Financial Aid

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Graduate Students

• Estimated cost of attendance budgets are established for students based on anticipated enrollment.Student financial aid (including loans) may not exceed the cost of attendance.
• The federal student loan limit is $20,500 for degree-seeking graduate students and $12,500 for non-degree graduate students taking classes required for admission to a graduate program.
• Non-degree- seeking graduate students required to take courses in order to be admitted into a degree-seeking program, must complete the Graduate Certification Form, which is available online at www.uncw.edu/finaid, with " Student Forms."
• Graduate PLUS loans are available for graduate students whose cost of attendance Exceeds $20,500.
• Students who are pursuing a separate certification program should visit the certification information page to determine whether their program is eligible for federal aid.
• Enrollment Status: Full-time: 9 credit hours, Half time: 4.5 credit hours
• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed each year.
• For graduate students, federal student loans are the primary source of financial assistance.
• Graduate students are not eligible for federal grants such as Pell Grant and FSEOG.
• If you were not awarded FWS and are interested in finding out about how to qualify and the possibility of being put on the wait-list, please contact your financial aid counselor.
• In order to continue to receive federal financial aid, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, which means more than making good grades. Read the policy located both on our financial aid website and in the university catalogue.

Things You Should Do

1. Update your UNCW record to include your Social Security Number (SSN). UNCW no longer uses the student’s SSN as their student ID number; however, the Federal government still uses the SSN as the identifier on the FAFSA. We must have your SSN on file to process financial aid.
2. Sign/return your Award Notification within 21 days (or you may accept your awards on SEANET).
3. Include your name and student ID number (beginning with 850……) on all mail, email, fax and voicemail communications with our office.
4. If you accept student loans, complete the STAFFORD application processes including the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Interviews. Information regarding these processes may be found on our website.
5. Follow Cashier’s Office procedures for receiving financial aid refunds.
6. Students who have been awarded Federal Work Study (FWS) should visit www.uncw.edu/finaid to review available jobs.
7. Make copies of all applications, documents, award notifications, etc., for your records.
8. Since refunds are not available prior to the first week of school, you should be prepared to pay for books and supplies at the beginning of each semester. We recommend students bring approximately $500 to help cover these costs.