Please be advised that this webpage is meant to serve as a resource and guide for our new Bruin Financial Aid Portal. If you have questions regarding your financial aid, please visit our Contact Us webpage to contact your respective UCLA Financial Aid department.
Current Top Questions
When Can I Expect a Financial Aid Offer for Summer 2026?
Those registered for summer 2026 classes who have applied for 2026-27 financial aid can expect to see aid offers by June 22, 2026. Students can log into the Bruin Financial Aid Portal to access their financial aid eligibility, making sure to select the 2026-27 tab on the “Financial” page.
When Can I Apply for Federal Loan Eligibility in Summer 2026?
Financial aid system upgrades related to new federal loan regulations are expected to delay federal loan processing until the week of June 22, 2026 or later. This should not impact the other financial aid you may receive. If you depend on federal student loans to help cover summer rent and living expenses, you may be able to access your student loan eligibility from the current 2025–26 academic year, but need to act prior to June 8, 2026. If you have exhausted your 25-26 federal loan eligibility, please use message center to contact your aid office for other aid considerations on a case-by-case basis.
How Does Less Than Full Time Enrollment Impact Federal Loan Eligibility in Summer 2026?
Federal loan eligibility for undergraduates enrolled in less than 12 units and graduate students enrolled in less than 8 units will be subject to loan limit reductions.
How Does Federal Loan Eligibility Vary for New Borrowers Compared to Continuing/Legacy Borrowers?
We encourage students to visit our website regarding H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Act).
Video Resources and PDF Guides
Accessing the Bruin Financial Aid Portal via MyUCLA (2 min)
Viewing a Bruin Financial Aid Letter in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (PDF Guide Only)
Viewing Notifications and Letters in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (2 min)
Viewing an Award Package in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (1 min)
Viewing Cost of Attendance in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (1 min)
Viewing and Uploading Documents via the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (5 min)
Submitting a Special Circumstances Appeal in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (5 minutes)
Applying for a PLUS Loan in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (PDF Guide Only)
Accepting, Adjusting, and Declining Federal Loans in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (3 min)
Accepting and Declining Campus-Based Loans in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (4 minutes)
Adjusting Campus-Based Loans in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal (2 minutes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bruin Financial Aid (BFA)?
Bruin Financial Aid is a digital, cloud-based software platform designed to make financial aid administration easier and more efficient. The Bruin Financial Aid Portal is where students access the new system in order to view notifications and letters, upload necessary documents, view and accept financial aid offers, and more. For all new and continuing students, starting with 2025-2026, all financial aid activity will be administered through the Bruin Financial Aid Portal.
What do I need to setup before accessing the Bruin Financial Aid Portal?
Newly-Admitted students must setup a UCLA Logon ID using their UCLA ID Number, which can be found in their admission letter, before accessing the Bruin Financial Aid Portal. If you are experiencing any issues creating your UCLA Logon ID, please contact the MyUCLA Technical Help Desk at (310) 267- 4357 or help@it.ucla.edu.
Will Bruin Financial Aid impact my financial aid eligibility?
Bruin Financial Aid will not impact your financial aid eligibility. However, it will change the way you access and view your financial aid notification as well as view and submit documents. Please review our "Viewing Notifications and Letters in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal" video tutorial for additional guidance.
How do I access the Bruin Financial Aid Portal?
You can access the Bruin Financial Aid Portal via your MyUCLA using your UCLA Credentials. You will then navigate to the “Finances and Jobs” tab, where you will find a link labeled Bruin Financial Aid. For a step by step walkthrough, we recommend viewing the video above named “Accessing the Portal."
How do I view and accept my financial aid on the Bruin Financial Aid Portal?
Please review our "Viewing an Award Package in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal" video tutorial provided in the "Video Resources and PDF Guides" section above for step by step guidance.
Will I still be able to view my financial aid awards from previous academic years?
Yes, if you are a continuing student at UCLA. You will be able to access information from your previous financial aid years through your MyUCLA under the “Finances and Jobs” tab. If you are a continuing student and need guidance on accessing information from previous years, please review our FATV Portal for additional guidance.
What is Third Party Access and why is it required for parents to access the Bruin Financial Aid Portal?
Third Party Access is granted by the student, to enable a third party access view to the student's financial records, academic records and billing reminders. Please be aware that third party access will need to be granted to anyone who will be calling the student’s respective financial aid office on their behalf or accessing their Bruin Financial Aid portal to fill out and submit documents. For example on a verification document, if the owner of the document is “parent” then a parent must be given third party access. Please review our Third Party Access webpage for step by step guidance based on whether you are a current student who has authorized third party access previously or a newly admitted student. If a student grants third party access to a user who then uses the same device to access and view documents in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal, they should first ‘clear their cache’ on their web browser to help ensure the system is recognizing the right user.
I’m having issues navigating the Bruin Financial Aid Portal, what should I do?
We recommend you first review the help videos and guides on this webpage, which offer guidance on common Bruin Financial Aid tasks. If these guides do not address your technical question, please contact your respective UCLA Financial Aid department.
Why isn't my signature being accepted on the Bruin Financial Aid (BFA) Portal?
If you are unable to complete the signature requirement on BFA, it may be due to pronouncing symbols in your name i.e (é) (è) (ê) (ë) (~), please use standard alpha text.