How Your Financial Aid is Disbursed

Learning about Disbursements

When you qualify for financial aid, you might get payments called “disbursements” or “refunds.” These payments usually begin the week before classes start each semester.

Here's what you need to know about disbursements

Will my financial aid be applied to an outstanding account balance first?
Most of your financial aid will be used to pay for balance on your student account, like mandatory state and campus fees.
What happens to leftover money?
After all your charges are covered, any leftover financial aid is sent to you.
Chafee Grant exception
Chafee Grants are handled differently and may not follow the same process.
How can I utilize my financial aid?
Some grants are disbursed to you directly through BankMobile to use at your discretion for educational and living expenses:
Financial aid types that does not get disbursed are:
Some grants are applied towards your tuition and fees automatically and others are paid/disbursed based on the work or community service completed.
- CA College Promise Grant
- MiraCosta Promise
- Federal Work-Study (pays monthly based on hours worked)
- Dream Service Incentive Grant (pays based on community service hours or volunteer work)

Enrollment Requirements

Here are some basic rules about enrollment as it relates to financial aid:

Do I need to take 12 units?

Nope! You don't need to be enrolled full-time. However, if you take less than 12 units, your aid may be reduced or even canceled based on grant rules. For example:

Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Grant are the only aid you can receive if you're enrolled in fewer than 6 units (half-time).
The following types of financial aid do required that you are enrolled in 12 units:
- MiraCosta Promise
- Student Success Completion Grant
What happens if I make changes to my schedule?
Adding or dropping courses may impact your aid. If you find it necessary to drop some of your classes, you may be required to return all or a portion of the financial aid you've received. If your financial aid has not been disbursed and you add or drop a class, your financial aid will be adjusted. If your financial aid has been disbursed and you add or drop a class before the add/drop deadline, your financial aid will be adjusted. If your financial aid has been disbursed and you add or drop a class after the add/drop deadline, there will be no change to your financial aid.
Are all of my courses eligible for financial aid?
No! All the classes you take must be included on your educational plan or be required for your major to keep your aid. Contact an Academic Counselor to update your educational plan if needed. Learn more about our Academic Counseling services. Learn more about maximizing your financial aid.
Enrollment Deadline: Students must be enrolled by the financial aid enrollment deadline to receive their grants. Learn more about maximizing your financial aid.

Dropping and Withdrawing

Dropping or withdrawing from classes may decrease your financial aid and may even require you to pay back some or all of your grants.

Factors that are considered when a student drops or withdraws from a class are:

The amount of time you spent in the class (the date the class started and the date you dropped the course)
Whether you participated in the class (attended a class or submitted assignments) and the last date of participation.
You can visit the Welcome Center in Building 14 for more information.

We highly recommend you contact the Welcome Center if you are thinking about dropping a course to see how this may impact your financial aid. Additionally, you should meet with an Academic Counselor to discuss your academic plan moving forward.

How your Enrollment Impacts your Pell Grant

Your Pell grant eligibility is based on the number of units you are registered in. Your eligibility will be based on something called enrollment intensity.

What is Enrollment Intensity

Enrollment intensity is a percentage that shows how many units you are taking compared to a full-time course load. This percentage will determine how much Pell Grant money you can get. Your award will be based on the number of units you're taking.

The chart below applies only to the Federal Pell Grant. Other financial aid, like the Cal Grant, will use enrollment categories like full-time, 3/4 time, and 1/2 time. See the chart for details.

Units	Enrollment Category	Enrollment Intensity
12 (or more)	Full-Time	100%
11	Three-Quarter Time	92%
10		83%
9		75%
8	Half-Time	67%
7		58%
6		50%
5	Less-than-Half-Time	42%
4		33%
3		25%
2		17%
1		8%

Pell Enrollment Intensity Chart explained

Full-Time (12 or more units)
- You get 100% of your Pell Grant.
- This means you get the full amount of money you're eligible for.
Three-Quarter Time (9–11 units)
- You get 75% to 92% of your Pell Grant.
- This is a little less than the full amount, but still a good chunk!
Half-Time (6–8 units)
- You get 50% to 67% of your Pell Grant.
- This is about half of the full amount.
Less Than Half-Time (1–5 units)
- You get 8% to 42% of your Pell Grant.
- This is only a small portion of the full amount.

Remember: The fewer classes (or units) you take, the less money you're eligible for from the Pell Grant.

If you're not sure how this affects you, ask the Financial Aid Office for help! Visit the Maximize Your Aid page to learn how to get the most out of your financial aid.

Disbursement Dates

Each grant is disbursed in different increments and at different times of the semester. To receive your disbursements you must submit your FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application, clear holds, complete any required tasks and, submit required documents (if applicable). Processing time will vary based on the task and documents requested. See below for more details.

Steps to determining what date you will receive your aid:

Student's Responsibility
First, the student has to have all of the following completed:
- Must have the current academic year FAFSA or CADAA submitted
- Must be enrolled by the financial aid enrollment deadline
- Have all financial aid holds removed
- Have all requirements submitted to the Financial Aid Office (check your Tasks in Surf)
Financial Aid Office Process
After all of the above are completed, the Financial Aid Office will review the documents that have been submitted.
- The Financial Aid Office will review and complete the student's financial aid documents and financial aid file.
- The student's financial aid amounts may be adjusted based on the documents received. If that is the case the Financial Aid Office will adjust the financial aid amounts after they have reviewed the student's file
- Financial Aid Processing Timeline: The processing timeline of submitted documents varies based on the documents submitted but on average processing time takes two weeks.
  - This timeline will be longer during peak periods (for example during the beginning of the semester).
  - Appeals: Income Appeals, Dependency Appeals, and second SAP Appeals will on average take 3-4 weeks.
  - If any follow-up information is needed, this will extend the processing timeline.
Deadline to have all of the above completed
All of the above must be completed at least 10 days before the scheduled disbursement date to ensure the student will receive their disbursement on the scheduled date.

Note: Students enrolled in only late-start classes will not receive their disbursements until their classes have started.

2025-2026 Disbursement

Federal Pell Grant

First 25%

The first 25% amount is for students who have completed all requirements listed above at least 10 days before the listed date. There are multiple dates listed under the first 25%, this is so that each student is disbursed to as soon as they have completed all requirements on their student account. Students will only receive one 25% disbursement and this will be determined by the date all requirements are completed.

Remaining 75%

The remaining 75% amount is for students who have already received a 25% disbursement.

If all of the requirements (listed above) are not completed at least 10 days before any of the first 25% dates, students will receive 100% of their disbursements on the earliest possible disbursement date listed below.