By Isabelle Perez, October 27, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona has begun disbursing Middle-Class Scholarship funds to students’ accounts after delays connected to system updates and state processing on Oct. 19, according to Angela Provencio, associate director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
In 2025, CPP began releasing funds around Sept. 23, Interiano said. The office usually waits until after the add/drop period.
“There were about 15,020 students packaged with about $13.63 million in MCS funding;, 11,901 have had about $11.38 million posted to their school accounts,” Provencio said Oct. 19.
Students eligible for the scholarship have it listed in their financial aid offer; however, it does not mean their money has been disbursed into their account.
Financial Aid Counselor Derek Interiano said CPP received state funding in late September. Inreriano said the delay was due to the fact the IT department did not have the necessary patches ready for production to be able to load the funds into the system.
According to Interiano, the patches were supposed to be ready Oct. 1 and the delay affected every student eligible for the scholarship.
“Everyone is in the exact same boat,” Interiano said. “We do apologize too for the delays.” Students on the r/CalPolyPomona subreddit shared their updates as they waited for the scholarship to be disbursed. Some say their aid showed an MCS estimate, while others noted Sept. 21 for disbursement with no payments.
Jennifer Correa, a liberal studies student, shares the same experience as many students on the subreddit about the MCS funds and still has not gotten her funds that would help cover commuting costs and tuition expenses.
“I’ve had to pick up a second job,” Correa said. “I’ve missed a lot of my classes to be able to cover the expenses I have.”
According to Provencio, 3,100 of the 15,020 students packaged still need manual processing because their awards need adjustment after looking at other scholarships and grants.
Interiano said MCS award amounts can change if students receive other scholarships or forms of financial aid, which are factored into the California Student Aid Commission calculation.
According to Interiano, the award is split between fall and spring semesters. Full-time students usually get the full amount whereas students taking seven to eleven units get a prorated amount.
The spring portion of the MCS is set to disburse in mid-to-late February, after the spring add/drop period.
Xochitl Martinez-Eckel, director of student accounting and cashiering services, said scholarship funds are applied first to tuition and fees.
Students will receive a refund only if their scholarship funds exceed their tuition. Martinez-Eckel said students can receive funds through direct deposit, while those who have not enrolled in direct deposit may receive a paper check.
Interiano said students are not expected to be charged late fees because of the delay, but unpaid balances may result in a registration hold.
If students think their application was missed, they can log in to the California Student Aid Commission’s WebGrants system to see if anything is pending.
Students can also contact FInancial Aid and Scholarships to ask questions about their awards or request a review of their accounts.