Pell Grant, Cal Grant, and Middle Class Scholarship are initially awarded based upon the assumption of full time enrollment, and will be reduced if a student drops below full time status by taking less than 12 units. UCSB Scholarship recipients must be enrolled at least half-time (6 units) to remain eligible for their full UCSB Scholarship amount awarded. Our office sends quarterly email reminders to all aid recipients reminding them of this policy.
On the 15th day of classes each quarter, an enrollment snapshot is taken by the Registrar's office. This is referred to as the “census” date. Shortly thereafter, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships receives the census enrollment data from the Registrar and reviews students’ captured units. Any reductions of financial aid based on census date units will show as a “bill-back” on a student’s BARC account for the amount of aid reduced. If a student’s Pell Grant, Cal Grant, and/or Middle Class Scholarship is reduced or canceled based on census units, it cannot be increased or reinstated if the student adds more units at a later date. Census reductions can only be reversed in the rare instance of administrative error, which must be corroborated by a letter directly from UCSB personnel acknowledging the error and providing supporting documentation.
Financial aid may also be reduced if a student receives a reduced fee program, such as a Part Time Fee Credit as a result of a deficit load. All grant recipients who are considering dropping below full time should first consult with our office prior to requesting a deficit load with their college and reduced fee program (Part Time Fee Credit) with the Office of the Registrar. Financial aid students who receive a Pell Grant, Cal Grant, UCSB Scholarship, Regents Scholarship, and/or Middle Class Scholarship may have these grants reduced further if they receive a Part Time Fee Credit (PTFC). This is because the fee reduction (PTFC) must be input into their award letter as “need-based financial assistance.” To account for this, other need-based grant funding must be reduced. When there is already a census reduction due to the deficit load, the financial aid reduction for census might already exceed the amount of the fee refund, in which case no further reductions to aid would be necessary.
Students who are on an approved deficit load for only one quarter can choose whether or not to apply for a fee reduction (PTFC). However, students who are approved for a permanent deficit load automatically receive the fee reduction (PTFC) and do not have the opportunity to decline it. Students must remain in 10 units or fewer for the fee reduction (PTFC) to be approved and applied.