Financial Aid

Contact: Financial Aid Services
Office: 255 Whitmore
Phone: 545-0801 (voice)
545-9420 (TTY/TDD)
Website: www.umass.edu/umfa/

Financial Aid General Information
The Department of Financial Aid Services provides educational financial planning information to students and their families, delivers financial aid funds to qualified students, and offers a variety of services including scholarship search, part-time job locator service, and debt management information. The department supports institutional aid efforts for maximizing enrollment and diversity of students. Office hours for telephone contact are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Reception hours for visitors are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
The U.S. Department of Education requires that students receiving federal financial aid meet University academic status standards ensuring academic progress toward a degree or certificate program of study. Measurement for SAP is conducted at the close of the spring semester. To meet the University’s academic status standards, students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Students are expected to maintain the necessary credit hours to ensure graduation within 10 semesters. Failure to maintain these standards will, at a minimum, place the student on academic probationary status. If a student does not meet the University’s academic status standards after a probationary period, he or she may become ineligible to receive federal financial aid. An appeal process is available for students who may lose or have lost financial aid due to failure to maintain SAP after probation. Contact the Financial Aid office for more information.

Applying for Financial Aid
The University uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Renewal Application for Federal Student Aid. These standard forms are the only applications used to determine eligibility for all the need-based financial aid programs. The FAFSA is available at most high school guidance offices and college financial aid offices. The Renewal FAFSA is mailed directly from the federal government to students who filed a FAFSA in the previous year. The FAFSA is also available on the Internet at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Students should complete the FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA after January 1 for the upcoming academic year. To meet the University’s March 1 financial aid deadline, mail the FAFSA to the processing center by February 15. Copies of parents’ and students’ federal income tax returns and other documents may be requested by Financial Aid Services. All information submitted to Financial Aid Services is held in strictest confidence.

Types of Financial Aid

Scholarships and Grants

Federal Pell Grants provide grants to students with exceptional financial need. Students pursuing their first undergraduate degree are eligible for consideration. Awards range from $400-$4,050 per year for full-time enrollment. These amounts are subject to change. Part-time degree students are also eligible.

Army ROTC Scholarships are offered for two, three, and four years and are awarded on merit to the most outstanding students who are interested in becoming officers in the U.S. Army. Scholarships are available for up to $20,000 annually and pay the cost for tuition and mandatory fees or room and board equivalent to the cost of what tuition and mandatory fees would be. Scholarship winners additionally receive $450 per semester for textbooks and a monthly stipend of $300, $350, $450 or $500 depending on the student’s year. For more information, call (413) 545-2321/2322. The Department of Military Leadership also offers ten $1,000 grants each year to enrolled cadets based on merit. Applications for two- and three-year scholarships, as well as the $1,000 grants, are available in January for award during the next school year.

Air Force ROTC offers two-, three-, and four-year scholarships to qualified new and continuing college students. Scholarships range from $3,000 to $15,000 per year for tuition and mandatory fees. While attending school, students with scholarships receive $600 a year for books and a tax-free stipend ranging from $250 to $400 per month. For more information, call (413) 545-2437/51, e-mail:afrotc@acad.umass. edu or visit the Web page: www.umass.edu/afrotc.

MASSGRANT: This need-based grant is awarded to full-time undergraduate Massachusetts residents. Awards to qualified students with need range from $300-$1,500 per year. Out-of-state students should inquire with their state agency for similar scholarships. Part-time degree students may be eligible to receive Mass Grant if they have 6 to 11 credits.

University Awards: The University provides grants and scholarships from various sources to in-state and out-of-state students who demonstrate financial need. Award amounts range from $200 to $8,000 per year. These awards include Tuition Grants, University Scholarships, McNair Scholarships, Tuition Waivers, Traffic Fines Scholarships, and University of Massachusetts Grants.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant: A need-based grant funded by the federal government and administered by the University. Awards range from $100 to $4,000. All undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need are considered for this grant.

Tuition Waiver Programs

Waivers of tuition are available to Massachusetts residents as defined under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 15A, Section 19 to members of the following categories:

1. Members of the Massachusetts Army National Guard.

2. U.S. Veterans from World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lebanese Peace Keeping Force, Grenada Rescue Mission, Panamanian Intervention Force, or Persian Gulf War.

3. Native American students who are enrolled members of a federal or state-recognized tribe or nation or who can verify affiliation with a tribal council or Native community and have resided in the state of Massachusetts for at least three years before admission to the University.

4. Persons over the age of 60.

5. Active members of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or National Guard) stationed and residing in Massachusetts.

6. Adopted persons aged 24 or under who were adopted through the Massachusetts Department of Social Services.

7. Persons aged 24 or under who are currently or were formerly foster children (for a minimum of twelve consecutive months) in the care of the Department of Social Services, who were not adopted nor returned home.

