Understanding your Financial Aid Tracker in My ASU
Your Financial Aid Tracker provides a general overview of your progress through the financial aid process. Find it in the Financial Aid and Scholarships box on the Finances tab of My ASU.
The tracker is an approximate guide for the entire aid year. It may take time to reflect completed actions, and individual awards can continue processing or disburse while the tracker remains on an earlier step.
Check Financing Tasks, located at the top right of the Finances tab, and your ASU email for requests that need your attention. To check a particular award, review its status under the appropriate term below the tracker.
Select the correct aid year
Select the aid-year tab you want to view. If the year is not visible, select All Aid Years.
Each aid year includes fall, spring and summer. For example, 2026–2027 includes Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and Summer 2027. Each year has its own tracker, so progress may differ between years.
Understand the symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| Green checkmark | The step or item is complete. |
| Blue numbered circle | The step the tracker currently places you on. |
| Gray circle with a horizontal line | The item is paused. At step 5, this can mean aid is waiting for disbursement or waiting for a review to be completed. |
| Outlined numbered circle | A later step waiting for the current step to be completed. |
| Empty circle beside a message | The message is not currently active. |
Read each message alongside its symbol. A message appearing in an expanded section does not automatically mean you need to take action. For example, “Additional Actions: Missing documents” accompanied by an empty circle is not an active request.
Understand the six steps
1. Submit a FAFSA
ASU must receive your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to begin reviewing your eligibility for federal student aid.
When this step is complete, the tracker displays “ASU has received your FAFSA.”
2. Complete your file
Check Financing Tasks for documents or information ASU needs, and follow the instructions for any outstanding requests.
“We’ve received your documents” means your documents have been received. It does not mean ASU has finished reviewing them.
3. ASU financial aid eligibility review
During this step, you may see:
A green checkmark beside File in queue does not mean the entire eligibility review is complete. Check the numbered step’s symbol to see whether you are still in the eligibility-review stage.
Check Financing Tasks and your ASU email for any additional information ASU requests.
4. Act on your aid
Review your aid offers and decide whether to accept loans you want to borrow. You may accept or decline offered loans, or leave loans undecided.
Leaving a loan undecided can keep the tracker on this step, but does not itself prevent other eligible aid from processing or disbursing.
You may act on all offered loans to help the tracker advance, but you are not required to accept or decline every loan solely to move the tracker forward. For instructions, visit ASU’s student loans page.
5. Aid pending disbursement
At this step, your aid may be waiting for disbursement or for ASU to finish reviewing submitted documentation.
The gray pause symbol can appear in either situation. Check Financing Tasks and each award’s status under the appropriate term to understand whether anything needs your attention.
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If an award shows Disbursement Hold, submitted documentation may still need to be reviewed and related tasks completed before that award can disburse.
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If all requested documents show Received, allow the applicable processing time. Submit documents again only if ASU requests them.
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If nothing is preventing disbursement, your aid is waiting to be applied to your account.
Earlier steps can remain checked while additional document reviews are pending. A green checkmark for Complete your file or ASU financial aid eligibility review does not rule out a review that must be completed before disbursement.
Some awards may already be applied to your account while others remain on hold. Review individual award statuses to check a particular award or term.
6. Disbursement
When this step is complete, aid has been applied to your ASU student account.
Disbursement for one term can complete the tracker’s final step for the entire aid year. For example, the tracker may show Disbursement as complete after fall aid is applied, even though spring aid is still pending.
Completion does not mean every award for every term has disbursed. Review each award’s status under the appropriate term.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why hasn’t my tracker moved?
The tracker may remain on an earlier step even when some awards are ready to disburse or have already disbursed.
For example, if you accept one loan and leave another undecided, the tracker may remain on Act on your aid. Leaving that loan undecided does not itself hold up processing or disbursement of your accepted loan or other eligible aid.
The tracker may also take time to reflect an action you completed. A completed step can become incomplete again if additional requirements arise.
What should I do while my information is processing?
Complete any requests in Financing Tasks, monitor your ASU email, and allow the applicable processing time.
The tracker’s Received date shows when all open tasks reached Received status. Processing begins at that point, rather than when you submit the first document.
If no Received date appears in the tracker, use the date the relevant task in Financing Tasks updated to Received.
Compare that date with ASU’s current financial aid processing times, using the aid year and processing category that match the requested task or review.
The Received date can change if additional information is requested. Complete any outstanding requests and allow the applicable processing time. If everything requested shows Received, do not resubmit documents unless ASU asks you to.
Does completed disbursement mean my refund has arrived?
Completed disbursement means aid has been applied to your ASU student account. Receiving any remaining funds as a refund is a separate event.
Learn more about financial aid disbursement and refunds.
Why is the tracker blank or limited for international students?
The tracker is designed around the FAFSA and related documentation and processes. For international students who are not eligible to submit a FAFSA, it may remain blank or show only a few steps that do not advance.
This display alone does not indicate a problem with their funding.
Is the announcement above the tracker my personal status?
The information banner above the tracker contains general announcements. It may describe processing that is underway even after your own aid has been applied.
Use your tracker, Financing Tasks and individual award statuses to review your situation.
Related help
If the applicable processing time has passed or you need help understanding a task or award, use ASU’s financial aid contact options.
