By The Feds

Did you know that there are many factors that could affect your financial aid? Some of them can severely affect the amount of aid you receive. It is important to stay informed about your financial aid package and to understand the factors that may have an effect on your award. The following is a list of the most common factors that may affect your financial aid:

• A common factor that affects the amount of financial aid you qualify for is changes on the FAFSA from year to year. Your package may vary from year to year based on the information provided on the FAFSA. Your financial aid package may change if your financial situation changes. Make sure to verify the information on the FAFSA before submitting it, as your financial aid award is largely based on the information you provide.

• All supporting documents must be submitted by their deadlines in order to receive the highest award possible. The FAFSA is due by March 1st of every year, while all supporting documentation is due by May 1st of each year. Check your UNH email and NetPartner accounts to see if you need to submit any other documentation. These are the primary ways the Financial Aid Office will contact you!

• Cumulative GPA (cGPA) also can affect your financial aid. In order to keep any academic scholarships, you must have at least a 3.0cGPA on a 4.0cGPA scale. If you fall below this, you will lose those scholarships for one academic year. If you are able to bring your cGPA back above 3.0 before

the first day of the fall semester, your scholarship may be reinstated. You

MUST inform the Financial Aid Office that your cGPA has changed so we

can verify it and take appropriate action with the scholarship.

• You must also meet the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

in order to obtain any sort of financial aid. You may appeal if you do not meet the SAP requirements of completing the appropriate number of credits, having the correct cGPA for the credits you have attempted or having the correct pace. Pace requires that you earn at least 67% of the credits you have attempted during your entire college career, including transfer credits, summer courses, and intersession courses.

• Full-time status must be kept in order for you to keep your “full-time student” financial aid award. Full-time status is defined as at least 12 credits per semester. If you drop below this, you will be packaged as a part-time student. Part time students do not qualify for merit based scholarships or institutional grants.

• Moving from on-campus housing to off-campus housing will result in a change to your financial aid package because some of the need based funding was awarded

to help cover on-campus room and board charges. You must notify the

Financial Aid office as soon as possible in order to change the award.

All of these common factors could have a direct and dramatic impact on the amount of financial aid you will receive. Check your UNH email and NetPartner accounts often in order to view any changes or necessary documents. Please contact the Financial Aid Office, room 118B in Maxcy Hall, if you believe that one or more of these factors may apply to you. More information can also be found on the Financial Aid Office link on the University of New Haven website. The sooner you notify us, the better!