APPLICATION PROCESS FOR FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID

Applying | Need-Based Financial Aid | Application Deadlines |  Eligiblity |  Verification  | Enrollment Status/ Minimum Hours | Notification Process |   Students are Responsible for the Timely Payment
of Their Own Tuition and Fees | Study Abroad and National Student Exchange (NSE)

Applying:

Apply for admission to the University of Utah as soon as possible. To be eligible for financial aid, you must be admitted and matriculated in a degree-granting program. Applications for undergraduate, graduate, and international student admission are available from the Admissions Office, 250 Student Services Building. (Return toTop of Page)

Need-Based Financial Aid:

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or The Renewal FAFSA. The FAFSA is available from your high school counselor or the Financial Aid Office at any college or university. The Renewal FAFSA, which is an application for the subsequent academic year, is mailed by the federal processor in November to students who have already successfully completed an application for federal aid during the current academic year. The FAFSA and Renewal FAFSA can also be filed electronically on the web at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov .

By filing the FAFSA, or Renewal FAFSA, students apply for all need-based federal, state, and institutional grants, loans, and work-study for which they may be eligible. To be eligible for need-based financial aid, students must complete the online Financial Aid Institutional Application (UFORM).  The UFORM is located under Applications and Forms and in the sidebar of the Financial Aid homepage. (Return toTop of Page) 

Application Deadlines:

The priority filing deadline for need-based financial aid is March 15 of the calendar year prior to the academic year for which you want aid. (Example: For aid during 2007-2008 academic year, apply by March 15, 2007.)

Complete the electronic FAFSA or mail the paper FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA by the priority filing deadline for earliest consideration for available funds. Late applications are accepted and considered, depending on adequate funding and processing time. Most aid programs have limited funding; applicants who file by the priority filing deadline are considered first for such aid.

Some forms of financial aid are available year-round. If you do not apply for need-based aid before the priority filing deadline, you may still do so at any time during the academic year, as long as the information from the federal processor reaches the University of Utah before the last day of class for the semester that you are requesting aid. However, paper applications take approximately 120 days to process, and tuition and fees must be paid on time. (Filing a electronic application can shorten the processing time.) This means that if you want to receive aid for a certain semester and you file a paper application, the application must be sent to the federal processor at least 120 days before the beginning of that semester. If the 120-day requirement is not met, financial aid may not be processed in time for tuition deadlines. (Return toTop of Page)

Eligibility:

Eligibility for most financial aid is based on need. A student's financial need equals the difference between what the University of Utah estimates it will cost to attend this institution and the amount the student and the family will be expected to provide, as determined by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

Example:

Estimated Cost to attend the University of Utah
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Student's Financial Need

A student must be admitted and matriculated (To admit or be admitted into a group, especially acollege or university; enroll) in a degree-granting program to be considered for financial aid. A student is not eligible until his/her financial aid file is complete.

A student must be making satisfactory progress toward a degree in order to be eligible for financial aid . Students are expected to maintain a minimum GPA, as defined in the University's General Catalog, and complete a four-year degree within the equivalent of six (6) years of study. Students are also expected to complete at least 67 percent of credits attempted during their career at the University of Utah, and to complete at least one class during any semester in which financial aid is received. (Return toTop of Page)

Verification:

Certain applicants are requested to provide documents to verify information reported on the FAFSA.  Although a comment on your Student Aid report may indicate that you have been selected for verification, only those applicants who receive a request from the U of U need to submit verification documents.

Verification Documents:
- University of Utah Institutional Verification Form (IVF).

- Tax Forms.  Please submit a signed copy of your federal income tax return including schedules.  If   you are married but filed separately, submit a signed copy of your spouse’s return even if you were not married in the tax year.  If you are a dependent student, submit a copy of your parents’ federal income tax return.  If you do not have a copy of these forms, you  may submit a signed federal tax return transcript, which you request from the IRS.

- If you and/ or your parents (if you are considered dependent) did not and will not file taxes, please submit the appropriate Non-Filer Statement form found on our web site. 

- W-2 forms.  Submit a copy of all w-2 forms corresponding to the requested tax returns, as well as explained above.     

Failure to submit requested information in a timely manner may have a negative affect on your aid eligibility.  Staff in the Financial Aid Office will review the documents you submit.  We will notify you of any changes affecting your eligibility, or if we need additional information.

In the case that a student is selected for verification after aid has been disbursed, the aid may be canceled until the verification process is complete.

If a student has questions about, or difficulty completing the verification process it is their responsibility to contact theFinancial Aid and Scholarships Officefor assistance. (Return toTop of Page)

Enrollment Status/ Minimum Hours:

On the electronic Institutional Financial Aid Application UFORM, students are asked to indicate their projected enrollment status for the academic year. (Return toTop of Page)

Notification Process:

Once you have finished the application process and your file is complete, you will be notified of your eligibility to receive aid. Qualified applicants receive a Conditional Financial Aid Notification (Award Letter) with information about the amount and kinds of financial aid offered, as well as procedures for accepting the aid. You may view the Award Letter through the Campus Information System.(Return toTop of Page)

Students are Responsible for the Timely Payment
of Their Own Tuition and Fees:

If you have not received your Conditional Financial Aid Notification and completed your file by the tuition payment deadline, you should have identified an alternative source of funds. Under such circumstances, you may wish to apply for a Deferral Loan through the Income Accounting Office.  (Return toTop of Page)

Payment of Student Aid:

Funds given to students through the University of Utah will be handled in the following manner. The awarded funds will be entered into the computer system at the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. At the beginning of each semester, if a student is eligible and is registered appropriately for the required number of classes, the awards will pass from the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office computer system to the Income Accounting Office system and will credit the student's tuition account. The account will also show the charges a student has incurred for institutional expenses at the University. After awards have been passed to a student's account, and after the first day of classes, if there is a credit for the student, a check will be mailed to the student at the address the student has reported to the Registrar's Office. A student may request the credit amount to be direct deposited through a request to the Income Accounting Office. If charges are greater than awards, the student should pay the bill that is showing on his/her tuition account by the tuition due date.  The student may view the bill through the Campus Information System.  For late-arriving awards, there will be regular passes of awards during the semester.   Usually, these passes occur two to three times a week.

Because remainder checks will be mailed after the semester has begun, the student must be prepared to meet startup costs for each semester without relying on that semester's student aid to do so. (Return toTop of Page)

Study Abroad and National Student Exchange (NSE):

If you participate in Study Abroad or the NSE program, you must make arrangements with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office prior to your departure to ensure that the requirements for the disbursement of financial aid and scholarships are met.

Financial aid and scholarships are not available for study at foreign institutions that are not approved.  (Return toTop of Page)