Apply for Financial Aid
How to Apply
The types of financial aid available at UNCG are summarized on our Financial Aid website. To apply for most types of aid, you must first complete a 2009-2010 FAFSA. You may fill out either an electronic or paper application-the electronic web version is very fast and easy-but complete only one type. Some aid requires an additional or separate application. Please see our scholarship information.The FAFSA
If you filed in the previous academic year and provided a valid e-mail address, a renewal reminder will be sent to you there from the Federal Processor. If you did not provide a currently valid e-mail address you will receive a reminder via regular mail at the permanent address provided on that application. This will remind you to either file your FAFSA on the web or complete the paper version of the FAFSA and return it to the US Department of Education. January 1, 2009, is the first day that you can complete your FAFSA application via the web using your pin number (and parent pin number if you are considered to be a dependent student for financial aid purposes) or by requesting a paper application by calling 1-800-4FED-AID. Once you have completed a paper application, mail it to the federal processor in the envelope attached to the form. Do not mail the application before January 1, and do not mail it to UNCG.
If you did not file a FAFSA in the previous academic year or are not sure of your current filing status you may file a FAFSA by using either the web or submitting a paper application. (see below)
If you filed a FAFSA on the Web last year and your grade level status was senior or graduate student, you will not receive communication from the Federal processor. You will need to complete a FAFSA on the Web or file a new paper application.
If you have questions about the FAFSA, you can call 1-800-4FED-AID. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the TDD number at 1-800-730-8913.
IMPORTANT: To file using the web you (and your parent if dependent) should have a PIN number. If you do not have a valid PIN you can use the option of printing out the signature page and following the directions for mailing the signatures to the US Department of Education. To apply for a pin, go to www.pin.ed.gov.
Special Conditions
In some instances, the FAO can consider special circumstances (such as job loss) that are not reflected by information provided on the FAFSA. Contact the FAO for the appropriate Professional Judgement forms. You will be required to submit supporting documentation before your situation is reviewed. See "Special Circumstances" on page 10.
Web Application (UNCG’s preferred FAFSA and Renewal FAFSA process)
The FAFSA may also be filed on the Web at no cost. The advantages to filing your FAFSA on the Web, compared to mailing a paper FAFSA, include a faster processing time and interactive editing of your answers to lessen the chance of your application being rejected. The address is: www.fafsa.ed.gov.
If you are completing a FAFSA application, you can apply for a PIN, which is provided by the Department of Education online at www.pin.ed.gov. It will take approximately three business days after you request your PIN for you to receive an e-mail notification with instructions on how to retrieve it electronically, or 7-10 days to receive it in the mail via the US Postal Service. After completeing and submitting the application on-line, be sure to print out a signature page and mail it immediately to the federal processor, if you have not obtained a PIN. Your application will not be processed until the signatures are received. If your signature page is not received within fourteen days, the federal processor will reject your application. You will be mailed a rejected SAR Acknowledgement Form that you will need to complete and must return to the US Department of Education to have it reprocessed.
If you have questions about the FAFSA on the Web, you can call 1-800-801-0576 to speak to a customer service representative. If you have a hearing disablility, you can call the FAFSA on the Web TDD number 1800-511-5806.
Student Aid Report
Within four to six weeks after you file the FAFSA , you should receive a SAR Information Acknowledgement communication from the federal processor. The SAR lists all the information you provided on the FAFSA. If you do not receive a SAR, call the federal processor at 1-800-433-3243.
Once you receive the SAR, review all the information to make sure your application has been processed and that all information is accurate and complete. If your SAR contains comments you do not understand, contact our office for help. If you have corrections the fastest way to make them is by submitting them yourself at www.fafsa.ed.gov or write the corrections on the SAR, complete the required signatures and send it to the Federal Processors at Federal Student Aid Programs, PO Box 7020, Lawrence, KS 66044 -7020. If submitting the corrections by the two previous means is unsuccessful, you can submit your SAR with the appropriate signatures to the FAO and we will submit the corrections electronically. If you have difficulty while processing your corrections, you may contact the Federal Processor at 1-800-433-3243.
Check the Information Release section of your SAR to be sure UNCG (school ID number 002976) is listed as a school to receive your information. If UNCG does not receive your information, we will not know that you want aid. We receive an electronic record of your SAR automatically, if you listed UNCG on the FAFSA. To receive your information or add UNCG as a recipient of your information, contact the Department of Education at 1-800-433-3243. You will need to know the DRN (Data Release Number) located on the front of your SAR to do so.Top
Tips for Filing the FAFSA
- If the federal processor receives your FAFSA by March 1, your application becomes a "Priority Application" for UNCG aid. This means that you have a better chance of receiving funds awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis (although there are no guarantees). Please note: March 1 is not a postmark deadline. The federal processor must receive the FAFSA by this date.
- You may estimate your tax information in order to file the FAFSA by March 1. You should update the FAFSA information after filing your/their return.
- Read the instructions for the FAFSA carefully before you fill it out. This is very important. Errors and omissions delay processing and awarding.
- Make sure your name and SSN are correct on the FAFSA to prevent delays and carefully review your answers to questions 65 and 66.
- Provide your parents' SSNs, last names, first initials, and date of birth in Step 4 if you were required to answer "No" to every question in Step 3.
- A "dependent" for financial aid purposes is a child or person who lives with you, receives more than half their total support from you, and will continue to be supported by you from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.
- Answer question 35. Do not leave this blank or your application may be delayed. For more information, consult The Student Guide.
- When you complete Step 2, pay special attention to the tax line numbers given for some questions. These will guide you to the correct figures from your tax forms. Complete Worksheets A, B, C and the application. Be sure to include any Federal Work-Study earnings on your Worksheet C, if they were included on your tax return or reported on your FAFSA form as income from work.
- Be sure the required signatures are present on the FAFSA before mailing. Without appropriate signatures, your application will be rejected. If you answer "No" to all questions in Step 3, you must obtain parent information and signatures even if your parents did not claim you on their tax returns and/or you do not live with them.
- Your answers in Step 3 determine whether you are a dependent or independent student for the purposes of financial aid. If you must answer "no" to all of these questions, you are a dependent student. If you are a dependent student, you must provide parental information in Step 4. If you can answer "yes" to any one question, you are considered independent. Independent students are not required to provide parental information.
- In Step 6 on the FAFSA, be sure to list UNCG's federal school code: 002976. If you do not include UNCG in Step 6, we will not receive your information and will not know that you want aid.
- Make certain that you enter the correct housing code in Step 6. If you do not enter the correct housing code, your financial aid award may be incorrect and may have to be recalculated. If you do not enter a housing code, it will default to on-campus, again meaning that your award may be incorrect.
- Do not enclose tax returns or other extraneous information with your FAFSA, since it will not be retained by the Processor or forwarded to UNCG. Keep these documents for your records. You may need to provide copies of them later to the FAO, if requested to do so.