A student can apply for financial Aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at studentaid.gov which is available on October 1^st for the following academic year.

The Title IV school code is 001406.

Yes, it is in your best interest to submit your FAFSA even if you have not been accepted into the University. However, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships will not process your application until you have been officially accepted as a matriculated student either by the Undergraduate Admissions Office or the Office of Graduate Studies.

Students who electronically sign and submit a valid FAFSA to the federal processor by the priority date will have their financial aid file reviewed before bills are due.

The priority date for filing the FAFSA is March 15^th for new students and February 15^th for returning students (which aligns with Connecticut’s priority date).. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships must receive the complete and valid processed FAFSA results by the priority date in order for the financial aid application to be considered on time.

Your financial aid application will still be processed but, you may not have financial aid in place by the bill due date.  You are urged to file your FAFSA online as soon as possible and to utilize the electronic signature component available to you upon completion of the application for the quickest processing time.

In most cases the information provided on the FAFSA is sufficient for the student to receive a financial aid award.  However, the federal government randomly selects financial aid applicants for a review process called verification. If selected, you may be required to submit copies of the documentation you used to complete the FAFSA.

Provisionally independent students who report a special or unusual circumstance are also required to submit supporting documentation.

We have partnered with a company called Inceptia who will walk students through this verification and special or unusual circumstance process. Additional information might also be requested in some cases by a Financial Aid Administrator in order to clear conflicting information reported on the FAFSA. Students are notified by SCSU e-mail if additional information is required. 

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships generally begin sending award notification during mid-to-late December for new incoming students and by mid-March for continuing students. This timeline is subject to change. 

Yes. Your financial aid package is based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the information you provide on the FAFSA, current enrollment status, grade level, additional resources and scholarships, etc. Therefore, any changes or discrepancies may result in adjustments to your aid. Please visit the Revised Awards page for additional information. 

Federal financial aid is not available for the Winter and Spring intersessions.  For those sessions, you have the option to pay out-of-pocket or use a private loan.

To determine your eligibility for Summer aid, you must complete a FAFSA for the current award year and be registered for summer courses.  Students who wish to be awarded before registration can file a SCSU Summer Financial Aid Application to indicate how many credits they plan on taking.  Students must be enrolled in at least half-time status in order to receive aid for Summer (6 credits for Undergraduates and 4.5 for Graduates. The Summer Aid application will be available in March and must be submitted no later than May 1.

Yes. You must pay your bill on time.  If your financial aid is not credited to your university account by the payment due date, you are required to pay the bill. The fall semester bill is due on July 15th and the spring semester bill is due on December 15th.

Please allow up to five business days for processing. We ask that you do not re-submit documents unless requested because it can slow down the processing time.

If you cannot answer 'Yes' to any question under Step Three (questions 46 - 58) listed here: Dependency Section, then you must provide your parents' information on your FAFSA.  If you feel extenuating circumstances exist that prevent you from including your parents' information, then please visit the Special or Unusual Circumstances page for additional information. 

First, confirm that your loan requirements were completed successfully by logging into https://studentaid.gov. It can take between 24-48 hours for completion to appear in your Banner Web account. If both the Master Promissory Note or PLUS application are marked as completed, it has been longer than 48 hours, and you do not see the requirement listed on your Banner Web account, please call our office.

The following sixth year professional diplomas and certificate programs are not eligible for federal financial aid. Therefore, students enrolled in one of the following programs cannot receive financial aid and must make payment arrangements with the Student Accounts Office or secure a private loan.

• Addictions Counseling – Graduate Certificate
• Assistive Technology – Graduate Certificate
• Bilingual Extension Program – Graduate Certificate
• Business Analytics – Graduate Certificate
• Computing Foundations – Graduate Certificate
• Data Science – Graduate Certificate
• Disaster Mental Health – Graduate Certificate
• Healthcare Administration – Graduate Certificate
• Human Resources Management – Graduate Certificate
• Master of Business Administration degree jointly conferred by SCSU and Liverpool John Moores University
• Master of Science degree jointly conferred by SCSU and Liverpool John Moores University
• Nurse Educator – Post-Master's Certificate
• Reading and Language Arts Consultant – Post-Master's Certificate
• Women's Studies – Certificate program

Financial Aid can be used to cover only the courses that count towards a student’s program of study. 

A transfer monitoring hold is something that Financial Aid offices use to ensure the most up to date financial aid history is reviewed with the U.S. Department of Education.  This helps guarantee accurate financial aid awards for students.  No action is needed on behalf of the student but please note, the hold will prevent a student's aid from disbursing for 7 days.

• If attending the Fall semester and graduating in December:
  • Yes
• If attending both the Fall and Spring semesters but you prefer your full loan to be disbursed fully in one term:
  • No
• If attending the Fall semester but will not be in attendance in the Spring semester:
  • No
• If starting a new program in the Spring semester and did not receive a Fall loan disbursement at Southern or another institution:
  • Yes

Please note, in all cases the loan must fit within a student's cost of attendance.