Scholarships are funds that do not have to be repaid. Scholarships can be awarded by the University, from funds donated specifically for Cal State San Marcos students, or they can be awarded by outside agencies for students to attend any college.

General Scholarship Application
To apply for scholarships awarded to Cal State San Marcos students, you need to complete and submit a Cal State San Marcos General Scholarship Application. This single application is used for several different scholarships and eligible students are identified from the pool of general scholarship applications. This has the advantage of allowing you to apply for several scholarships without having to fill out separate applications for each one. The Cal State San Marcos General Scholarship Application is available on the web and is also available in the Cal State San Marcos Financial Aid and Scholarship Office.

Please complete and submit the application and required essay as soon as possible to the Cal State San Marcos Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. This will maximize the possibility of a scholarship award.

Additional scholarships are posted regularly on the bulletin board in the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. Students are encouraged to check periodically to see what new scholarships may be available from outside sources.

Looking for Scholarships
Cal State San Marcos offers internet access to free scholarship search services, which can be accessed from the Cal State San Marcos Financial Aid and Scholarship Office home page at www.CSUSM.edu/finaid. Select “Scholarships” then select “Scholarships Search”.

Scholarships from other Agencies
If you receive a scholarship from an outside agency, it is your responsibility to notify our office, so that we may note it on your financial aid award.

How scholarships are disbursed
If you are awarded a scholarship from Cal State San Marcos, your award will be revised and that scholarship will be noted on a revised award letter.

At the beginning of the semester, any scholarship that is awarded through Cal State San Marcos will be applied directly to your student account. Any funds in excess of fees will be disbursed to you as noted in the disbursement information.

Any scholarship for which we receive a check from a donor will be treated in one of two ways:

1. The check is made payable to Cal State San Marcos. We will deposit the check and disburse it to your student account. Any funds in excess of fees will be disbursed to you as noted in the disbursement information.
2. The check is made payable to the student, or is co-payable to the student and Cal State San Marcos. We will send the check to the Cashier’s Office where it will be available for pick-up on or after the first day of classes. If fees are still owed, the Cashiers will expect you to pay the fees prior to releasing the check, or will ask that you sign the check over to pay fees.

Payment of fees can be deferred on the basis of expecting a scholarship.  The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office must receive written notice from the donor stating the amount of the expected scholarship.  If the scholarship expected is less than fees, and there is no other aid being received, the student must pay the difference by the stipulated due dates.