Make sure you are eligible to receive financial aid!
To receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid, you will need to:
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have a high school diploma or GED
- be enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program
- be completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law
- have a valid Social Security number
- not be in default on a loan or owe a repayment on a grant at any institution
- not have been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs while receiving Title IV aid
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- maintain satisfactory academic progress.
State and private financial aid programs may have other requirements.
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Eligible non-citizens
If you hold one of the following statuses, you are eligible to complete the FAFSA:
- U.S. national
- Permanent resident
- Arrival-Departure Record indicating one of the following: refugee, asylum granted, Cuban-Haitian entrant (status pending), conditional entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980), parolee
- Battered Immigrant Status
- T-visa or parent holds a T-1 visa
- Citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau
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Notification of Eligibility
Each year, the Office of Financial Aid will begin awarding financial aid for students in early April. Students will be notified of receipt of their FAFSA and other required documentation by email and via their To Do lists on the MyUBalt student portal. Award notices will be sent by email and can be viewed in the My Student Center section of the MyUBalt portal. Scholarship information may be available before need-based awards. Need-based awards are added once your eligibility can be determined.
At this point, the amount of the award is just an estimate based on the information you provided on your admission application, your FAFSA, and your prior grades. You will receive a financial aid award notice via email that will ask you to log on to your MyUBalt portal to view, accept, or decline any aid you have been offered.
Once the Add/Drop period has passed, the Office of Financial Aid will review your award based on actual enrollment, make any necessary revisions, and finalize your award. You will be notified of any revisions made to your original award. You must also notify the Office of Financial Aid of any awards or resources not listed on the award letter.
Revisions -- If your actual enrollment and/or FAFSA information differs from the information your original award was based on, there may be a significant difference in the final award. If any changes result in a decrease in aid and a refund has already been posted, you will be responsible for any account balance.
Missing information -- If additional information is required to process your application for financial aid, you will receive an email notifying you of any missing information. It is recommended that you periodically check your To Do list on the MyUBalt portal. If requested, verification, citizenship, and selective service documents should be submitted immediately to avoid delays in processing the awards. Failure to submit the requested information in a timely manner will delay the processing of your financial aid application.
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Financial Aid Revisions
Circumstances may require that your aid package be revised in the following cases:
Change in enrollment-- Students are awarded financial aid based on a combination of expected enrollment and actual enrollment. Awards are later adjusted based on actual enrollment. This is most common with Pell Grants as eligibility is determined by EFC, enrollment, and prior awards. Students can use the Pell Grant Calculator to determine how eligibility will be calculated and changed if needed.
Withdrawal from school -- Students contemplating withdrawing from classes should make an appointment to see a financial aid counselor. The current semester's aid as well as future aid may be jeopardized.
Receipt of other financial aid -- This includes aid not awarded through the financial aid office, including institutional, state and private donor scholarships, remitted tuition, graduate assistantships, and other aid that we become aware of after the student has been awarded.
Change in residency status -- Students who are granted in-state residency after they receive an award based on out-of-state residence will receive a budget adjustment, which reflects the in-state charges for tuition and fees. This may require an adjustment to aid awarded and/or received. In such cases, funds may be returned to the appropriate financial aid programs to prevent an over award.
Federal Verification Process -- Students who are selected for verification will need to submit federal taxes, a verification worksheet and other documentation to the UBalt Office of Financial Aid. This information may require changes be made to the original FAFSA information, resulting in changes in eligibility.