About the Financial Aid Disbursement Process
All Financial Aid Programs disburse on scheduled dates each semester. A student's enrollment and financial aid requirement status can also affect the disbursement date of financial aid funds. Due to this, be prepared to pay upfront for textbooks, supplies, and other educational fees until financial aid eligibility is finalized.
Financial Aid disbursements are issued to students who have completed all financial aid requirements, are meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, and are actively participating in enrolled classes for the semester. Please note, late start classes will have delayed disbursements once attendance for a late start class begins.
BankMobile Disbursements
Cuesta College delivers your refund through BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution powered by BMTX, Inc.
To learn more about BankMobile Disbursements and setting up your refund preferences, click on the following link: bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/.
To view our third-party servicer contract for refund management, click here.
General Rules of Disbursement
No funds are disbursed the weeks of Spring Break, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
- When viewing your Financial Aid Award Information on your myCuesta Portal, you will notice that your financial aid is listed by Aid Year and also by Term for the Aid Year. Financial aid is offered as an academic year amount that splits evenly between the Fall and Spring semesters. However, depending on your unit enrollment each semester, the amount you receive per semester may vary. Please view the Financial Aid Programs to see the unit requirements for all available financial aid programs.
- Additionally, within each semester, some financial aid programs may require a 50% disbursement schedule. Under this schedule, the semester's portion of the financial aid fund is split evenly into two equal disbursements.
- Fall and spring semesters have two primary disbursement dates, while summer semester has only one disbursement date. Certain funds, like the Pell Grant, must be split and paid on two separate dates each term. Others, like loans, may disburse on the first disbursement date only.
- Funds are always disbursed on Tuesdays, and the amount is reported to BMTX, Inc. on Thursday.
- To see if funds disbursed for you on a Tuesday: check your "Pay Fees- View Account" on the myCuesta student portal on Wednesday that you are expecting a disbursement. If we have disbursed funds to you, you will see a "refund" posted, the amounts, and a negative or reduced balance on your account. If the balance is negative, it is a refund coming to you via your refund preference.
Disbursement dates are available on your myCuesta student portal. Remember that the date shown is a Tuesday, but you'll likely receive the funds on Friday or later. Please plan accordingly.
To understand the calendar, see explanations of each section below:
- Financial Aid Fund Type: This is the type of financial aid program for which the disbursement is for
- Disbursement Date: This is the date in which financial aid funds will apply to your student account. Financial aid is first used to cover current tuition and any other current institutional fees you owe to Cuesta College.
- Refund to Student Date: If your financial aid is more than the amount owed, you will receive the remaining balance at the Refund to Student Date.
Fall 2024 Disbursement Calendar
Spring 2025 Disbursement Calendar
Summer 2025 Disbursement Calendar
- Financial aid freeze dates are dates when the student's enrollment status is frozen or locked for financial aid purposes.
- Adding/dropping courses should be done prior to the financial aid freeze date for the semester.
- Courses added after the financial aid freeze date cannot be used to increase enrollment status for financial aid eligibility.
- Fall 2024 Freeze Date: September 9, 2024
- Spring 2025 Freeze Date: February 17, 2025
- Summer 2025 Freeze Date: June 23, 2025
If your awards are posted prior to the start of the semester, they will disburse on the first main disbursement dates of the semester.
If your awards are posted after a main disbursement date, they will disburse on the next Tuesday that comes along. The Financial Aid Office processes disbursements every week (with exceptions for holidays) throughout the semester.
If you are receiving Federal Pell Grants, remember that the amount you are paid is based on the number of units you are enrolled in and attending.
For example, if you are enrolled in 12 units but 3 of them start later in the semester, then on the 1st disbursement date, you will be paid the amount for 9 units because these are the units you are enrolled in and attending. Then, once your 3-unit late start class begins, you will be paid for the remaining units.
If your appeal is approved (and your awards are already posted), your funding will disburse on the following Tuesday.
Are you having a problem with your disbursement?
- If there seems to be a problem with the amount that was disbursed, please contact the Financial Aid Office.
- If you would like to cancel or not recieve a portion of your disbursement please email the Financial Aid Office.
- If you are having a problem with selecting your refund preference or receiving your funds, please contact The BankMobile Disbursements Team for help first.
Refund Request Forms:
Cancelled Class Fees Refund Request
If you no longer have access to your myCuesta Portal and need to complete one of these forms by paper, please email studentaccounts@cuesta.edu and include your name and student ID number.
