UC Santa Barbara Office of the Registrar

Special Instructions for Financial Aid, Loan and Scholarship Students

For more information about financial aid, loans, and scholarships, visit the Financial Aid web site.

Census Date Units

Some aid programs’ eligibility requirements are based on census date units. This measurement is taken at census date which is the 15th class date of each quarter.

Pell Grant: This grant’s unit requirement is based on whether an eligible student is enrolled full-time (12 or more units), 3/4-time (9-11.5 units), 1/2-time (6-8.5 units), or less than 1/2-time (below 6 units) at census date. Students who are enrolled less than full-time on census date will have their Pell Grants for that quarter reduced to an amount that reflects their enrollment level. For example, a student enrolled in 10 units will have that quarter’s Pell Grant reduced to a 3/4-time award. This reduction may include billing the student’s BARC account for the amount of the reduction.
Cal Grant B Access Grant (also called Cal Grant B Stipend): This grant’s unit requirement is based on whether an eligible student is enrolled full-time (12 or more units), 3/4-time (9-11.5 units), or 1/2-time (6-8.5 units) at census date. Students enrolled less than 1/2-time (below 6 units) are not eligible for that quarter’s award. Students who are enrolled less than full time on census date will have their Cal Grant B Access Grants for that quarter reduced to an amount that reflects their enrollment level. This reduction may include billing the student’s BARC account for the amount of the reduction.
Academic Competitive Grant (ACG) and SMART Grant: Both of these programs require that students be enrolled full-time (12 or more units) at census date. Students who are enrolled less than full-time at census date will have that quarter’s award reduced to $0. This reduction may include billing the student’s BARC account for the amount of the reduction.

Unit Requirement for Disbursement

No financial aid, loans, or scholarships will be credited to students’ BARC accounts until they are registered in the minimum number of units. Students are encouraged to register for classes at their registration appointment times to facilitate this process. Undergraduates must be registered in a minimum of 6 units. Graduate students must be registered in a minimum of 4 units.

Class Protection and Payment of Fees and Other Institutional Charges

Students who had financial aid, loans, or scholarships credited to their BARC accounts and who have a zero balance or credit balance on their BARC accounts by 4 p.m. on the payment deadline date automatically receive a “fees paid” status and will have their classes protected.

All undergraduate students are subject to the Fee Payment Deadline.
Undergraduate students who still have a “balance due” on this deadline must pay or defer this balance by 4 p.m. on the payment deadline date. Students who pay the “amount due” or enroll in a BARC payment plan by the fee payment deadline will have their classes protected. Undergraduate students who miss the fee payment deadline and who get dropped from their classes must pay or defer their fees before they can re-register for classes. Students who are dropped and then re-register are subject to a $50 late payment and $50 late registration fee. Financial aid cannot be credited to BARC accounts until students are registered in sufficient units.

The fee payment deadline for Graduate students is the First Day of Instruction.
Graduate students who have not paid fees by the first day of instruction are subject to a $50 late payment fee and will not be allowed to continue with registration until fee payment is made.

Direct Deposit Refunds

All refunds will be direct deposited by the BARC Office. All students who have a credit balance due to financial aid or graduate credits will have direct deposits released directly to a specified bank account. Students who have credit balances acquired (due to financial aid being applied to their accounts) will have their direct deposits released to their bank accounts on a weekly basis.

UCSB Office of the Registrar

University of California, Santa Barbara
1101 Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building (SAASB)
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2015
Visit Us | Office Hours : Monday-Friday 10am-12pm, 1pm-4pm (Pacific time); excluding holidays and administrative closures

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