Your financial aid offer is an important component of your financial fit at Colorado State University. We understand that waiting for your offer can leave you feeling like you’re in limbo. We’re here to ease your mind by sharing how to determine when you’ll receive it as well as steps to take in the meantime to be prepared.
When will I receive it?
Financial aid offer letters can be released as early as January for students starting in the fall. When you’ll receive yours depends on a couple of factors:
- When you applied for admission. The earlier you submit all of the application materials, the better. You must be admitted to CSU before you can be considered for financial aid.
- When you submitted the FAFSA to our Office of Financial Aid. The earlier you submit the FAFSA and list CSU as a school to receive it, the sooner you can expect to receive your offers.
TIP: Make sure that we have everything we need to determine financial aid offers. Log in to your RAMweb account to check that all required documents have been submitted.
What can I expect?
The types of financial aid that you can expect in your offer letter depend on a few factors.
Merit-based aid
Freshmen: CSU automatically considers incoming students for some scholarships. If you receive an admissions-based scholarship, you’ll see the scholarship name and amount listed in your admit letter.
Transfers: The scholarship selection process takes place outside of the admission decision and isn’t reflected in the admit letter. For more information about transfer scholarships, visit the Office of Financial Aid website.
Aren’t sure if you received a merit-based scholarship? Double-check your admit letter, check online via RAMweb, or contact your counselor for help.
TIP: Additional CSU scholarship opportunities may be available to you by filling out the CSU Scholarship Application (CSUSA), available between October 1 and March 1.
Need-based aid
This type of aid could include grants or work-study offers. What you receive is largely dependent on your or your family’s financial situation as reflected in the FAFSA. The Office of Financial Aid can take additional factors into consideration when reviewing your eligibility, such as special family circumstances or new/unusual financial situations. Contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss your situation if you feel your financial circumstances have changed.
Other aid
Aid that is not based on need, such as student and parent loans, may also be listed in your offer letter.
TIP: Outside scholarships, sometimes called private scholarships or external scholarships, are any scholarships that you have received from organizations not connected to CSU. These will not be reflected in your financial aid award but can still reduce your cost of attendance.
What should I do after I receive my offer letter?
Once you have your financial aid offer letter, you’ll be able to make a better assessment of financial fit. Your circumstances are different from every other student; only you and your family can decide what’s right for you.
Here are some steps you can take to make that decision:
- Look through your financial aid offers carefully to make sure you understand each part. Consider giving your parent or guardian access to view the offer letter online via FAMweb.
- Consider the Student Aid Index (SAI) that your offer letter calculates and evaluate that alongside the balance of “free aid” (i.e., support you don’t pay back, such as grants and scholarships) and student and/or parent loans that you’ll need to pay back during or after your college career.
- Use tools like the budget worksheet included in your offer letter, the college financing plan in your RAMweb account, or an online net price calculator which projects your cost of attendance over the course of your degree.
- While you use these tools, recognize that each year your merit- and need-based aid will change along with your personal circumstances.
- Recognize that your college education is an investment. Consider how your investment will help you reach long-term personal and professional goals.
Discuss this with your parents or loved ones, as well as your admissions counselor. And know that our financial aid counselors are ready to speak with you and your family to provide clarification and answer any questions you may have about your aid award.
