Summer Financial Aid: The Basics

Summer financial aid is extremely limited. As a rule, a student's eligibility for summer financial aid is limited to remaining Pell Grant or Direct Stafford Loan eligibility from the 2008-2009 academic year.  Scholarships are automatically awarded by the various UI scholarship committees - there are no separate scholarship applications. Campus based federal aid (SEOG, LEAP, Perkins loans, Work-Study) is not available. 

Summer school costs are charged per credit hour at the same rate for in-state and out-of-state students.

Summer 2009 School Fees 

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To be considered for summer aid a student must:

1. Complete the application for summer aid on Vandalweb. (Available in the Financial Aid section on Vandalweb March 23, 2009).

2. Have a 2008-2009 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with Student Financial Aid Services.

3. Enroll or plan on enrolling at least on a half-time basis during the summer session, as loan eligibility is contingent upon half-time status (six credits for undergraduates, five credits for graduates and law students). Some students might be eligible for a Pell Grant at less than half-time status.

Additional Information:

1) Students who apply by April 15th should be notified about their eligibility by the first week of May.

2) Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans may be available to students who will be half-time (six credits for undergraduates, five credits for graduate and law students) and who have not already borrowed their annual maximums for 2008-2009 (see below for annual Stafford loan limits). The exception to borrowing in excess of the yearly limit is if a student is graduating in Summer 2009 or Fall of 2009.   In this case the student may be able to borrow from the next academic year (2009-2010). Students who will graduate in the summer or in the fall may need to provide evidence from the Registrar or their college or department that they are graduating. Students who wish to borrow for Summer Session 2009 from the Direct Stafford, Direct PLUS, or alternative loan programs may wish to make an appointment with their Financial Aid Advisor to discuss their possible eligibility for a summer school loan.

Grade levels are defined by the number of credits successfully completed, not by the number of years in school. Freshmen and sophomores who advance a grade level at the end of the spring semester may be eligible for a loan increase for summer semester.

3) Graduate and Law students can ask to be considered for the Graduate PLUS Loan, which does not have an annual loan limit.  Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loans help graduate and law students pay for educational expenses.  There is no annual limit for Graduate PLUS loans but students cannot borrow in excess of your cost of attendance minus any other financial aid that they receive. Graduate PLUS loans require that the borrower not have an adverse credit history (a credit check will be done). If creditworthiness is a problem then the student may obtain a creditworthy endorser. The federal government charges interest from the date the first disbursement is made although monthly payments are not required as long as the borrower is enrolled at least half-time.

4) Pell Grants in the summer may be available to some students who are Pell-eligible but did not receive their full annual amount in the fall and spring. This means that the student was less than full-time in the fall or spring semesters or took one of the semesters off.

5) Before applying students will need to be absolutely sure about the number of credits they will take and the session(s) they will attend. Summer aid is directly based on the number of credits, weeks enrolled, and starting dates of sessions. Therefore, once a student has applied for Summer aid, they must report any changes in enrollment to Student Financial Aid Services. Failure to do so could cause delays in aid disbursement.

If you have questions, please contact Student Financial Aid Services by e-mail or call (208)885-6312.