Policies & Disclosures

For the purpose of awarding federal financial aid, the definition of an academic year is 24 credits and 32 weeks of instructional time. The academic year consists of a fall semester and spring semester. Specific dates of the semester can be found on the academic calendar.

The financial aid award year runs from July 1 through June 30. A summer session is considered a trailer for the purposes of awarding federal, state and institutional financial aid. Students must be enrolled at half-time status to receive direct student loans during the summer session. Fall and spring semesters may contain late start classes and mini-sessions of less than 16 weeks.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available online. The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid does not have any paper versions of the FAFSA.

If you need a paper application, please contact the Department of Education directly at 1-800-4-FED-AID (800.433.3243). If you are hearing impaired and need assistance, contact the Department of Education TTY line at 800.730.8913.

You may apply for a Federal Student Aid identification number (FSAID) via the Department of Education online.

The financial aid process is outlined on our Financial Aid page. All forms are also available online.

UNCW's Student Loan Program Code of Conduct was adopted to ensure uniform student loan practices focusing on the best interest of student borrowers. The Student Loan Code of Conduct restrictions are defined to avoid any potential conflict of interest among school employees, lending institutions, students and their parents in the student financial aid process.

• Revenue Sharing Prohibition: UNCW will not receive anything of value from any lending institution in exchange for an advantage sought by the lending institution.
• Gift Ban: UNCW employees with responsibility for financial aid work will not solicit or accept any gift from a lender, guarantor or servicer. A "gift" is defined as any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan or other item having a monetary value of more than a small amount.
• Advisory Board Compensation Rules: UNCW employees with financial aid responsibility will not accept anything of value for serving on the advisory board of any lending institution.
• Opportunity Pools: UNCW will not request or accept from any lender any offer of funds to be used for private education loans, including funds for an opportunity pool loan, in exchange for UNCW providing concessions or promises of a specified number or volume of Title IV loans, or a preferred lender arrangement for Title IV loans.
• Contract Arrangement Prohibition: UNCW employees, officers and agents with educational loan responsibilities will not accept any fee, payment or other financial benefit (including an opportunity to purchase stock) from a lender as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.
• Staffing Assistance Ban: UNCW will not request or accept assistance from any lender to staff a call center or financial aid office.
• Loan Certification: UNCW employees will not refuse to certify or delay loan certification based on the borrower's selection of a particular lender or guarantor.
• Assigning Lenders: UNCW employees will not assign first-time borrowers to a particular lender.
• Preferred Lender Guidelines/Disclosures: UNCW will not use a Preferred Lender List. Students will be told that they have the right and responsibility to select the lender of their choice. Non-federal/private loans will be processed through ELM Resources accessible via our website. Lenders who are not partnered with ELM can be processed directly with our office. The UNCW landing page for ELM will list any lender who provides loans to 10 or more students, however a student/parent is welcome to search and select any non-federal/private loan of their choice.

Constitution Day is a time to commemorate the September 17, 1787 signing of the United States Constitution. Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17th, although UNCW may offer events and activities to celebrate the day throughout the week in which the date falls.

The purpose of this week is to encourage the UNCW community to continue learning and appreciating this living document which, despite its birth over 200 years ago, still plays an integral role in our everyday lives. Constitution Day provides an opportunity to reflect on our government, our liberties, and our obligations as citizens in this democracy.

A scan of the U.S. Constitution may be found in the National Archives. Let your voice be heard. Register to vote!

Each year, UNCW estimates the Cost of Attendance (COA) to determine your financial need and aid eligibility. The COA includes both fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs, such as tuition and fees, are paid directly to UNCW. Items such as transportation, books and supplies are indirect and can vary for each student.

The Higher Education Act of 1992 allows financial aid administrators to make professional judgment decisions for special or unusual family or student circumstances. These circumstances must be documented and must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

Financial aid administrators may treat a student with special circumstances differently than the strict application of the methodology would otherwise permit. Adjustments can either increase or decrease a student's EFC or cost of attendance. In the case of an adjustment to a student's EFC or cost of attendance, specified adjustments may be made to data elements. The reason for the adjustment must relate to that student's special circumstances and must be documented in the student's file.

A financial aid counselor can use professional judgment in granting a dependency override. If a student does not meet the federal guidelines to be considered independent for financial aid purposes, the aid administrator can decide to override the federal regulation and make the student independent for financial aid purposes.

The special circumstances must be documented and a copy of the documentation must be maintained in the student's file. Instances where a student’s parents are unwilling to provide their information or a student is self-supporting are not justification for granting a dependency override. Because professional judgment decisions are unique, specific required documentation cannot be listed.

