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Financial Aid

Applying for Financial Aid

All students who are interested in receiving scholarships and financial aid during their time at CDSP, please review and follow these steps:

1. Complete the CDSP Domestic Application for Financial Aid.

2. FAFSA: The FAFSA form is not required to complete your application for admission. We will provide further instruction to applicants once the FAFSA application is updated in December. Do not complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA form.

3. Submit any outstanding items to complete your application for admission to CDSP. Your eligibility for aid is finalized only after your application for admission has been processed. The priority deadline for admission applications and financial aid applications is March 15. See the Applications page for more information about how to apply. Note that to be eligible for financial aid, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units per semester and must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. See pages 39-41 and 43-48 of the Academic Handbook for more information about the school’s Satisfactory Academic Progress and Financial Aid policies.

**International Students should skip the FAFSA and submit the CDSP International Application for Financial Aid instead of the Domestic application linked above.**

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@cdsp.edu or call (510) 204-0714.

Student Employment

Eligible students are encouraged to consider employment as a source of financial support.

Two programs are available, Federal Work Study (FWS) and the Institutional Work Program (IWP). These programs allow students who are eligible for need-based aid to do part-time work, for which they are paid an hourly wage. The FWS program is jointly funded by the federal government and CDSP. The IWP is funded solely by CDSP. Jobs include assistance in administrative offices, maintenance work, gardening, and off-campus service placements (FWS only).

Work study allows a student to earn money throughout the year, which can be paid toward the student’s account or used for other expenses. As with other jobs, students receive a paycheck for their work, based on timesheets approved by their supervisor.

Prospective students should discuss the work-study option with the CDSP Financial Aid Office.

Student Loans

CDSP participates in the Federal Direct Loan program.

Government Student Loan Programs

CDSP participates in the Federal Direct Loan program. Through this loan program, eligible financial aid applicants may borrow federal unsubsidized loan funds to help meet the cost of educational expenses. If you are interested in borrowing a federal student loan, submit the FAFSA and let the CDSP Financial Aid Office know the amount of the loan you would like to take out in your response to the award letter you receive.

About the Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loan: A student is not required to demonstrate financial need to receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The Financial Aid Office will determine the amount an eligible student can borrow, up to an annual maximum of $20,500. A student’s total financial aid package (including loan funds, scholarships, grants and work study) cannot exceed the total cost of educational and living expenses (“Cost of Attendance”) as determined by the Financial Aid Office.

Interest accrues (accumulates) on an unsubsidized loan from the time it is first paid out. The interest may be paid while the student is in school and during grace periods and deferment or forbearance periods, or the interest may accrue and be capitalized (that is, added to the principal amount of the loan). Choosing not to pay the interest as it accrues will increase the total amount a borrower will have to repay as interest will eventually be charged on a higher principal amount, once that interest is capitalized. Accrued interest is capitalized once the loan enters repayment.

The interest rate for a Graduate Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loan disbursed on or after July 1, 2018 and before July 1, 2019, is fixed at 6.6%.

To apply for a federal student loan, submit the FAFSA and contact the CDSP Office of Financial Aid with any questions.

For more information about federal loans, visit the Department of Education Student Aid website.

Veterans Educational Benefits: CDSP students who have served in the United States Armed Forces may receive veterans educational benefits while attending CDSP. For further information, please contact the Dean of Students at 510-204-0715.