Paying for college can be stressful, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. CSN’s Office of Financial Aid is here to help you understand your options and what steps you need to take.
Explore the resources on this page to learn about available financial aid, important requirements, and how to complete the financial aid process.
The 2026–2027 academic year begins with the Fall 2026 semester. Due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), important financial aid changes are coming this year.
Fall 2026 Disbursement Information
Fall 2026 Important Dates
- First Day of Fall Term: August 24, 2026
- Group 1 Anticipated Disbursement Begins: August 19, 2026
Groups 2 & 3 Anticipated Disbursement Begins: September 9, 2026
Census Date: Sunday, August 30th, 2026, at 9:00 PM PST (Note: You may still enroll or drop classes up to 12:00 midnight. However, financial aid will only pay for eligible classes registered by 9:00 PM PST).
- See Other Important Dates in the left-hand section of this page for additional deadlines and information.
Financial Aid Disbursement Groups
Group 1: Returning Students
Group 1 includes eligible continuing students who:
- Earned 14 or more CSN academic credits by the end of Spring 2026.
- Are in Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Good Standing.
- Completed all financial aid requirements, including To Do List items, at least two weeks before the semester begins.
Eligible Group 1 students may receive financial aid beginning one week before classes start. Students in Group 1 are not eligible for a Financial Aid Advance because aid is scheduled to disburse before the semester begins.
Students who do not meet the Group 1 requirements will be placed in Group 2 or Group 3.
Groups 2 & 3: New Students or Students with Fewer Than 14 Earned CSN Credits
Groups 2 and 3 include new students and continuing students who have not earned at least 14 CSN academic credits by the end of Spring 2026.
Students must complete all financial aid requirements, including To Do List items, at least two weeks before the semester begins to be eligible for Financial Aid (FA) Advance.
If eligible, FA Advance begins one week before the official start of the semester, see below for FA Advance detailed information.
Groups 2 and 3 disbursements begin approximately two weeks after classes start and after instructors confirm academic participation.
Important Reminders
- Class attendance and academic participation are required for all students.
- Students must be enrolled in at least 6 eligible credits to receive loan funds.
- First-time borrowers are subject to a 30-day loan disbursement delay.
- Students with pending financial aid that covers tuition and fees do not need to make a tuition payment by the August 3, 2026 payment deadline.
- Students enrolled in a CSN payment plan and pending their financial aid disbursement must continue making their scheduled payments until their tuition and fees are paid in full. A pending financial aid or student loan disbursement does not automatically stop payment plan requirements. Failure to make scheduled payments may result in late fees.
- Students without pending financial aid due to incomplete requirements, major changes, ineligible courses, or an unprocessed FAFSA should contact the Cashier’s Office about payment plan options to protect their classes from being dropped.
Fall 2026 Federal Student Loan Update
Fall 2026 Loan Eligibility Changes
Beginning in Fall 2026, new federal requirements affect how much students may receive in Federal Direct Student Loans based on their enrollment.
- Students enrolled in 12 or more financial aid eligible credits may qualify for the maximum loan amount.
- Students enrolled in 6–11 financial aid eligible credits may still qualify for loans; however, their loan amount may be prorated based on enrollment.
- Your loan eligibility may change if you add or drop courses.
- Students must continue to meet all federal and institutional eligibility requirements before a loan can be disbursed.
Fall 2026 Loan Disbursement Delay
Due to technical challenges associated with implementing the new federal student loan requirements, Fall 2026 Federal Direct Loans may not be available for disbursement until late September.
We understand that many students rely on financial aid to help with educational and living expenses. CSN is actively working with our partners to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.
What Should You Do Now?
To help prevent additional delays with your loan:
- Visit StudentAid.gov and confirm that you have completed your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling, if required.
- Attend and academically participate in your classes beginning on the first day. Federal financial aid eligibility requires academic participation.
- Do not submit an additional loan request unless instructed by our Office. Submitting duplicate or additional requests may delay the processing of your loan.
- Review the Fall 2026 Federal Direct Loan Program changes below in the FAQs SoR section to understand how your enrollment may affect your loan eligibility.
- Continue monitoring your CSN email, MyCSN account, and our website for updates.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as the Office of Financial Aid works through these federal changes and related technical challenges. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
Need Help?
Please see Contacts section below for assistance.
Please carefully review the FAQ below, as the information provided may answer your question.
FA Advance FAQs
A Financial Aid (FA) Advance allows eligible students to use a portion of their pending financial aid to purchase required books and course materials before funds are officially disbursed.
The amount is based on the number of eligible credits you are enrolled in and is not extra money. It comes from your existing financial aid and is made available early to help you prepare for the start of the semester. This is not gift aid, it is your financial aid being used in advance for required expenses.
Financial Aid Advance is available only to Group 2 and Group 3 students and requires that you have scheduled financial aid available to cover the amount.
Students who meet all the following requirements two weeks before the official start of the semester may qualify for FA Advance:
- You must have no pending items on your ‘To Do List’ in MyCSN,
- Your aid total (including loans) must exceed your total bill plus the FA Advance amount
- Be registered for fall classes; waitlisted courses do not count.
To check, log in to your MyCSN, view the "View Financial Aid" section. Click on the link for the year 2027 and scroll to the appropriate semester. Review the accepted column.
Students who are eligible will be notified by Tuesday, one week before the semester begins, through the FA Advance award.
The FA Advance award will show as pending aid by Tuesday, one week before the start of the semester.