8. Recipients of the Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Awards, which recognize high academic achievement on the MCAS and other measures of academic achievement.

9. Participants in the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority – Prepaid Tuition Program, in direct proportion to the eligible student’s participation in the program.

10. Eligible participants in the Joint Admissions Tuition Advantage Program, for students matriculating at the University immediately following Massachusetts community college enrollment, for 33 percent of the resident tuition.

11. Recipients of University of Massachusetts Academic and Artistic Talent Program Tuition Waivers, awarded to students showing outstanding ability and promise in studio art, dance, music or theater, regardless of residency.

12. Participants in the Incentive Program for Aspiring Teachers, for Massachusetts residents in their third and fourth year of college, who have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and who have entered a teacher certification program in a designated teacher shortage field (math, science, foreign language, and special education).

13. Recipients of matching scholarships and internships from businesses and industries participating in the High Technology Scholar/Intern Tuition Waiver program, for Massachusetts residents who are students in computer information technology/science and engineering.

14. Massachusetts residents who have been designated by a public or private high school in the state as valedictorian.

15. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has expanded the Tuition Waiver Program to include residents of the Commonwealth who are directly affected by the September 11 events. The Commonwealth September 11, 2001 Tragedy Tuition Waiver provides a 100 percent tuition waiver to children and widowed spouses of Massachusetts residents for any non-state supported course or program.

16. Recipients of scholarships from the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminar.

17. Participants in the University of Massachusetts Exchange Program.

18. Commonwealth College students who are recipients of Commonwealth Talent Award tuition waivers.

Need-Based Loans
Federal Perkins Loan: A need-based loan administered by the University. Repayment begins nine months after graduation or nine months after the borrower ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. The repayment period is 10 years at 5 per cent interest. Awards range from $200 to $3,000 per year.

William D. Ford Federal Direct Subsidized Loan: A need-based federal loan administered by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The application and promissory note for this loan are completed at the school. Eligibility for this loan is determined by completing the FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA. First year students may borrow as much as $2,625; second year students may borrow up to $3,500. Students who have completed two years of undergraduate study may borrow up to $5,500 for each year thereafter. The federal government pays the interest on the subsidized loans while you are enrolled in school and during your six-month grace period after graduation or withdrawal from school. The federal government will allow at least ten years to repay this loan and offers several flexible repayment plans.

Employment Programs
Federal Work-study Program: A need-based program providing students with part-time employment in a variety of on-campus departments and off-campus agencies. Awards range from $1,500 to $1,800. Students are paid weekly and use these funds to help with personal expenses or other educational costs.

Job Listing Service
The Office of Financial Aid Services/Student Employment Office provides students with current listings of on- and off-campus jobs. This service is designed to assist students in finding temporary, part-time, and seasonal jobs to help meet their educational costs. Jobs are posted outside of Room 243 in the Whitmore Administration Building and on Financial Aid Services’ Home Page at: http://www.umass.edu/umfa

Alternate Loan Programs
There are several loan programs available to supplement financial aid or to assist families who do not qualify for federal, state, campus- based or private funds.

William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
This loan is available to all eligible students, regardless of family income or financial need. Students must complete the FAFSA or Renewal Application to be considered for this program. Interest for the Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan accrues from the day the loan is disbursed. The promissory note for this loan is completed with the University’s Financial Aid Office. Borrowers may receive both the subsidized and unsubsidized loans for the same loan period, although the combination of both cannot exceed the following loan limits:

Federal Direct PLUS Loan Program offers loans up to the cost of attendance minus financial aid per academic year to qualified parents of undergraduate dependent students. The interest rate is variable and repayment begins 60 days after the second disbursement.

MEFA Loan: A credit based, fixed- or variable-rate loan available through the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority (MEFA). Parents may borrow the total cost of education minus any financial aid received. For an application, contact MEFA, tel. 1-800-449-MEFA.

Additional Services

Financial Aid Services' Home Page
Financial Aid Services maintains a home page on the World Wide Web (a global computer information network). Helpful information is available on a variety of topics, including financial aid application procedures, student employment, and loan information. Access to the Financial Aid Home Page is available at: http://www.umass.edu/umfa

Scholarship Search Services
fastWEB Scholarship Search

fastWEB (Financial Aid Search through the Web) provides students at the University free access to a scholarship search via the Internet. This search service provides information on scholarships, grants, and funds for which you may be eligible from a database of over 400,000 sources. When you initiate a scholarship search, an electronic mailbox will be created for you. As new scholarship opportunities arise that match your eligibility, the information will be automatically forwarded to your electronic mailbox. Access to the fastWEB program is available through the Financial Aid Home Page. Please refer to the previous section for information on the Financial Aid Home Page.

Payment Plan
Tuition Management Systems (TMS) offers students and their families interest-free monthly payment plans, low-interest loans, and combined payment plan and loan options. For program details, call 1-888-216-4258.