Frequently Asked Questions

The first step is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application (CADAA). Please visit How to Apply for more information.

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Remember, this is a FREE application available at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa/.

No. Dream Act students should complete the CA Dream Act Application. Remember, applications must be completed by March 2nd to be eligible to receive a Cal Grant. If completed after those deadlines, Dream Act students are still eligible to receive the CCPG.  For more information on the CA Dream Act Application, please visit our CA Dream Act page.

The FAFSA/CADAA is available October 1st through June 30th of the following academic year. You can apply for FAFSA/CADAA anytime during those 21 months. For example, if you need to apply for the 2026-2027 FAFSA/CADAA, the application is open from October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027.

March 2nd is the priority FAFSA/CADAA filing deadline for most colleges and universities to be considered for Cal Grant. For California Community College students only, a second deadline of September 2nd has been established.

A Federal Title IV regulation requires colleges to ensure that students receive financial aid only for courses that count toward their declared degree or certificate and are necessary to complete their program. Course Program of Study (CPOS) is the process our college will use to ensure compliance with this requirement. See our CPOS Q&A for more information.

If you have completed 16 or more units at Fullerton College, the GPA Verification will be sent automatically for all students who have completed the FAFSA/CADAA prior to the March 2 deadline. If you do not have 16 or more units completed at Fullerton College, you will need to go to your prior school to have the GPA Verification completed.

The federal government and the state of California uses data provided on the FAFSA/CADAA to calculate a Student Aid Index (SAI). The Financial Aid Office calculates a student’s cost of attendance which includes tuition, living expenses, miscellaneous fees, book, etc. The cost of attendance minus SAI equals a student’s financial need which we then try to meet with federal grants, state grants, academic or talent scholarships, institutional grants, federal work study, and federal loans.

All students have the possibility of being selected for a verification process by the Department of Education or the California State Commission. Once a student completes the FAFSA/CADAA, they will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) or application data. On that SAR/data, the student will be informed if they are selected for verification.

If you are selected for verification, you can access the required forms by logging into your Dynamic Forms account. On this account, you will be informed of the necessary documents required to complete the verification process.

READ the requirements carefully, as incomplete documents may delay the disbursement of funds. If you upload incorrect or incomplete documents, the Financial Aid Office will have to reject it and request the correct form which could delay your award and funds.

The Financial Aid Office is required to obtain certain documentation from students based on their FAFSA/CADAA, which most of the time includes a Tax Return Transcript which is different than a 1040 Form. You can obtain a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS website or you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool through the FAFSA website to expedite the process.

See this IRS page to check your eligibility on how to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. CADAA students are, unfortunately, unable to do IRS Data Retrieval and will need to upload 1040 tax returns via your Dynamic Verification account.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) form allows information to be released to the student over the phone or via email. The student can also allow a parent or someone else to receive information on their behalf. No personal information will be released without a completed FERPA on file.

The FERPA form is available through your Dynamic Verification account. If it is not available to you, please contact the Financial Aid Office by requesting a call back through our QLess system or emailing your assigned Financial Aid Technician (contact information).

Students interested in federal work-study (FWS) must complete the FAFSA. Students who complete their 2026-2027 financial aid file by May 29, 2026 and have the highest financial need will be offered the award first. You can find out more information on our Federal Work-Study page. Students who have already been offered FWS should also reference the FWS Student Guide.

Students qualify as independent if they can answer YES to at least one of the following 2026-2027 dependency questions:

• Were you born before January 1, 2003?
• On the day you submit your FAFSA, are you married?
• Will you be enrolled in a master’s or doctorate program at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or currently serving on active duty?
• Do you have children or other dependents (excluding a spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal  residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2025, were you unaccompanied and either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

If you answered “No” to all of the above questions, you are a dependent student and must provide parental information on the FAFSA/CADAA. If you answered “No” to all questions but are unable to provide parent information, please email your assigned Financial Aid Technician (contact information) for guidance. 

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, you are an independent student and parental information is not required. Please note that answering “Yes” to some of these questions may require documentation first, before finalizing your status as an independent student. 

The Financial Aid Office Outreach Plan includes presentations in English and Spanish to students and parents regarding financial aid, workshops on completing the FAFSA or California Dream Act, in-person assistance in our Computer Lab (Building 100, Room 117), informational booths, on campus classroom presentations, and assistance on other parts of financial aid.

If a student, staff, or member of the public is interested in a financial aid presentation by the Financial Aid Office, pleas send an email to Financial Aid Outreach.