To view this information, log in to your MyCSN account. Go to “View Financial Aid,” select the 2026–2027 academic year, and scroll to the correct semester
Once your FA Advance amount has been established based on your enrollment level, no additional adjustments will be made, even if you add a class at a later date.
- Students in 12+ credit hours get $600
- Students in 9-11 credit hours get $450
- Students in 6-8 credit hours get $300
- Students in 1-5 credit hours get $150
If you do not receive a Financial Aid Advance or miss the deadline, you will need to purchase your textbooks and other required educational materials using cash or a credit card.
Financial aid will not be disbursed until at least three weeks into the term. To avoid delays, we strongly encourage you to finalize your eligible enrollment at least two weeks before the semester begins. Please note that there are no exceptions to the semester’s FA Advance deadline.
FAQ
Students should be actively engaged and participating in courses from the very first day of class, including web and hybrid courses. This includes class discussions, projects, reports, quizzes, tests, homework, etc.
If a student does not actively participate, their enrollment will be cancelled. Their financial aid eligibility will be reduced or cancelled. The student will be responsible for paying for any class they did not actively participate in.
Students are encouraged to communicate with their faculty instructors regarding any attendance or participation concerns.
There are no exceptions to the rules regarding delayed disbursement.
Login to your MyCSN. Under “Finances” you will find the option to “enroll into direct deposit”
We strongly advise you to open a bank account and sign up for direct deposit through MyCSN, under “Finances." For any questions or concerns, contact the Office of the Cashier at Cashiers.Office@csn.edu.
Yes. If you have pending aid that exceeds your tuition balance, your financial aid will be disbursed a few weeks into the semester. Your classes will be protected from cancellation due to non-payment, and there will be no late payment penalties. However, if you have applied for a Payment Plan, continued payments are required to avoid late fees.
Yes, a hold labeled "FA Protect From Enrollment Cancellation" is considered a positive hold, protecting your classes while aid is pending. It is temporary, added before cancellation, and removed afterward. For Fall 2026, classes will be dropped starting August 3rd, 2026, if you do not have an approved payment plan or pending aid, you are at risk of having your classes dropped. If using loans to help pay your tuition, you must accept the loan.
CSN’s Definition of Full-Time Enrollment
To be considered full-time a student must academically participate in 12 or more credits each semester (fall and spring). For financial aid purposes, those credits must also be required for your declared academic major. When the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) makes a loan offer, we default to qualified FT enrollment for the full academic year (12 or more credits for both fall and spring).
NEW Less Than Full-Time Loan Adjustments
Federal provisions went into effect on July 1, 2026, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Federal Direct Student Loans are now subject to a Schedule of Reduction (SOR) when a student-borrower doesn’t enroll in full-time course loads over the course of an academic year.
That means your loan eligibility will be reduced if you:
- Enroll in less-than-full-time in fall and/or spring semester;
Example: A sophomore Nursing Student is offered a total of $10,500 in Direct Loans ($4,500 in Subsidized and $6,000 in Unsubsidized as an independent student). AAS-Nursing curriculum requires 7.5 credits per semester, so:
Fall 7.5 credits + Spring 7.5 credits x $10,500 = $6,615
24 credits for full-time
- Do not complete a full-time course load in fall (and)/or spring semester;
Example: A freshman registers for 14 fall credit hours and wants to borrow a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan for $3,500. After CSN faculty confirms her academic participation in all 14 credit hours, and the mandatory 30-day disbursement delay has passed, OFA delivers her first disbursement for $1,750.
Later, this same student withdraws from 1 course on October 10th and a future starting class that was supposed to begin on October 15th gets cancelled by CSN. She earns grades in her remaining 8 credit hours.
In the spring, the same student registers for 12 credit hours:
Fall 8 credits + Spring 12 credits x $3,500 = $2,905
24 credits for full-time
Since the student already received $1,750 in the fall of the annual maximum $2,905 she is eligible for; her spring disbursement is reduced to $1,155.
FATV Video
How to Apply for Aid
Students can apply for financial aid like grants or student loans using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
CSN uses your FAFSA information to determine your federal aid eligibility. Please list CSN in the School Selection portion of the FAFSA. Our Federal School Code is 010362.
These FAFSA videos provide quick easy help with the financial aid application process.
Additional assistance can be found by - reviewing How Financial Aid Works.
Financial Aid Workshops
Our office has paused FAFSA Workshops due to low attendance. We will update our website if/when they are resumed: FAFSA Workshops webpage.
Upcoming Dates
Fall 2026 Payment Deadline:
was Monday, August 3rd, 2026.
Fall 2026 Semester Begins:
Monday, August 24th, 2026
Census Date
Sunday, August 30th, 2026, at 9:00 PM PST (Note: You may still enroll or drop classes up to 12:00 midnight. However, financial aid will only pay for eligible classes registered by 9:00 PM PST).
Maintaining Your Aid
How to Check Your Financial Aid Status
After you have successfully submitted your FAFSA you can check on the status of your financial aid in your MyCSN. To do so;
- Login to your MyCSN Student Center from the GoCSN Portal
- Check all recent messages in your Communication Center
- Address any items listed in your To-Do List
- Ensure you have no negative Holds
- Select “View Financial Aid” under Finances
- Select the Aid Year you wish to view
- Accept/Decline Awards as applicable
Contacts:
In-Person (Recommended Option)
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CSN Financial Aid Call Center
Phone: 702-651-4303
Call Center Hours:
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Email Us
You may email us general questions. An expected response time for emails is 3 business days.
Note: Please include your NSHE id number
Virtual Appointments
Our office offers limited hours to assist students virtually using MS Teams.
Schedule a virtual appointment