External ScholarshipS & SCHOLARSHARE
External Scholarships
External scholarships are scholarships provided from sources external of SDSU, such as local clubs, churches, a national organization, or another entity.
External Scholarships must be reported to the SDSU Financial Aid Office. As part of San Diego State University’s participation in providing federal and state financial aid, federal law requires that all resources are considered when determining eligibility and awarding financial aid. Therefore, we will adjust the student’s financial aid when necessary.
External scholarships have varying requirements and deadlines, so make sure to review their individual application information carefully. Students should contact the external scholarship donor or organization directly with any further questions.
List of external scholarships: View a list of select scholarships not administered by SDSU.
Make Sure that the Funds are Correctly Mailed to SDSU
In order for SDSU to apply external scholarships to a student’s account, students should provide the external organization with the following mailing instructions:
If your scholarship donor requires additional information from SDSU before they can mail the check for your external scholarship, please email [email protected]. We'll help you provide the necessary information to your external scholarship donor or connect you with the appropriate office to assist with their request. Please Note: Some forms may require a FERPA release.
- Mail the scholarship check as soon as possible.
- Make the check payable to “San Diego State University.”
- Include your RedID and full name on the check.
- Indicate if the funds are intended for a particular semester or the full academic year.
- Mail the check to the following address:
San Diego State University
Attn: Scholarship Office
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7436
If the external scholarship organization sends the check directly to the student, and the check is made payable to “San Diego State University,” students should adhere to the following instructions:
- Ensure that your RedID and full name is on the envelope or check.
- Deliver the check to the SDSU Student Financial Center (located on the 3rd floor of Student Services West)
- OR Mail the check to:
San Diego State University
Attn: Scholarship Office
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7436
Please note: Students receiving external scholarships maintain the responsibility of meeting payment deadlines regardless of delays in the mailing or receipt of scholarship checks.
How are external Scholarship Funds Disbursed?
- External scholarships over $500 are automatically divided equally between fall and spring semesters, unless specified otherwise by the donor. To allocate the entire scholarship to the current semester, instruct the donor to email [email protected] with the approval for disbursement in a particular term (please specify the term).
- Like financial aid, external scholarship disbursements begin approximately one week before the start of each semester and can vary depending on when the scholarship check is mailed and received. Please note that the earliest any external scholarship funds can be released to your account is the initial disbursement date for each semester; funds cannot be released prior to this date, regardless of when they are received by SDSU.
- Please allow two to three weeks for processing external scholarship checks once received by the SDSU Financial Aid Office.
- For questions related to the date a scholarship check was mailed to SDSU, please contact the external scholarship agency.
Sending an external scholarship to SDSU via EFT/ACH
Please contact us at [email protected] for SDSU’s banking details and further information on how to submit scholarship payments by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or Automated Clearing House (ACH).
To properly apply scholarships to a student's account that are paid by EFT or ACH, SDSU requires donors to submit the following information to us at [email protected]:
- Donor Organization/Scholarship Name/Bank Name
- Date of wire transfer
- Total amount of wire transfer
- Student(s) full name and ID number
-
Semester and academic year for which the funds are intended, e.g., Fall 2025, Spring 2026, etc.
Verification of enrollment
Oftentimes the donor will require enrollment verification before they will send the check. Students may obtain enrollment verification from the Office of the Registrar, at (619) 594-6871 or their Virtual Front Desk via Zoom.
How do I report my external scholarship?
Students should send an email to [email protected] and include the following information:
- Full Name and RedID
- Name of Scholarship
- Name of Scholarship Donor
- Amount of Scholarship
- Which semester(s) and academic year are the funds intended for
ScholarShare
ScholarShare is California's 529 College Savings Plan. Learn how to withdraw funds from your savings account, if you have one.
Additional Questions
Contact the Cal Coast Student Financial Center, or email us at [email protected]