Important Dates and Disbursement Dates

51ÂÜÀò
2025-2026 Disbursement Schedule

Pell Grant Policy: Disbursements are prorated based on enrollment status at the time of calculation approximately 5-10 days prior to disbursement. Disbursements will be made to eligible students with complete financial aid files (See deadline for Completed Files on Disbursement Calendar) that have Pell awarded, are enrolled in full term courses and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) per criteria established by the 51ÂÜÀò Financial Aid Office.

Note: If you have been awarded a Federal Pell Grant, or any other type of aid, it will be automatically accepted in the award letter. Although you may be registered, you must be in attendance and your classes must have already started to receive a disbursement for those classes. Classes must begin for units to be included in first disbursement; otherwise they will be included on subsequent disbursements. For students whose financial aid files were incomplete at the beginning of each semester or were awarded later in the term, payments will be issued on subsequent disbursement dates.

Cal Grant Policy: Disbursements are prorated based on enrollment status at the time of calculation approximately 10-14 days prior to disbursement. Cal Grant requires at least 6 units to qualify. Cal Grant will be disbursed on scheduled disbursements contingent upon receiving funding from the state.

Other Awards: Disbursements are prorated based on enrollment status at the time of calculation for each primary semester. Direct Loans require 6 or more units to qualify; Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG) requires 12 or more units. FSEOG funds will be released in one payment per semester.

Eligible 51ÂÜÀò students will receive their financial aid disbursements with Bank Mobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc.  Always keep your preferred mailing address with Admissions up to date to avoid delays. New students will receive a green welcome packet in the mail and an email from BankMobile to your 51ÂÜÀò panther email account with a personal code. The personal code will grant you access to the BankMobile system so that you can choose how you want to receive your disbursement, if eligible. Returning students may update their refund preference at any time by logging into your existing account. Once you receive your Financial Aid Disbursement Notification from Bank Mobile Disbursements, you can expect to receive your funds based on the method that you selected. For more information about Bank Mobile Disbursements, visit this link: . Receipt of a green welcome envelope does not indicate a student’s eligibility for financial aid. Check MyChaffeyPortal and your Panther email to verify eligibility for financial aid.

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)

 

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 instructions on how to return funds.

Students who are on Warning, Monitoring, approved appeal or may have been reinstated after Summer, Fall and Spring terms grades posted, may experience a financial aid disbursement delay in their next semester until grades are posted and SAP is evaluated.

Important Dates

Dates Action
NOW Submit your FREE Federal Student Aid () or California Dream Act () Application 2025-2026 

April 2 

(25-26 only)

2025-2026 Financial Aid Application Priority Deadline

Deadline to apply for a Cal Grant for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 
(Community College, University, State School and Private Institution Deadline)

May 4 Last day to submit a Spring 2026 SAP Appeal  
May 4 Last day to submit 2025-2026 Special Circumstances: Family Contribution Appeal/Dependency Appeals
April 28 Last Day to submit Direct Loans Packet
May 20 Deadline to submit Spring 2026 verification documents 
June 30  Last day to submit 2025-2026 FAFSA for students enrolled in Summer 2026 
July 24 Last day to submit SAP appeals for Summer 2026 
September 2

Deadline to apply for a Cal Grant for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 
(For Community College Students Only!)

October 1

2026-2027 Available

 

FALL 2025 Financial Aid Disbursement Schedule

Fall 2025 Disbusements
Acceptance date by: Funds Available to students by: Award Type
Tuesday, August 5

Thursday, August 14

Pell 1st Disbursement

Tuesday, August 19 Thursday, August 28 Pell

Tuesday, September 2
Direct Loans: Tuesday, August 26

Thursday, September 11
Direct Loans: Thursday, September 11
Pell, Direct Loans
Tuesday, September 16
Direct Loans: Tuesday, September 9
Thursday, September 25 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SEOG