It is left to the discretion of the Financial Aid Administrator/Counselor to request appropriate documentation. The documentation should substantiate the student’s situation and be from a professional outside the family, not a family member. In cases of a dependency override, documentation from more than one organization should be collected. The decision for using professional judgment will be made by the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.

Federal work-study provides part-time employment for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need to assist their ability to pay educational expenses. Jobs are available on campus and off campus in community, non-profit organizations. You must submit the FAFSA and any other subsequent request for documentation to be eligible for receiving an award.

There are situations where students and/or parents willfully falsify or misrepresent information for the purpose of obtaining financial aid that a student is not eligible for. As administrators of Title IV programs and funds, the College is obligated to ensure processes are in place to protect against fraud by applicants or staff. The Financial Aid Services Office is required to have a policy of referral when confronted with actual or suspected cases of fraud and abuse [34 CFR 668.53(a)(5), 668.14(g)].

Policy for Fraud

Individuals who willfully submit fraudulent information and/or documentation to obtain financial aid funds will be investigated to the fullest extent possible. All cases of fraud and abuse will be reported to the proper authorities.

Procedures for Fraud

If a financial aid officer suspects or determines intentional misrepresentation of facts, false statements, or alteration of documents which resulted or could result in the awarding or disbursement of funds for which the student is not eligible, the information shall be reported to the Director of Scholarships & Financial Aid for further review and possible disciplinary action.

If the Director determines or suspects fraud, all information will be forwarded to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education, and/or the local law enforcement agency. Note: The regulations require only that the College refer the suspected case for investigation, not that we reach a firm conclusion about the propriety of the conduct.

The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid (OSFA) must identify and resolve discrepancies in the information received from different sources with respect to a student's application for Title IV aid. These items include, but are not limited to:

• Student aid applications
• Need analysis documents (e.g., Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and Student Aid Reports (SARs))
• Federal income tax returns
• Documents and information related to a student's citizenship
• School credentials (e.g., high school diploma)
• Documentation of the student's Social Security Number (SSN)
• Compliance with the Selective Service registration requirement and other factors related to students' eligibility for Title IV funds

Some forms of financial aid fraud include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Forged signatures on an application, verification documentation or master promissory notes
• Falsified documents - including reporting members that are not part of your household
• False statements of income
• False statements of citizenship
• Use of fictitious names, addresses, SSNs
• False claims of independent status

Fraud will be reported to the Office of Inspector General (OIG):
Inspector General's Hotline: 1-800-MIS-USED

Office of Inspector General
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
>Washington, DC 20202-1510

The Net Price Calculator is designed to assist first-time, full-time undergraduate students considering UNCW to estimate how much of their cost of attendance might be covered by grant and scholarship aid. Based on the information entered, the calculator will return an estimate of typical expenses and typical grant and scholarship awards for first-time, full-time UNCW undergraduate students.

Federal student financial aid is awarded under the assumption you will be enrolled at least half-time for the semester. Any time you change your enrollment, UNCW's Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid must review your record and recalculate your aid. Withdrawing from classes can affect your federal financial aid.

When a student who has received federal financial aid funds (Title IV Funds) leaves school before the end of the semester or period of enrollment, federal law requires UNCW to calculate the percentage and amount of "unearned" financial aid funds that must be returned to the federal government. Once a student has completed more than 60% of the enrollment period, students are considered to have earned all funding received.

If a student did not receive any federal student aid but did receive other types of aid funds, and subsequently officially withdraws, refunds or repayments will be based upon the University's refund policy.

When the amount of Title IV funds disbursed is greater than the amount of Title IV funds earned by a student, a return of Title IV funds is necessary. Both the University and the student are responsible for returning a percentage of unearned aid.

The Unearned amount of aid must be returned to the applicable Title IV aid programs in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Loan
2. Subsidized Federal Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loan
4. Federal PLUS Loan
5. Federal Pell Grant
6. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
7. Other Title IV Aid Programs

• What a Direct Loan is and how the loan process works
• Managing your education expenses
• Other financial resources to consider to help pay for your education
• Your rights and responsibilities as a borrower
• All students who have not previously taken out Direct Loans are required to complete entrance counseling.

A mandatory information session which takes place when you graduate or attend school less than half-time that explains your loan repayment responsibilities and when repayment begins is called exit counseling. Exit counseling sessions may be conducted in person with OSFA or online.

A Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is different from other federal grants because it requires you to take certain kinds of classes in order to get the grant, and then do a certain kind of job to keep the grant from turning into a loan.

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.