Fall 2024 Financial Aid Disbursement

DISBURSEMENT - The payment of a student's accepted financial aid awards towards their current charges all at once.

If there are no financial aid related items on a student's To Do List, they should receive their financial aid disbursement on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) - Our first disbursement date for Fall 2024 semester.  We will always disburse their aid towards tuition charges first and any additional University fees after that.

1.) Log on to your SF State Gateway with your SF State Login

2.) Find the Launchpad section of your gateway and click on Student Center

SF State Gateway - Student Center

3.) Once at the Student Center, go to the Finances section and find the drop down menu tab with a circle arrow

4.) Select the Account Activity option and click on the circle arrow to proceed to the next page

Student Center - Finances (Drop Down Menu)

5.) The Account Activity page will show the following sections of the student's account:

Account Activity Breakdown
Column Description
Charge This section provides the student the breakdown and amount of fees that the University is charging them.
Payment This section is where students can keep track of their financial aid disbursement(s), third party payments, or out of pocket payments.
Refund This section shows the leftover funds being sent to the student after their financial aid disbursement(s).

IMPORTANT NOTE: We highly recommend clicking on the All Terms option and selecting Fall 2024 in order to get the most up to date information with your account.

Student Center - Account Activity (Payment Column)
Tuition payments for ALL students with financial aid attending regular university classes are automatically "Deferred" (Delayed) to the Fall tuition payment date. They will NOT be dropped from their classes for non-payment.

Events

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Financial Aid vs. Outstanding Fees

If a student's "Pending Financial Aid" is GREATER THAN their "Outstanding Charges," all their fees should be COVERED by their financial aid.

If a student's "Pending Financial Aid" is LESS THAN their "Outstanding Charges," the difference between the two is what they will have to PAY out of pocket.

1.) Log on to your SF State Gateway with your SF State Login

2.) Find the Finances section of your gateway and click on View Account

SF State Gateway (Full Picture) - View Account

3.) There should be two sections that you want to focus on in order to determine financial aid coverage:

Charges vs. Financial Aid Breakdown
Outstanding Charges What a student owes in fees
Pending Financial Aid How much the student is expected to receive from their financial aid disbursement
SF State Gateway - Account Summary

If a student's Pending Financial Aid amount is not what they expected, please make sure to review the following:

  • Student accepted all their Loan offers as shown in their 2024-2025 financial aid package
  • There are no financial aid related items on their To Do List
  • There are no financial aid related items on their Notifications or Holds & Alerts sections (Ex. Tuition Exemption - AB 540 Hold, FA Cal Grant Hold, FA SAP Hold, etc.)

Fall 2024 Important Financial Aid Related Dates

Fall 2024 First Disbursement Date
Date Event
August 21 - Wednesday First disbursement for Fall 2024 financial aid

If a student does not receive their aid on our first disbursement date, please do not worry!  Our office disburses any unreleased accepted financial aid every Wednesday for the rest of the semester as long as there is nothing financial aid related on a student’s To Do List or Notifications sections of their SF State Gateway.

For more information regarding how regarding how to view a disbursement, please click on the link provided down below.

Financial Aid Disbursement Guide Link
No student will be dropped from their classes for non-payment after tuition payment deadline date.
Fall 2024 Tuition Payment Deadline Date
Date Event
September 23 - Monday  Fall 2024 tuition payment deadline

For any students who still have an outstanding balance after the deadline, a One-time $20 late fee will be applied to their accounts by the Bursar's Office.

For more information regarding Fall 2024 tuition fees, please click on the link provided down below.

Fall 2024 Tuition & Fees Link
On-campus housing fees are due every month. Unlike the tuition payment deadline, these fees CANNOT be deferred.

A student's accepted Loans are usually what pays for a portion (If not all) of their on-campus housing fees. These funds will usually disburse on a Wednesday as long as there is nothing financial aid related on a student’s To Do List or Notifications sections of their SF State Gateway.

If a student/parent decides to pay the on-campus housing fees out of pocket, then they must work with Housing Office directly regarding that process. Please click on the link provided down below regarding how to contact their office.

Housing Office Contact Information Link

Financial Aid Disbursement Process FAQs

  • Enrolled in at least half-time amount (6 units for Undergraduate students / 4 units for Graduate students) for partial disbursement
  • Students with Grants must be enrolled in full-time status (12 units - Undergraduate / 7 units for Graduate) to receive the entire amount in "Accepted" column
  • There are no financial aid related items on their To Do List
  • There are no financial aid related items on their Notifications or Holds & Alerts sections (Examples: Tuition Exemption - AB 540 Hold, FA Cal Grant Hold, etc.)

If a student is not living on-campus or have any leftover aid after their financial aid disbursement, the Bursar's Office will issue them a refund based on:

Refund Process
Set-Up Timeline
Enrolled in Direct Deposit 3 to 5 business days from disbursement date
Not enrolled in Direct Deposit 1 to 2 weeks as a mailed check from disbursement date (Sent to listed mailing address on Student Center)

There are a few financial aid awards that are set-up to disburse after Census (When students can no longer add or drop classes for the semester). These awards are as follows: