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 initial award is based on the assumption that you will be enrolled full time, 12 units or more.
- If you are a graduate student (pursuing a masters or doctoral degree), we base your initial cost of attendance and award on full-time enrollment, 9 units or more.
- After a semester begins, we adjust your award as needed based on your actual enrollment.
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.
- Federal Direct Loans must be reduced if you are not enrolled full time, and you are not eligible for Direct Loans at all if you enroll less than half time.
- 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.