Financial Aid

What exactly is Financial Aid?
Financial Aid is the money you and your family can get for educational expenses. It’s designed to supplement the amount you and your family contribute. There are four basic types of financial aid: Grants, Scholarships, Work Study and Loans.

• Grants – awarded based on need; you do not have to repay a grant.

• Scholarships – awarded on special ability, academic achievement, religious affiliation, ethnic background, special interest, or random drawing; you do not have to repay a scholarship.

• Work Study – a federal program offering part-time jobs both on and off campus. You don’t repay work study funds because you’re trading work for financial aid.

• Education Loans – funds borrowed from a financial institution or the federal government. You must repay education loans, usually with interest.

Cal Grants
Two things are required for students to be considered for a Cal Grant: 1) Student submits his/her FAFSA or CADAA and 2) Student submits GPA to California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Roseville Joint Union High School District electronically submits GPAs for ALL Seniors. Therefore, once a student submits his/her FAFSA or CADAA, they will be automatically considered for a Cal Grant. Please do not try to submit GPA Verification Forms.

Once your FAFSA/CADAA is complete, wait a couple of weeks, and then go to https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/ to check the status of a potential Cal Grant award.

• File a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or CADAA (CA Dream Act Application) after December 1st of the Senior year. This establishes eligibility for grants and loans from the federal and state governments, such as Cal-Grants. Eligibility for this money is based primarily on parents’ income and assets in the year prior to the student’s freshman year in college.

  • You have nothing to lose by filing the FAFSA/CADAA – it’s free. Even if your family has a middle to high income, don’t rule yourself out. Factors other than income are weighed when calculating need. For instance, an applicant may have siblings who are also in college, parents who are older, or the family may have had a recent financial setback. Also, most colleges use FAFSA information to award their financial aid.

  • The FAFSA/CADAA is completed using parent tax information from TWO years prior. Therefore, if you are starting college Fall 2025, you will use tax information from 2023.  

  • Complete the FAFSA online here. Complete the CADAA online here.

    • These are the official websites. Do not go to a .com website. If you go to a .com site, you may be asked to pay to submit the FAFSA. Remember, the first F in "FAFSA" stands for "free" – Use the official government site to submit your application.

• The due date for the FAFSA/CADAA, if you want to be eligible for Cal Grant, is March 2nd each year. RJUHSD electronically files GPA verifications for ALL current Seniors and last year's Seniors.

• Your Social Security card and drivers license

• Your Federal Income Tax Return (2023)

• Your parents' Federal Income Tax Return, if you are a dependent student (2023)

• Your permanent resident card (if you are not a U.S. citizen)

FAFSA Student Helpline

• 1-800-433-3243

CA Student Aid Commission (for Cal Grant or CADAA questions)

• 1-888-224-7268

• studentsupport@csac.ca.gov

WUE Handout