1) You have a completed financial aid application.

2) You are enrolled in classes for the term.

3) You have completed all outstanding financial aid requirements on MyAwards for the funds you want to accept.

Generally, once fees are posted to a student’s UC Davis account for the upcoming term, the accepted financial aid offer for the term will ‘authorize’ towards paying the charges. Then, about 10 days before instruction begins, the accepted funds are credited or ‘disbursed’ to the account. If a student receives more funds than the balance due to the university, the remainder will be given to the student as a refund.

• Check your “Actions Required” on MyAwards and submit all required documentation to Financial Aid and Scholarships.
• Meet the policies and conditions for receiving aid as outlined in the Rights and Responsibilities.
• Be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units (including workload units) in order to receive your full aid eligibility. 
  • If you are enrolled in less than 12 units you will only receive a partial amount of Cal Grant, Middle Class Scholarship (MCS), and/or Pell Grant.
  • Once enrolled in 12 units or more your remaining Cal Grant, Middle Class Scholarship (MCS), and/or Pell Grant will disburse. 
  • Waitlisted course units do not count as enrolled. 

Pell Grant - through summer 2024: 

Disburses each quarter based on enrolled units. Students attending less than 12 credit hours are categorized as follows:

Summer offers two Pell lock dates given that summer courses are offered in mini-sessions during the summer period. Students that add or drop courses after the first freeze date will have their Pell Grant adjusted up and down with each add or drop of courses under full-time in Session 1, Special Session and/or Session 2. 

Pell Grant - beginning fall 2024: 

Disburses each quarter based on enrolled units. Enrollment intensity is measured in credit hours as a percentage of 12 credit hours for full-time: 

Students must complete academic participation by the 25th day of the quarter for fall, winter, and spring. The Pell grant will lock on the 25th day of the quarter and will not increase or decrease after that date with late adding or dropping of courses.  Students should be sure to register for, or drop, any coursework before the final fee deadline of each quarter to ensure correct Pell use. 

Additionally, students who are reported as not having attended a course with an F, I, IP, or NP grade are subject to Pell-recalculations once grades for the quarter have been posted. And any student who withdraws from all courses can have aid returned depending on when the final course drop for the quarter occurred. Visit Return of Aid for additional details.

Cal Grant and Middle Class Scholarship (MCS): 

Disburses each quarter based on enrolled units.

All Other Grants and Loans:

Disburses each quarter based on enrolled units.

Each quarter, prior to the payment deadline, all authorized aid for the quarter will be credited to your UC Davis account to pay your outstanding charges to the University (i.e., tuition and fees, on-campus housing, etc.). This will appear as Estimated Financial Aid and will pay your outstanding balances. You can view your current balance and previous billing statements online at MyBill.

For the most current outstanding balance, check MyAwards. Click on the Check Current Balance button at the bottom of the page.

• If there is a balance due after your Estimated Financial Aid has been posted, you are responsible for paying the amount prior to the payment deadline.
• If fees are not paid by the applicable fee deadline, for details on the Undergraduate and Graduate drop for non-payment process please visit Drop for Non-Payment & Late Fee Payment Deadline.

If your Estimated Financial Aid is more than the balance due on your account, the difference will be issued to you as a refund as long as your enrollment status remains the same. Please be aware there are changes that may affect your financial aid, even after the funds are disbursed. 

How do students receive their financial aid refund?

Students receive their financial aid refund either in the form of Direct Deposit (preferred method) or a paper check.

Direct Deposit (preferred method):

• To sign up, visit Direct Deposit or contact the Student Accounting Office located at 2100 Dutton Hall for other options.
• All authorized funds, including the Federal Pell Grant, are released to each student's UC Davis account approximately 10 days prior to the first day of the quarter, with any remaining amount issued as a refund.
• This disbursement schedule ensures students have access to obtain and purchase required books and supplies by the seventh day of the payment period, or in this case, the term for which financial aid is disbursed.

Paper check:

• Paper checks must be cashed within 160 days from the date of issue.
• For refund checks that include federal funds: If the check is not cashed within the timeframe by federal regulations, the check will be canceled and the funds will be recouped from the student's account. This may create a balance due on the student's account.

The deadline for adjusting enrollment for Pell and Cal Grant consideration for each quarter is the 25th day of instruction (for Summer Sessions, the last day to opt for Pass/Not Passed (P/NP) or to change units of variable-unit courses in Schedule Builder). Registration for all classes must be completed by this date to ensure the classes count towards Pell and Cal Grant eligibility. Please check the academic calendar for these published dates.