You are attending San Francisco State University (or are thinking about attending) and want to know what kind of financial aid you qualify for. Where do you start?
Start off by submitting a financial aid application!
All students must submit either a Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a California Dream Act Application (CADAA) every year. To ensure that SF State receives your financial aid application, complete the following steps:
- File the correct financial aid application for the correct academic year
- List SF State as your top school of choice on your application (School code: 001154)
The academic year order here at SF State goes: Fall, Spring, & Summer
EXAMPLE: A student files a 2024-2025 financial aid application to receive financial aid for the 2024-2025 school year (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, & Summer 2025) here at SF State.
Which Application Do I Complete?
- US citizens
- Permanent resident (Green card holders)
- Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) with status from USCIS such as:
- Refugee
- Asylum Grant
- Cuban-Haitian entrant
- Condition entrant (Before April 1, 1980)
- Parolee
- T-Visa holder
- Battered immigrant qualified alien - Included children under Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
- Citizen of the Federated State of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau
- Undocumented students
- DACA recipients (Active or expired)
- U-Visa holders
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants must be confirmed as AB 540/SB 68 eligible by the Admissions Office (Undergraduate or Graduate) at SF State.
- INELIGIBLE to apply for either a FAFSA or CADAA
If you are an international student, we recommend contacting the Office Of International Programs (OIP) regarding admission and possible financial aid assistance.
Do NOT miss the State Priority Deadline!
All California residents and AB 540 Dream students MUST complete their financial aid applications by the State priority deadline every year in order to be considered for State financial aid! The date for the deadline is usually March 2nd of every year. Applications submitted after that date will result in the student being INELIGIBLE for any State-based aid.
- If a student is are applying for admissions for just the Spring semester at SF State, the State priority deadline of March 2nd still applies.
- If a student misses the March 2nd deadline, they may still fill out a FAFSA/CADAA to be evaluated for either Federal or Institutional aid ONLY.
- AB 540 Dream students will most likely NOT receive any financial aid if they miss the March 2nd deadline!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Financial Aid Applications
New financial aid applications always open on October 1st of every year! The applications close on June 30 (two years after) October 1st date.
Make sure to follow these steps when completing your financial aid application:
- List SF State as your TOP school of choice - Select San Francisco State University and list our School Code (001154) in the "Colleges" section. If you do not add SF State, we will never receive your application and therefore cannot evaluate you for any financial aid.
- Complete the correct academic year - Be aware of the school year you are completing your application for. This is especially crucial for Spring start students! (Ex. 2024-2025 FAFSA/CADAA for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025, & Summer 2025 semesters)
- Provide the correct tax information - Students and parent(s) will be asked to report tax information for two years prior (Ex: 2022 tax information is required for a 2024-2025 application).
Upon submitting your financial aid application, it will take our office about a week to receive your information. You will be e-mailed through your SF State e-mail one of these two things once your application has been successfully registered in our system:
- You've been awarded financial aid for the designated school year you are admitted for
- You are required to submit additional items to our office which can be found on the To Do List of your SF State Gateway
If you are required to submit additional documents to our office, that means that your financial aid application was selected for Verification (Further review). For more information regarding the verification process, please click on the link provided down below.