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HOW TO APPLY FAQs
- What is Financial Aid?
- Do I need to apply for admissions before I apply for Financial Aid?
- What is the deadline for Financial Aid?
- Can I receive Financial Aid at two schools for the same semester?
- Do I have to include parent information on the FAFSA, or can I be considered "independent"?
- What does it take to be an "independent" student?
- What if I need to correct information on my FAFSA?
- I probably don't qualify for aid. Should I apply for aid anyway?
- Do I have to reapply for aid every year?
- I sent in my FAFSA over four weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything. What should I do?
- I applied for financial aid at a different school, but now I want to attend ULM. What should I do?
- My parents refuse to give me their financial documents. What are my options?
- Do I have to reapply every semester?
- If my parents are divorced and I am a dependent student, whose information do I Report on the FAFSA?
- Do I report stepparent's information FAFSA?
Financial Aid is designed to help individuals meet their educational expenses when their own resources are not sufficient. Financial aid is defined as any resource that you receive (other than funds that you receive from your parents and your non-need based earnings) to assist you in paying for college. It includes (but is not limited to) loans, grants, scholarships, tuition and fee waivers, fellowships, assistantships, employer tuition reimbursement, ROTC subsistence allowance, ROTC and athletic scholarships, and veterans benefits.
2) Do I need to apply for admissions before I apply for Financial Aid?
No. You should submit the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) to the federal processor as quickly after January 1st each year as possible (because it may take up to six to eight weeks for processing).
NOTE: The Office of Financial Aid cannot complete the awarding process until you are admitted to the university. So, you should begin the admissions application process as soon as you can.
3) What is the deadline for Financial Aid?
The deadline is August 1, 2008. You must have your FAFSA filed and all other necessary documents submitted to the Financial Aid Office by this date to ensure that your fee statement will be paid and your refund will be posted on time.
4) Can I receive Financial Aid at two schools for the same semester?
No! You can receive federal financial aid at only one college at a time. If you will be taking classes at two different schools at the same time, you will need to decide which school you want to receive aid from.
5) Do I have to include parent information on the FAFSA, or can I be considered "independent"?
The guidelines to determine your dependency status are listed in step 3 (if paper) or step 2 (if online) on the FAFSA. If you answer "yes" to at least one of the questions listed, you will be considered an independent student by the U.S. Department of Education and therefore do not need to include parent information on the FAFSA (exception: Pharmacy students in the last 4 years of the Pharm. D. program who want to be considered for Health Professions Student Loans must include parent information on the FAFSA). If your parent is remarried and you are a "dependent" student as defined by the federal processor, you will also need to provide your step-parent's information and income on the FAFSA.
You may file and appeal with our office if you have extenuating circumstances such as abuse or abandonment, or if both parents are deceased or incarcerated. Please be sure to attach supporting documentation such as police reports, psychiatrist or counseling reports, death certificates, etc. in order to have your appeal reviewed.
The Financial Aid Office will not be able to approve a dependency appeal for the following circumstances:
- You live on your own and pay all of your own bills
- Your parent(s) do not claim you on their tax returns
- Your parent(s) refuse to give information on FAFSA or verification documents
- Your parent(s) do not financially support you
6) What does it take to be considered an "independent" student?
You must be able to answer "YES" to at least one of the following:
a. Are you 24 years of age prior to the start of the calendar year?
b. As of today, are you married?
c. Do you have any children who receive more than half of their support from
you?d. Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with
you and who receive more that half their support from you, now and through
the end of the upcoming academic year.e. Are you an orphan or ward of the court or were you a ward of the court until
the age of 18?f. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
g. At the beginning of the academic year, will you be working on a Master's or Doctorate degree?
7) What if I have to correct information on my FAFSA?
If the information you entered on your FAFSA was incorrect as of the day you signed the FAFSA, you can use Corrections on the Web (FAFSA site) to correct your answers.
FAFSA corrections
You cannot change:
- Your Social Security Number via the Corrections on the Web. If your Social Security Number is incorrect, you must complete a new application with the correct Social Security Number.
- Your financial information, unless it was incorrect as of the day the FAFSA was submitted.
- Your marital status, unless it was incorrect as of the day the FAFSA was submitted.
8) I probably don't qualify for aid. Should I apply for aid anyway?
Yes. Many families mistakenly think they don't qualify for aid and prevent themselves from receiving financial aid by failing to apply for it. In addition, there are a few sources of aid such as unsubsidized Stafford and PLUS loans that are available regardless of need. The FAFSA form is free. There is no good excuse for not applying.
9) Do I have to reapply for aid every year?
Yes. Our financial aid office requires that you apply for financial aid every year. If your financial circumstances change, you may get more or less aid. After your first year you will receive notification of a "Renewal Application" which contains preprinted information from the previous year's FAFSA. Note that your eligibility for financial aid may change significantly, especially if you have a different number of family members in college. Renewal of your financial aid package also depends on your making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, such as earning a minimum number of credits and achieving a minimum GPA.
10) I sent in my FAFSA over four weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything. What should I do?
If you haven't received a Student Aid Report (SAR), you can check the status of a submitted FAFSA by clicking: FAFSA status. You may also call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 (toll free).
11) I applied for aid at a different school, but now I want to attend ULM. What should I do?
If you listed ULM's school code (002020) on your FAFSA and you have been admitted to the University, we will be able to begin the financial aid process. If you have not, you will need to add our school code to your FAFSA by going online to: FAFSA corrections. Or you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 to add our school code. If you are already attending another institution, be sure to cancel the aid you are receiving at that institution.
12) My parents refuse to give me their financial documents. What are my options?
Please visit the Financial Aid Office to explain your situation to a counselor. There is not usually much we can do about not requiring the information, but we can assist you in explaining to your parents why their information is required and what it will be used for.
13) Do I have to apply every semester?
No. A student must apply for financial aid each "Academic Year" that they plan to attend. The academic year at ULM begins with the Fall semester and includes the following Spring and Summer semesters.
14) If my parents are divorced and I am a dependent student, whose information do I report on the FAFSA?
You would report information about the parent you lived with for the greater amount of time during the 12 months preceding the date you file your FAFSA application.
If you didn't live with either parent, or if you lived with each parent an equal amount of time, then use information about the parent who provided the greater amount of financial support during the 12 months prior to the date you file your FAFSA application.
If you didn't receive any parental financial support during that time, you must report information about the parent who most recently provided the greater amount of parental support.
15) Do I report stepparent's information on the FAFSA?
Your stepparent's financial information is required on the FAFSA if:
- the parent you received financial support from was a single parent who is now remarried.
- the parent you received financial support from was divorced or widowed but has now remarried
This does not mean your stepparent is obligated to give financial assistance to you, but his or her income and assets represent significant information about the family's financial resources. Including this information on the FAFSA helps the Federal Processor form an accurate picture of your family's total financial strength.
