How Enrollment Affects Your Aid

Most aid programs and award amounts are affected by your units and the amount you pay for basic tuition and fees. You pay lower tuition and fees if enrolled for 6 units or less.

Learn about how your enrollment can affect your financial aid award:

• Adding or dropping units
• Award adjustments
• Less than half time enrolled units
• Withdrawing from SDSU
• Concurrent enrollment at another college
• Graduate enrollment (thesis, dissertation, or clinical internship; second master’s degree)

Award assumptions prior to your enrollment

• If you are an undergraduate or teaching credential student, your award before census is based on the assumption that you will be enrolled full time, 12 units or more.
• If you are a graduate student, we base your cost and initial estimated loan eligibility on the assumption that you will enroll for 6 units. Your grant or scholarship awards may be based on full-time enrollment (9 units or more for a graduate student).
• After census, we make award adjustments based on your enrollment status.

If you are not enrolled full time

Some aid amounts will be reduced or canceled if you enroll in fewer than 12 units as an undergraduate or teaching credential student or fewer than 9 units as a graduate student.

You must be enrolled at least half time to receive some amount from most aid programs, including student loans. If you enroll less than half time, you begin your grace period and repayment of your student loans.

These are some of the financial aid programs and how the award amounts may be affected by your enrollment:

• Educational Opportunity Program Grant is canceled if you are not enrolled full time.
• Pell Grant and Cal Grant amounts are reduced if you are not enrolled full time.
• State University Grant, Cal Grant, and MCS are reduced or canceled if you pay the lower basic tuition and fees for 6 units or less.
• Some scholarships require that you enroll full time to receive the funds. Be sure to review the requirements for the scholarship(s) you are receiving.

Your Enrollment May Affect Your Award Amount

Your award amount will likely change if you enroll less than full time.