Apply For Aid; University of Minnesota
Apply For Aid

Overview
Financial aid is available to help supplement the cost of education for students attending UMD. Most students receive financial aid from one or more of the following sources to help pay for their educational expenses:

Grants
Scholarships
Work-study
Student Loans
If you can't pay tuition, fees, or other educational expenses without assistance, you can apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is used to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This figure then is used by UMD to determine your eligibility for federal, state, and campus-based financial aid programs.

The following five steps will take you through the financial aid process at UMD:

1. Applying for Aid

To be considered for financial aid at UMD, you must complete a FAFSA for the current year, either online ( FAFSA on the Web) or by using a paper application available at the Student Assistance Center or from your high school guidance counselor.

UMD recommends that you complete your FAFSA early. Some financial aid programs have limited funding and deadline requirements. If you apply late, you may lose eligibility for some awards.

Completing Your FAFSA on the Web

When completing the FAFSA for the first time, it is helpful to gather the information on the Pre-Application Worksheet before you begin. You and your parent (if you are a dependent student) will need PIN numbers to sign the FAFSA electronically. Request PIN numbers through the U.S. Department of Education web site. Be sure to keep your PIN in a safe place; you may need it to make corrections or sign loan documents.

Keep the following tips in mind when completing the FAFSA online:

Whenever possible, use actual tax information instead of estimates.

Be sure your completed FAFSA includes the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Federal School Code 002388. This code is used to send your FAFSA results to UMD.

Be sure your FAFSA is signed electronically by BOTH you and your parent (if you are a dependent student). The FAFSA cannot be processed without all required electronic signatures.
After completing your FAFSA, you will immediately have the chance to review your Student Aid Report (SAR), which is a summary of your FAFSA information. The SAR will contain your calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the figure used in determining your eligibility for financial aid.

Completing a Paper FAFSA

If you complete a paper FAFSA, you will receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail several weeks after you have completed the FAFSA. When you receive your SAR, please be sure to review it carefully to make sure that all information is accurate. Only items that were inaccurate as of the date that you completed the FAFSA should be corrected. UMD may require you to provide documentation to verify any corrections made on your FAFSA. Keep your SAR in a safe place for your own records.

Whether you complete it online or by paper, your FAFSA will be reviewed for accuracy once it has been received by UMD. If any additional documentation is needed, or if you are selected for verification, we will contact you via your University e-mail account. Please be sure to monitor this account regularly.

2. Awarding

After your FAFSA has been received and reviewed, UMD will use the information you provided to determine your eligibility for financial aid awards. An electronic financial aid award notice (eFAAN) will be sent to your University e-mail account to let you know when your award(s) are ready for online response.

Your financial aid award will consist of funding options from one or more financial aid programs, and is designed to help you meet your educational costs. Every student's aid application is reviewed for eligibility for all federal, state, and campus-based aid programs.

While UMD knows that each student has a different financial situation, it is not possible to completely meet the needs of every student due to funding limits of aid programs. Financial aid is intended to supplement, not replace, financial support from you and/or your family. The primary responsibility of paying for school rests with the family.

Although the Office of Financial Aid and Registrar expects to provide the aid offered to you, funds cannot be guaranteed. Many of the funds are provided by the federal government and the State of Minnesota. Some of the award offers you receive are estimates, and may change based on enrollment and/or availability of funds. If a program is discontinued, or if funds are not appropriated to UMD, the Office of Financial Aid and Registrar will notify you and adjust your award offer accordingly. Financial aid that you receive at UMD is non-transferable.

3. Responding to your eFAAN

When your financial aid award is ready, the Office of Financial Aid and Registrar will send an eFAAN message to your University e-mail account. This message will direct you to our web site to ‘Check Financial Aid Status’ and respond to your award offer. You will need to log in with your UMD Internet ID and password.

Once you log in, you will have the opportunity to review each award and to make a decision whether to accept, decline, or reduce each award that you are offered.

Please review each award carefully as you make your decision; it is important that you fully understand each of the awards you have been offered.

4. Entrance Counseling and Promissory Notes

* Ford Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan(s):

If you have accepted a federal loan (Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized), you will be required to complete Entrance Counseling for first-time borrowers, as well as a Master Promissory Note, which is your promise to repay the loan funds you are borrowing. Both of these requirements must be complete before any of your loan funds can be disbursed. You will need your PIN number to complete the Master Promissory Note.

* Federal Perkins Loan:

If you have accepted a Federal Perkins Loan, you will need to complete an online Perkins Promissory Note.

* Ford Direct Parent PLUS Loan:

If you have accepted the PLUS Loan, please be aware that this is a loan taken out by your parent on your behalf. The parent borrower must complete the PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN) as well as the PLUS Active Confirmation Form before this loan can be processed. The PLUS loan is based on the credit of your parent borrower. The parent borrower will need a PIN to sign the PLUS MPN online. If your parent borrower does not have a PIN, one can be requested through the U.S. Department of Education web site, www.pin.ed.gov.

5. Financial Aid Disbursement
Most financial aid awards will be credited electronically to your UMD student account to pay towards your charges for tuition, fees, on-campus housing, and bookstore charges. For most programs, disbursement typically occurs one week prior to the start of the term.

If you have received scholarships from outside donors, you may need to pick up a voucher or routing slip from the Student Assistance Center before those funds can be disbursed. Most alternative loans are also credited directly to your UMD account. Please note: The SELF Loan cannot be disbursed before the first day of the term.

If a credit remains in your account after all of your current charges have been paid, UMD will send the surplus funds to you via either direct deposit, or by mailing a surplus check.

Surplus checks are sent to your current mailing address, or to your billing or home address if you have not specified a current mailing address. Please be sure that your addresses are updated and current online by visiting www.d.umn.edu/students - choose ‘View/Change Personal Information’.

If you are interested in direct deposit, you can complete an agreement online at the site above – choose ‘Direct Deposit Online’.

Financial aid at UMD cannot pay any past-due or prior year charges. It is your responsibility to pay any past-due balance from previous terms at the University of Minnesota.

If you do not wish to have your aid pay institutional charges other than tuition and UMD room and board, you must notify the Student Accounts Receivable office in writing.
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