Overview
When financial aid is disbursed, it follows a specific priority order to ensure your most important educational costs are covered first.
The Priority Order of Charges
Financial aid is automatically applied to your account charges in the following order:
- Tuition and Mandatory Registration Fees (Highest Priority)
- Housing and Dining Charges (if applicable)
- Miscellaneous Charges (Bookstore, parking, health services, library fines, etc.)
Important Aid Restrictions
Cal Grants
Not all aid can pay for every type of charge. Under California state policy:
- Cal Grant A & B: These funds are restricted to paying only Tuition and Mandatory Registration fees.
- Impact: If your only source of aid is a Cal Grant, it will not automatically pay for your Housing or Bookstore charges, even if you have a "leftover" balance from the grant. You must pay those specific charges manually through TritonPay.
Parent PLUS Loans
Parent PLUS loan disbursement depends on the options selected during the FAFSA application process:
- Full Payment: Aid covers all account charges; any leftover amount is combined with other aid and refunded directly to the student.
- Full Payment with Directed Refund: Aid covers all charges; any leftover amount is refunded directly to the parent at the address provided in the FAFSA.
- Restricted: Aid can only pay for Tuition, Fees, and Housing. It will not cover miscellaneous charges (parking, books, etc.). Any leftover balance is refunded to the parent.
Understanding Your Refund
If your total aid exceeds your charges, the remaining credit balance is sent to you as a refund. On your TritonPay account, this appears as a "charge" (a payout) to balance the account. Look for these descriptions:
- Fin Aid Rfn Ck or Direct Dpst, OR
- Financial Aid Refund