How to Apply & Retain Financial Aid Eligibility
The general financial aid eligibility criteria are: (1) have a high school diploma or GED; (2) enroll as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program; (3) be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen; (4) have a valid Social Security number; (5) not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a repayment of a federal student grant or loan; (6) make satisfactory academic progress; (7) sign certifying statements on the FAFSA, such as agreeing to use federal student aid funds only for educational expenses; (8) be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for federal student loans. (Note: Doctoral learners at UI&U are required to enroll full-time to be eligible for federal student loans); (9) be registered with the Selective Service, if male and required. Note: Male students can register with the Selective Service online at the Selective Service System.; and (10 ) not had your eligibility suspended or terminated due to a drug-related conviction. Note: An affected student can regain eligibility early by successfully completing an approved drug rehabilitation program. A comprehensive list of federal financial aid eligibility requirements can be found at the Department of Education’s Student Aid on the Web.
Some financial aid programs require you to demonstrate financial need in order to qualify. Your financial need is the difference between the cost of attendance and your expected family contribution. Every college must estimate the educational expenses or cost of attendance a student will incur during an academic year. These expenses include tuition and fees, living expenses, transportation, loan fees, and books and supplies. Refer to the UI&U Web site for specific tuition and fee charges.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid - FAFSA
You apply for federal (and most state) financial aid programs by completing the Free Applicationfor Federal Student Aid - FAFSA each year. You should complete your annual FAFSA as soon after January 1st as possible. When completing the FAFSA you will be asked for Union Institute & University’s school code number, which is 010923. The FAFSA is available for completion in two formats, an electronic version on the Web and a paper application. We strongly recommend that you complete the FAFSA electronically on the FAFSA Web site. FAFSA on the Web has built-in edits to spot inconsistencies so that you can correct them before your information is transmitted. This process saves time and trouble later. When you complete your FAFSA online help is built into the system. A useful tool in preparing to complete the online FAFSA application is the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet. The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet allows you to read and complete the questions before you enter your information online. The order of the questions on the worksheet follows that of FAFSA on the Web. The paper version of the FAFSA is available by contacting our office, your local library, college or university financial aid office, or by calling the Federal Student Information Center toll free at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
- Do not leave items blank. If the answer is zero or the question does not apply to you, write in a zero. If you leave a question blank the processor will assume you forgot to answer.
- Read the instructions carefully.
- Use your legal name as it appears on your Social Security card.
- Report all required sources of income including untaxed income such as social security, child support, and Aid to Dependent Children. The Earned Income Credit (EIC) is considered untaxed income on the FAFSA.
- Report your correct marital status as of the date that you sign your FAFSA.
- Don't forget to sign the application. If you file online you can sign the form electronically using your PIN.
It's FREE
There are Web sites at which students can get help filing the FAFSA for a fee. These sites ARE NOT affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education. We urge you to not pay these sites for assistance. ! The U.S. Department of Education has launched a nationwide campaign to let students know that they do not have to pay for federal student aid applications or advice. For more information about financial aid scams visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Scholarship Scams site.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)
You will need a U.S. Department of Education Personal Identification Number (PIN) available at the Department of Education’s Pin Registration site to use as your electronic signature when you file your FAFSA online. Your PIN allows you to access your FAFSA results online, make FAFSA corrections, and access your student loan history through the Department of Education's National Student Loan Database.
Once you have filed your annual FAFSA, you will receive an output document called either a Student Aid Report (SAR) or SAR Acknowledgement from the U.S. Department of Education’s central processor. Be sure to review the information on your SAR to ensure all of your data has been recorded correctly. You may return to the FAFSA web site to update and correct our FAFSA data. This same information will be sent electronically to our office, so it is not necessary to send your SAR/SAR Acknowledgement to the university.
Your Financial Aid Award Letter
We will assess your FAFSA results and send you an award letter, which will describe the types and amounts of financial aid you are eligible to receive, the terms and conditions of each award, and the disbursement methods and time frames. You do not have to return your award letter to accept the aid that has been offered to you. If you wish to decline any aid offered, please contact the Financial Aid Office by phone or by e-mail.
An expected family contribution (or EFC) is derived from the information you provide on your FAFSA. It measures your and your family’s ability to contribute toward your educational cost.
If you have documented unusual or extenuating circumstances that you believe may affect your financial aid eligibility and which were not reflected on your FAFSA, you may submit a Special Circumstance form to our office. We will review your request, ask for any pertinent supporting documentation, and notify you of the results.
Your FAFSA may be selected by the U.S. Department of Education for a review process called verification. Students selected for verification will be asked to submit additional documentation to our office to confirm the information you reported on your FAFSA. Primarily, you will be asked to provide copies of your Federal Income Tax form and a completed Verification Worksheet. Financial aid cannot be credited to your student account, and student loan applications cannot be certified by our office until you have completed the verification process. If corrections are needed to your FAFSA data as a result of verification, we will make those changes and notify you of any change to your financial aid awards. You may download and print the Independent Verification Worksheet and Dependent Verification Worksheet.
Satisfactory Academic Progress ( SAP)
To be eligible to receive federal student aid, you must meet and maintain satisfactory academic progress. You must meet both the quantitative and qualitative standards as identified in each UI&U program’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy for the retention of financial aid by the end of each award year. You will find each degree program’s SAP policy located in the financial aid forms directory on our Web site. If your financial aid is terminated due to failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress, you can appeal to the Office of Financial Aid. You may download and print the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form.
Course Load Reductions (Add/Drop) and Financial Aid
Your financial aid award is typically awarded on the basis of your full-time enrollment, which is defined by each UI&U academic program. If you decrease your enrollment hours anytime through the end of the add/drop period, your financial aid award(s) may be modified. If you drop below full-time before the end of the add/drop period, some financial aid awards may be cancelled, such as state grants that require that you maintain full-time enrollment status. If you drop below half-time status, your student loans go into repayment. You must complete a loan exit interview when you drop below half-time status. The loan exit interviewwill be sent to you by our office.
It is extremely important that you contact our office before changing your enrollment so that you are properly advised regarding any required modifications to your aid award(s). Courses that are audited or canceled and registrations for course or program completion extensions do not count toward your enrollment status for financial aid purposes.
Learners who withdraw or drop all courses prior to completion of 60% of the current term are subject to a federal financial aid refund calculation, also referred to as a Title IV refund. The results of the Title IV refund calculation can impact the amount of aid you can retain upon withdrawing from UI&U or dropping all courses in a term. After the 60% point in the term of withdrawal, you will have generally earned 100% of the financial aid disbursed to you. If a refund is due to the federal financial aid programs, funds are returned in the following order as prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education:
(1) Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
(2) Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
(3) Federal Perkins Loan
(4) Federal PLUS / Graduate PLUS Loan
(5) Federal Pell Grant
(6) Federal SEOG
(7) Other federal student aid under TITLE IV
Learners are subject to both the university’s tuition refund policy and the federal Title IV refund calculation. Refer to the UI&U tuition policies for each academic program on our Web site . Learners permitted to take an academic leave of absence are considered to be withdrawn for financial aid purposes. Your student loans go into repayment when you withdraw, drop below half-time status, are on an academic leave of absence,or do not register for a subsequent term. You will be required to complete a loan exit interview,which will be sent to you by our office.
