Financial Aid
Steps & Resources

Apply on-line at 2025–26 FAFSA® Form Now Available! Deadline: Priority filing by March 3rd.

Students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in applying for financial aid to help cover the cost of college. By completing the FAFSA, undergraduate students can qualify for federal grants, Federal Work-Study (FWS), and federal loans, as well as state and school-based aid like the Cal Grant (Undergraduate).

For graduate students, the FAFSA allows you to access your maximum federal loan eligibility as well.

Remember that the FAFSA is always FREE. Never pay to apply for financial aid!

PAU's Federal School Code is 021383. Please ensure that you have added Palo Alto UNIVERSITY to your FAFSA - there is a college in Texas also named Palo Alto, and we want your FAFSA data to come to us here at PAU!

The FAFSA Submission Summary, formerly known as the Student Aid Report (SAR), can tell you about your financial aid eligibility, potential schools, making corrections or changes to your FAFSA form, and next steps as you prepare to receive aid offer letters.

Your FAFSA Submission Summary will be emailed or mailed after FAFSA processing.

Review it carefully and correct any errors online. Updates may take up to 2 weeks to process.

Once the FAFSA is processed by the Federal Student Aid (FSA), they will send you an email regarding your FAFSA Submission Summary.

If an email is not provided on the FAFSA, a paper FAFSA Submission Summary will be mailed to the address provided.

2. Receive Student Aid Report (SAR)

Once the FAFSA is processed by the Federal Student Aid (FSA) an email will be sent regarding the Submission Summary (SAR). If an e-mail is not provided on the FAFSA, a paper SAR will be mailed to the address provided.

Read the SAR carefully and perform any corrections on-line as necessary.

If corrections are made, allow 2 weeks for the FAFSA corrections to be processed and for our office to receive your updated FAFSA data.

PAU will notify you via email if extra documentation is needed.
Check your student portal and email regularly for updates.
Submit any required forms or documents promptly.

PAU reviews your application and documents within 1–2 weeks of receipt.
Stay updated by checking your email and portal frequently.
Review your award letter via the financial aid portal.

Evaluation Process: 1 – 2 weeks

Once all requested documents are submitted to our office, the 1 – 2 week evaluation process will commence. Your application status may change and/or additional documents may be requested from you. Please check your email frequently.

Log in to the financial aid portal to accept, modify, or decline your award.
Complete required forms, such as loan acceptance or those needed for the verification process.
Funds are disbursed prior to the start of each quarter.
Set up direct deposit for faster refunds or pick up checks at the business office

Award Notification

Your award notification will be sent via email with instructions to log in to the financial aid portal to accept/modify/decline your loans. Please remember to check the 'Forms to Complete" tab to determine if any additional documents are needed. No paper notices will be mailed.

Disbursement of Funds

Financial aid is disbursed prior to the start of each quarter after confirmation of enrollment. The financial aid funds posted to your account will be used to cover your tuition and fees. Any remaining balance with be refunded directly to you. You have the option to enroll in direct deposit by completing the Direct Deposit Form available in the student portal and submitting to the Business Office. Students who do not wish to enroll in direct deposit, will have to pick up their paper check from the business office during regular business hours.

Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA as an undergraduate and 3.0 for graduate students.
Make sure to update your contact information (mailing address, email, phone numbers) with the University and check your email often.
Ensure that you meet Satisfactory Academic Progress each quarter and that the classes enrolled count towards your degree program.
Consult with our office if you have any questions or problems during the quarter.
Remember to file for financial aid every academic year by the priority deadline of March 2nd.

Special or Change of Circumstances

If you have special circumstances or a change in circumstances since your original application was filed (such as a parent's loss of employment, retirement, or change in support of a dependent), you can ask us to review the changed circumstances by submitting a letter defining the situation and providing actual figures. If warranted, we can recalculate your eligibility. Please attach appropriate documentation of the circumstances we are reviewing. Please also note, that if an applicant's FAFSA dependency status changes at any time during the award year, the applicant must update the FAFSA information, except when the update is due to a change in his/ her marital status. Please contact our office for further details and Special Circumstances form.

Financial aid is federal, state, institutional or private assistance that comes in the form of grants or scholarships, Federal Work-Study (FWS), and student loans, grants and scholarships do not need to be repaid, while loans must be repaid starting six months after you leave school or fall below half-time enrollment according to your program’s requirements.