Credential Programs

Teaching Credential students must be admitted into a teaching credential program and are required to complete a FAFSA every academic year. If selected for verification, they need to submit all required documentation to complete their financial aid file. After the file is verified and awarded, an award notification will be emailed. These students are considered undergraduates for financial aid purposes. They must be enrolled in at least 6 units to qualify for financial aid, and they must enroll in at least 12 units per semester to be considered full-time.

When completing the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), credential students must provide the following answers:

• What will your college grade level be when you begin the 2021-2022 school year? Answer: 5th year/other undergraduate
• What degree or certificate will you be working on when you begin the 2021-2022 school year? Answer: Teaching credential (nondegree program)
• At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program? Answer: No

If you are dually enrolled as a credential and masters student, you are considered a graduate student for financial aid purposes. You will not qualify for Pell Grants or Subsidized Direct Loans.

Additional Information for Credential Students

• You may be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, State University Grant (SUG), Cal Grant, and Federal Work-Study funding. You may also qualify for Federal Direct loans.
• Credential students are only eligible to receive Pell Grants and Cal Grants for coursework that is required by the State to receive a teaching credential, for the program in which they are enrolled. Courses not required by the State will not be funded, even if they are in related subject areas.
• To be eligible for a Pell Grant or Cal Grant, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units of coursework required by the State of California to receive a teaching credential. The Pell Grant and Cal Grant are not available for prerequisite courses, courses that are suggested as beneficial, or elective courses. Pell Grants and Cal Grants are available only for your initial credential. If you have completed a teaching credential, a second bachelor's degree, or a master's degree and have been awarded a Pell Grant or Cal Grant for the academic year, please contact our office immediately. Repayment will be required for any student who receives a Pell Grant or Cal Grant and has earned a teaching credential, second bachelor's degree, or master's degree.
• Students in an administrative, non-teaching credential program only qualify for private loans.
• Your eligibility for Federal Direct Loans is the same as for undergraduate seniors.
• The TEACH Grant is available for credential students who meet specific criteria.
• Changing enrollment or dropping classes after funds have been disbursed may result in a billing of grant funds already received.