Tuesday, September 30

Direct Loans: Tuesday, September 23

Thursday, October 9 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SEOG
Monday, October 13
Direct Loans: Monday, October 6
Thursday, October 23 Pell 1st & 2nd, Cal Grant, Fast Track II, FSEOG, Direct Loans, SSCG
Tuesday, October 28
Direct Loans: Tuesday, October 21
Thursday, November 6 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SEOG, SSCG
Tuesday, November 11
Direct Loans: Tuesday, November 4
Thursday, November 20 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SEOG, SSCG
Monday, December 1
Direct Loans: Monday, November 24
Thursday, December 11 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, FSEOG, SSCG

*25-26 First Cal Grant disbursement; Cal Grant is depended on receipt of funding from State funding. Students who withdraw from all classes after October 24, 2025 will have earned 100% of their Federal award for Fall 2025.

SPRING 2026 Financial Aid Disbursement Schedule

Spring 2026 Disbursements
Acceptance date by Funds Available to students by Award Type
Tuesday, January 6

Thursday, January 15

Pell 1st Disb, Cal Grant, SSCG

Tuesday, January 20 Thursday, January 29 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SSCG
Monday, February 2

Thursday, February 12 

Direct Loans: Thursday, February 12

Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SSCG
Tuesday, February 17
Direct Loans: Tuesday, February 10
Thursday, February 26 Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SEOG; SSCG
Tuesday, March 3
Direct Loans: Tuesday, February 24
Thursday, March 12
Direct Loans: Thursday, March 12

Pell, Cal Grant, Direct Loans, SSCG

Monday, March 23
Direct Loans: Monday, March 16
Thursday, April 2

Pell 1st & 2nd, Cal Grant, Fast Track II, FSEOG, Direct Loans, 

Tuesday, April 7
Direct Loans: Tuesday, March 31
Thursday, April 16
Direct Loans: Thursday, April 16
Pell, Cal Grant, FSEOG, Direct Loans, SSCG
Tuesday, April 21
Direct Loans: Tuesday, April 14
Thursday, April 30 Pell, Cal Grant, FSEOG, Direct Loans, SSCG
Tuesday, May 5
Direct Loans: Tuesday, April 28
Thursday, May 14
Direct Loans: Thursday, May 14
Pell, Cal Grant, FSEOG, Direct Loans, SSCG
*Spring 26 Cal Grant disbursement is depended on receipt of funding from State funding. Students who withdraw from all classes after April 7, 2026 will have earned 100% of their Federal award for Spring 2026.

 

**Disbursement schedule is tentative and subject to change. Funds will be available within 24 hours of the scheduled date, and no later than 5pm the following day.

Understanding Enrollment Status

Beginning 2025-2026, enrollment categories will be replaced with a new term: Enrollment Intensity. Enrollment definitions are provided below.

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 2025-2026 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.

The number of units you take, plays a significant role in determining your eligibility for Federal Pell Grant.

Review the Federal Pell Grant percentage chart below to determine your Pell Grant eligibility based on your enrollment intensity. The update to Enrollment Intensity only applies to the Federal Pell Grant, not for defining your enrollment status at the college . 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).

Credit Hours

Enrollment Category  
(Old)  

Enrollment Intensity
(New)

12 (or more)

Full-Time

100%

11

Three-Quarter Time

92%

10

83%

9

75%

8

Half-Time

67%

7

58%

6

50%

5

Less-than-Half-Time

42%

4

33%

3

25%

2

17%

1

8%

Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU): Students receiving Federal Pell are limited to six years (12 semesters) or full time equivalent (600%) of aid. Once you have received 600% of Pell grant, you will no longer be eligible for additional Pell Grants at 51ÂÜÀò or any college/university in the country, regardless of completion of program of study or Bachelors.

 

  • Remaining in all of your classes is critical to avoid repayment of funds received. If you receive payment for a class and drop, you may be required to repay a portion, or the entire grant.

 

You will be notified of any changes or updates to your Chaffey email. Check your Chaffey email periodically for updates.