Financial aid awards are calculated based on the number of financial aid-eligible units you are enrolled in each semester at the time of disbursement. Units added after initial disbursement may not be paid until later in the term.
| Type of Financial Aid | Date Disbursement Begins |
|---|---|
| Federal Direct Loans | One day before start of semester |
| Federal Grants | First week of semester |
| State Grants | Second week of semester |
All aid is disbursed weekly thereafter as you become eligible for disbursement.
A change in enrollment or an increase in aid eligibility may cause an overaward, which will stop future disbursements until resolved. Overawards may result in students having to repay funds in excess of eligibility.
Receive Your Aid/Refund
To ensure you receive your financial aid, make sure to monitor activity in your eServices and Los Rios Gmail (wID@apps.losrios.edu) account, including the following:
- Clear all Financial Aid holds listed in the "Holds" section.
- Submit all "Required" and "Assigned" To Do List Items promptly.
- Understand unit requirements in relationship to your award type and amount.
- Check your class eligibility in your eServices.
Refunds
Outstanding fees are deducted from financial aid before calculating a refund.
Refunds are delivered after disbursement using BankMobile. Be sure to set your BankMobile preference. There are two methods by which your financial aid refund is delivered:
Refund Method 1: Checks
Students under 16 and/or students who are undocumented will receive a paper check from Los Rios Community College District. Checks are usually mailed approximately two weeks after your disbursement and are mailed to the address you have on record with the Admissions and Records Office.
Refund Method 2: BankMobile Disbursements
What is BankMobile Disbursements?
Los Rios delivers your refund with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution powered by BMTX, Inc. For more information, visit BankMobile Disbursements Refund Choices.
View our third-party servicer contract for refund management.
Getting Your Personal Code
If you need a personal code, then you can follow these steps to request one:
- Go to refundselection.com and click on Need a Code?
- Enter "Los Rios Community College District" in the School Name box.
- Enter your student ID number in the Student ID box, including the "W" – for example, W1234567.
- Enter your Los Rios Gmail email address in the Email Address box – for example, W1234567@apps.losrios.edu.
- If you have not yet created a profile, then the website will confirm your name and ask if you would like to have a code sent to your Los Rios Gmail. Click Yes.
- Check your Los Rios Gmail for the code to start the refund selection process.
If you get an error message, make sure your mailing address on eServices is correct and contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance.
Canceling Aid
You have the right to cancel all or a portion of your aid and to return funds:
- For grant aid, any time within the academic year (though sooner is recommended
- For federal direct student loans, within 14 days of disbursement. After 14 days, repayment can be made through your loan servicer.
Complete the Decline of Aid Form to initiate the change. Allow at least 10 business days for the form to be processed. Once it is processed, if you are returning funds, you will be sent a Billing Notice in your eServices message center with instructions on how to return funds.
Pell Unit Requirements
Beginning in fall 2024, enrollment categories will be replaced with a new term: enrollment intensity.*
Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent. For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 or more units and the student is enrolled in 7 units, the enrollment intensity would be (7/12) x 100% = 58%.
For the 2024-2025 award year and thereafter, a student's scheduled Pell Grant award is multiplied by the student's enrollment intensity percentage to determine the Annual Pell Grant Award.
| Units | Enrollment Category (Old) | Enrollment Intensity (New) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 (or more) | Full-Time | 100% |
| 11 | Three-Quarter Time | 92% |
| 10 | Three-Quarter Time | 83% |
| 9 | Three-Quarter Time | 75% |
| 8 | Half-Time | 67% |
| 7 | Half-Time | 58% |
| 6 | Half-Time | 50% |
| 5 | Less-Than-Half-Time | 42% |
| 4 | Less-Than-Half-Time | 33% |
| 3 | Less-Than-Half-Time | 25% |
| 2 | Less-Than-Half-Time | 17% |
| 1 | Less-Than-Half-Time | 8% |
* At this time, the update to Enrollment Intensity only applies to the Federal Pell Grant. Other forms of aid will continue to be awarded based on Enrollment Category (full-time, three-quarter time, half-time, and less than half-time).
Cal Grant and Student Success Completion Grant
Funds for these types of aid require students to be enrolled in at least six (6) units of financial aid-eligible classes.
Cal Grant and Student Success Completion Grant disbursements are based upon the number of units students are enrolled in on the Cal Grant Recalculation date or Cal Grant disbursement date. This means that if a student becomes eligible for Cal Grant after the recalculation date and has dropped classes, we will only pay for the classes the student is still enrolled in when we disburse the aid.
| Units | Cal Grant and SSCG Enrollment Category** |
|---|---|
| 12 (or more) | Full-Time |
| 11 | Three-Quarter Time |
| 10 | Three-Quarter Time |
| 9 | Three-Quarter Time |
| 8 | Half-Time |
| 7 | Half-Time |
| 6 | Half-Time |
| 5 | Less-Than-Half-Time |
| 4 | Less-Than-Half-Time |
| 3 | Less-Than-Half-Time |
| 2 | Less-Than-Half-Time |
| 1 | Less-Than-Half-Time |
** Enrollment categories for the Cal Grant and SSCG may change based on Cal Grant reform in late Spring 2024.
Federal Supplement Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Direct Student Loan Requirements
To receive an FSEOG or federal direct loan, students must be enrolled in at least six (6) units of financial aid-eligible classes. For direct loans, if a student is enrolled in a single semester and it is their final semester (graduating or transferring to a four-year institution), then they can request their direct loan be prorated based on the total units enrolled and remaining eligibility.
Repeating a Course
Federal regulations require federal aid may only be awarded to a student once for a previously passed course.
In addition, the following enrollment situations do not count as enrolled units and are not counted for financial aid disbursement purposes:
- Waitlisted classes
- Late-start classes (these will be counted toward disbursement once the class begins)
Overaward
Before each disbursement, the system will verify the number of units you are currently enrolled in and disburse aid accordingly.
An overaward occurs when a student is disbursed aid in excess of their eligibility. For example, aid was disbursed for 12 units, but the student's enrollment dropped to nine (9) units at the recalculation date. That student may be required to repay funds that they already received.
Aid may also be recalled from BankMobile or students may be billed for aid in excess of eligibility.
Students are required to repay aid for which they are determined to be ineligible. Billing notices are sent via the eServices Message Center with detailed instructions.