursement and Refunding. * Deferral The purpose of financial aid is to help you fund your education costs and pay balances each semester in a timely manner. Delays in the disbursement of financial aid can result in aid being released AFTER the due date. If you have Financial Aid pending, Cal Poly knows your aid will be disbursed, so we grant you an extension of the grace period for payment for the item type(s) that will be touched by that pending aid. Deferral is that extension of the grace period for payment from the system wide due date (visible to the student through their "Money Matters" tab, to supporters through "Share My Information" reports and through online payment portals under "Activity Details") until the day after all of your aid for the term has disbursed. The "Deferred by Financial Aid" indicator appears in the Money Matters tab, Account Balance Summary and most Share My Information reports next to any charge type that has been granted the extension. Note: the "Deferred by Financial Aid" indicator is not currently viewable in the online payment portals. * Disbursement Disbursement takes place when the Financial Aid Office sends your aid for the semester to Student Accounts so that we can apply that award towards balances that are financial-aid-eligible. Disbursement is the defining line between our two offices. Any questions about aid prior to Disbursement should be directed to the Financial Aid Office. Questions regarding what happens AFTER Disbursement should be directed to Student Accounts. The Application of Financial Aid is handled by the Student Accounts Office. Aid is applied to unpaid financial-aid-eligible balances for that term (only), first to Registration-Tuition, then to Housing and finally to Dining. * Remaining Balance Refunding Lorem Ipsulem Cum Laude Lorem Once your Financial Aid Award has been Offered and Accepted, and once Registration-Tuition for the semester has posted each term, the process will play out as listed above. Institutional Loans Resources Additional Financial Aid Tools Cal Poly Charges Tuition-Registration one semester at a time, based on enrollment. On Campus Housing and Dining charges are also posted one semester at a time and split automatically into monthly due dates and amounts. Unpaid Balances and Due Dates are visible to the student through their "Money Matters" tab, to supporters through "Share My Information" reports and through online payment portals available to students (through Money Matters) or their supporters (must be set up by the student). Here are some other tools-resources that may help you ... * Financial Aid Deferral Calculator This calculator is currently under construction. It is being reconfigured. This calculator's primary function is to help you estimate the amount of Financial Aid Required To Pay in Full for 2026-2027 Registration-Tuition, Housing and/or Dining Fees. Check back soon! * Fee Estimate Calculator Use this calculator to estimate Fees for the 2026-2027 Academic Year (including University Housing & Dining if living on campus). Which Cal Poly Campus are you Attending? San Luis Obispo Cal Poly Maritime Academy Are you an undergraduate student? Yes No, I'm a Graduate Student Are you an incoming First Year? Yes. I'm starting my university career at Cal Poly. No. I'm an incoming Transfer Student. No. I'm a Returning Student. When is/was your first semester of attendance? Summer/Fall semester of 2026 or later Summer/Fall semester of 2025 - Spring semester of 2026 Summer/Fall semester of 2024 - Spring semester of 2025 Summer/Fall semester of 2023 - Spring semester of 2024 Summer/Fall semester of 2022 - Spring semester of 2023 Summer/Fall semester of 2021 - Spring semester of 2022 Summer/Fall semester of 2020 - Spring semester of 2021 Summer/Fall semester of 2019 - Spring semester of 2020 Summer/Fall semester of 2018 - Spring semester of 2019 Spring of 2018 or before In which college is your Major Study focus? CLA - College of Liberal Arts CAED - College of Architecture and Environmental Design CAFES - College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences CENG - College of Engineering CSM - College of Science and Math OCOB - Orfalea College of Business Are you a California Resident? Yes No Which First Year Housing are you anticipating being in? Maritime Double Room Maritime Triple Room Maritime Quad Room Which Transfer Housing are you anticipating being in? Maritime Double Room Maritime Triple Room Maritime Quad Room Which Undergrad Housing are you anticipating being in? Maritime Double Room Maritime Triple Room Maritime Quad Room Which Graduate Housing are you anticipating being in? Maritime Double Room Maritime Triple Room Maritime Quad Room Which Cal Poly First Year Housing are you anticipating being in? Residence Hall Double Residence Hall Triple YTT Double YTT Quintuple New Hsg Bldg A Triple Suite Which Transfer Student Housing are you anticipating being in? Off Campus Single Apartment Double Apartment Which Returning Student Housing are you anticipating being in? Off Campus Single Apartment Double Apartment Which Graduate Housing are you anticipating being in? Off Campus Single Apartment Double Apartment In which First Year Campus Dining Program are you enrolled? First-Year Max First-Year Plus First-Year Limited In which Campus Dining Program are you enrolled? I'm not in Campus Dining Poly 5500 Poly 2350 Poly 1600 Poly 1100 CP 550 CP 275 In which First Year Maritime Dining Program are you enrolled? Weekly 7 Plan (19 swipes per week) Weekly 5 Pan (15 swipes per week) In which Maritime Dining Program are you enrolled? Weekly 7 Plan (19 swipes per week) Weekly 5 Pan (15 swipes per week) * Fee Breakdown - Tuition and Base Mandatory Fees Tuition and Base Mandatory Fees are separated into all their separate fee components with the specific charge amounts for each type shown. See the Fee Breakdown * Fee Descriptions ""Registration and Other Fees" includes Tuition, Academic Department fees and all other Mandatory Base Fees. For a full list of Mandatory Fee Types and brief descriptions, go to our Fee Descriptions page. See the Fee Descriptions Page Pay Online * Students Pay Here * Supporters Pay Here * Fees * Fee Breakdown * Fee Descriptions * Fee Waivers * Summer Fees * Fee Governance & Policy * Payments * What to Pay * When to Pay * How to Pay * Payment Plans * Financial Aid * Loans * Federal Aid * Institutional Loans * Exit Interview Options (Required) * Consolidation and Rehabilitation * Loan Consolidation Information * Eligible Loan Types * Loan Rehabilitation * Loan Repayment * Teacher Cancellation Provisions * Obtaining annual Student Loan Interest Paid Information * Disbursement * Refunds * Fee Refund Policy * Holds * Tax Information * Forms * Video Guides * Contact Us How to Pay Review accepted payment methods. Share My Info Set up supporter access. Supporter FAQ Answers for supporters. Student FAQ Answers for students. Student Accounts 1 Grand Ave, Building 01: Room 213 , San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 Counter Hours - 10:00am - Noon and 1:00pm - 4:00pm | Monday - Friday * Phone: 805-756-1428 * Fax: 805-756-2774 * [email protected] Phone Service Hours * Monday - Friday * 8:00am - 5:00pm Visit Instagram Visit Facebook Popular Links * Fees * When to Pay * How to Pay * Video Guides © California Polytechnic State University — San Luis Obispo, California 93407 — Phone: 805-756-1111 * Privacy Notice * Web Accessibility Statement * Non-Discrimination