Prospective and returning student timeline

FAFSA® is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, used to apply for federal student aid, including grants, loans, and work-study funds. At UVM, it is also used to determine your eligibility for institutional need-based grant, scholarship and loan aid.

Special Instructions and Process

• UVM's Federal School Code to list on the FAFSA is 003696.
• Use pro tips provided by the Department of Education to successfully complete your FAFSA form.
• Create or Reconfirm your Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID)
  • All contributors to the FAFSA need to create an account at StudentAid.gov. A contributor is anyone required to provide consent and approval to release federal tax information from the IRS to the Department of Education. This includes the student, the student's parent(s) or stepparent for a dependent student, or student's spouse, if applicable. The FAFSA will not be processed until all contributors have provided consent and sign the FAFSA. Providing consent doesn't mean the individual is responsible to pay the student's educational expenses, but is required in order to determine a student's aid eligibility.
• Sharing of tax information
  • The student and the contributors will be required to provide consent for their Federal Tax Information (FTI) to be shared with the Department of Education to help determine eligibility for federal student aid.
• We anticipate receiving FAFSA's from the Department of Education in December. Expect to receive notification from UVM when we do.

Other Considerations

State Grants

State grant applications are in addition to the FAFSA. State grants are “gift aid,” which does not need to be paid back and are awarded based on your financial need.

• Vermont residents seeking an undergraduate or medical degree should apply for the Vermont Grant; those enrolling as non-degree can apply for the Advancement Grant
• Out-of-state residents should check with their state grant agency for information on available grants and how to apply

Outside Scholarships

Consider applying for outside scholarships that are awarded based on certain characteristics or qualities, such as academic achievement, and can be merit-based or need-based. Scholarships are "gift aid", thus do not need to be repaid.

Review your FAFSA for Accuracy

You will receive an email from the Department of Education when your FAFSA has been sent to your selected schools and you can view your FAFSA Submission Summary on StudentAid.gov. Your FAFSA Submission Summary summarizes the data submitted on the FAFSA form. It will also show your official Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation and Federal Pell Grant eligibility. You should review this summary for accuracy, and if needed, make any necessary updates or corrections by accessing your existing form and making a correction.

Watch for Information Requests and Monitor Your Application

Students are notified by email if additional information is needed. You may receive requests for additional information from UVM (check the status of your aid application) and/or your state grant agency. Provide requested information promptly. Returning student financial aid offers cannot be completed until all requested information has been received and reviewed. Only send requested information. Receipt of unsolicited information will delay processing of your financial aid offer.

When Can I Expect to Receive my Financial Aid Offer? 

Process Information

• After receiving an email notification, view your aid offer online.
• Review your financial aid offer carefully, noting your eligibility.
• If you have received a tentative (estimated) aid offer, understand what action you need to take to make estimated aid an "official" aid offer.
• Report outside assistance including outside scholarships, and tuition remission, not already listed in your aid offer to our office.

Notifications

• Email notification will be sent to students with an "official" financial aid offer once the accept/decline options are activated (generally, in mid-June).
  • Tentative (estimated) financial aid offers cannot be accepted. Prospective students who have received an estimated financial aid offer will not be able to accept/decline their offered aid until all requested documentation has been received and reviewed, and the aid offer has been made "official".

Aid Acceptance

• If you have been offered grants, scholarships, and/or an amount of UVM Need-Based Gift Aid, these will automatically be accepted for you since they do not need to be repaid.
• To accept your aid, log into your myUVM portal, and from the Financial Aid card, click on 'View My Aid Offer'.
  • Note: You must first submit a response on the 'Resources/Additional Information' tab in order to access the 'Accept Award Offer' tab.
  • To accept less than what was offered, select 'accept' from the 'Accept Award' column and enter the amount you would like to accept in the 'Accept Partial Amount' column.
• While all offered aid does not need to be accepted/declined in the same session, our office encourages students to accept/decline their aid offers in advance of the semester billing dates so that it is reflected on the bill.
• Learn more about any loan options in your aid offer by visiting our Federal or institutional loan pages.
  • Most loans will need to be accepted by the last day of classes, unless an earlier deadline is specified.
  • The full amount of any offered Federal Direct Subsidized loan must be accepted before any amount of Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan can be accepted. The subsidized loan is need-based and more beneficial.
  • All aid is generally split in half between the fall and spring semesters. A request can be submitted to SFS at sfs@uvm.edu to receive more than half of your Federal Direct Student loan in one semester if you plan to graduate after the fall semester or have extenuating circumstances.

VSAC Grants (Vermont State Grants)

• A separate application is required.
• Use your MyVSAC portal to check the status of your grant if your grant is not listed. Grants will be incorporated into offers once enrollment has been verified.

Federal Work Study

• After accepting your Federal Work Study offer, watch your email for additional information on how to search for and secure a job. Learn more about deadlines for Federal Work Study.

Borrowers may need to complete a Loan Agreement (MPN), Promissory Note (PN), Entrance Counseling, Credit Check Authorization Forms, and/or apply for loans.  Follow the links below to learn more about the requirements for your accepted loans.

• Federal Direct Loans
• Institutional Loans
• Private Loans