When do FSEOG and Cal Grant show up on FAFSA after Pell Grant approval?

Congrats on the Pell Grant! For your other grants, FSEOG and Cal Grant follow different timelines since they come from different sources. FSEOG is awarded by the school from limited funds they receive, while Cal Grant comes from the state of California. Here's what typically happens: - Pell Grants appear first (which you've already seen) - FSEOG is distributed directly by the school's financial aid office, usually showing up on the school portal first, not FAFSA - Cal Grant comes from CSAC (California Student Aid Commission) and typically shows up in August/September for fall semester I'd recommend checking both her studentaid.gov account AND her college student portal. The college portal is usually more up-to-date since they're the ones actually distributing most aid.

my kid got pell 2 weeks before the other stuff showed up so ur probably fine. cal grant takes forever tho cuz its california lol

The FAFSA doesn't actually distribute any money or show all your grants - it's just the application! Your StudentAid.gov account will show the Pell Grant information, but the FSEOG and Cal Grant will typically only appear on your daughter's school account once they're processed. FSEOG usually gets finalized 2-3 weeks before the term starts since schools have limited funds and need to determine how to distribute them among eligible students. Cal Grant notifications are sent to the school and typically take longer - sometimes as late as mid-semester, but they're applied retroactively. Don't stress about the 3-week deadline - colleges know these timelines and usually put a "pending financial aid" hold on accounts where they know grants are coming. Call the financial aid office and specifically ask if they'll place this hold on her account while waiting for these grants to process.

my son had the SAME EXACT PROBLEM last year!! the financial aid office was USELESS and kept saying "just wait" but wouldn't tell us when anything would post. so frustrating!!!

Is this her first year? Sometimes the first disbursement cycle takes longer because they're processing so many new students. Cal Grants specifically have been running behind schedule the last two years because of the new system they implemented at CSAC. If you're really concerned, you can try calling CSAC directly about her Cal Grant status instead of just relying on the school.

Also important to note: Your daughter's school will likely proceed with financial aid packaging based on their *expectation* of what she'll receive from Cal Grant, even before it officially posts. The school has access to a roster from CSAC showing which students are likely Cal Grant recipients, so they can often tell you if she's on that list before the grant is officially processed. In my experience working in financial aid, FSEOG is typically awarded within 2-3 weeks of Pell eligibility confirmation, and Cal Grant notifications are batch processed, with schools receiving updates approximately every 2 weeks during peak season.

For my daughter we had a similar situation but it all worked out. Her financial aid disbursement was delayed but her school automatically applied a temporary credit to her account for the EXPECTED aid. Check if your daughter's school does this too - many do! This prevented any late fees while we were waiting for the actual funds to process. Might give you some peace of mind about that 3-week deadline!

Update: I finally got through to someone helpful at the financial aid office! They confirmed my daughter is on the Cal Grant roster from CSAC, and they're going to place a pending aid hold on her account. They said FSEOG should post next week, and Cal Grant typically finalizes by mid-September. They also mentioned they automatically factor in these expected awards when calculating her current balance, which is why her bill shows a lower amount than I expected. Thank you all for your help understanding this confusing process!

So glad you got that sorted out! Your experience is exactly why I always tell parents to be persistent with financial aid offices - sometimes you just need to find the right person who actually knows the process. The fact that they confirmed she's on the Cal Grant roster is huge peace of mind. One tip for next year: once you know your daughter's school's typical timeline (sounds like FSEOG posts around this time, Cal Grant by mid-September), you can plan ahead and contact them earlier if things seem delayed. Also, save the contact info of whoever helped you this time - having a specific person to reach out to makes a world of difference when you're dealing with financial aid questions!

Welcome to the financial aid journey! As someone who just went through this with my oldest child last year, I can totally relate to that stress about timelines and wondering if everything will come together. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all the different aid sources and their expected timelines - it made me feel more in control of the chaos. I included columns for the aid type, where it shows up (FAFSA vs school portal), expected timeline, and actual received date. Also, don't hesitate to ask the financial aid office for a written timeline or email confirmation of what they told you over the phone. Having that documentation saved me when there was confusion later about what had been promised. The whole system feels overwhelming at first, but you're doing great by asking questions and staying on top of it!

As a newcomer to this whole financial aid process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My son is starting college next year and I had no idea that these different grants come through on completely different timelines. I was assuming everything would show up together after the FAFSA was processed. It's really reassuring to see that the confusion and stress you experienced is totally normal for first-time parents. The spreadsheet idea sounds like a game-changer - I'm definitely going to set one up before we get to this stage. And the tip about asking for written confirmation of timelines is something I never would have thought of but makes so much sense. Thank you for sharing your experience and the update about getting it resolved! It gives me hope that even when things feel overwhelming, persistence pays off and there are helpful people in these offices if you can find them.

As someone who's new to navigating financial aid, this entire thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea that FAFSA is just the application and not where all the grants actually show up. The distinction between what appears on StudentAid.gov versus the school portal makes so much more sense now. What really struck me is how much the timelines vary - it sounds like patience is key but also being proactive about following up. The advice about asking for a pending aid hold and getting written confirmation of what financial aid offices tell you seems crucial. I'm definitely taking notes on all these tips for when I go through this process with my own kids in a few years. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to see real examples of how this all plays out rather than just trying to decipher official websites that don't explain the practical realities!