Tuition & Financial Aid

FA Advance is a system that allows eligible students to receive an advance of their pending financial aid so they may purchase required books and materials before the aid is officially disbursed. This advance is a predetermined portion based on their enrollment level and is not additional money. Essentially, it's an advance on the student's refund, allowing them to acquire necessary materials at the beginning of the semester. This is not gift aid, this is a portion of your financial aid that is being used to purchase required textbooks in advance.

Students who meet all the following requirements two weeks before the official start of the semester:

• You must have no pending items on your ‘To Do List’ in MyCSN,
• Your 2025-26 financial aid pending must be more than the amount you owe CSN. Log into your MyCSN, view the "View Financial Aid" section. Click on the link for the year 2026 and scroll to the appropriate semester. Review the accepted column.
• 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.
   

Eligible students will receive an FA Advance notification via their pending aid by Monday, January 12th. FA ADVANCE will be repaid once your spring semester aid is disbursed (on or after February 4th).

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
   

Spring 2026 Key Dates

• January 6 – Cashier’s Payment Deadline
• January 7 – Deadline to complete financial aid file for FA Advance (Groups 2 & 3)
• January 13 – Financial Aid Disbursement (Group 1) and FA Advance (Groups 2 & 3)
• January 20 – First Day of Instruction
• February 4 – Financial Aid Disbursement (Groups 2 & 3)

You will need to purchase your books with cash or a credit card. Financial aid will not disburse until at least three weeks into the term. We encourage you to have finalized your eligible enrollment two weeks prior to the start of the semester. There will be no exceptions to the semester’s deadline.

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.  

Non-active and continual participation will lead to enrollment cancellation, reduction or loss of aid, and the student incurring the charge for the class(es) they did not attend/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 Enrollment Cancellation" is considered a positive hold, protecting your classes while aid is pending. It is temporary, added before cancellation and removed afterward. For Spring 2026, classes will be dropped starting August 4, 2025, 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.