Graduate Financial Aid FAQ

Yes, the University of New Haven is committed to assisting our Graduate Students in the financing of their education by offering a comprehensive financial aid program. We try to meet the needs of Graduate aid applicants through a "package" of assistance, generally consisting of:

Federal the Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan - The primary financial aid source for most graduate students. Student loans are awarded to graduate students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, are matriculated and enrolled at least half-time (5 credits per term), and have completed the financial aid application process. Graduate students may be able to borrow up to $20,500 per year in Federal Direct Student Loans, however this amount may be lower depending on the student's enrollment plans or other financial assistance a student is receiving. Students are responsible for paying the interest on Unsubsidized loans. You can opt to make interest only payments once per quarter which will assist in reducing accumulated interest. More information on the Federal Direct Student Loans can be found here.

If you are applying for Graduate aid for any term in the 2022-2023 academic year (Fall 2022, Spring 2023) you are required to submit the 2022-2023 FAFSA. The FAFSA is available each year beginning October 1.

R. If students are eligible for the maximum student loans of $20,500 per academic year, it will cover most of the cost for a full time course load for most University of New Haven Graduate Degree Programs. You should monitor your student billing account on e-pay, the university's on-line student account system, to review your current balance status. A current list of graduate charges is also available on the Bursar's website. Any excess financial aid funds, after tuition and fee charges are satisfied, will be returned to students in the form of a refund from the Bursar's Office.

A refund can only be issued when there is a credit on your account at the Bursar's office (i.e. there is excess financial aid after all of your university tuition and fee costs have been covered). To expedite a refund, you need to make sure that all of your financial aid requirements are completed including submission of an accepted financial aid award, completion of a Federal Student Loan Master Promissory Note and/or Student Loan Entrance Counseling session (if required) and proper enrollment in the upcoming term. Failure to complete any of these procedures can result in delayed disbursements and refunds.

If all of your financial aid requirements are completed, your aid will disburse to your account on the first day of the term. If your federal aid creates a credit on your account, the Bursar's office will generate a refund. Under federal regulations, the Bursar's office has 14 days once a credit is created by your federal financial aid to process a refund. Traditionally our Bursar's office makes every effort to expedite that process in a shorter timeframe. Refunds are processed on a weekly basis and are available for student pickup on Fridays at the Bursar's Office. For more information regarding refunds click here.

Yes. There are several reasons that you have to notify us that you have added or dropped a class:

1. Some loans and grant programs require you register for a specific number of credits each trimester. Federal Student loans are only available to students that are enrolled half-time or above (5 credits are more) in any given term. Our Graduate Assistantship positions are only available to fulltime students (9 credits per term) with the only exception being the last term of enrollment where the student may enroll half-time and still receive the Graduate Assistantship grant for 50% of their tuition.

2. The number of credits you register for determines your enrollment status (ie. full time, part time) and this in turn may affect the amount of financial aid you can receive. Your overall Cost of Attendance is derived by your enrollment status.

3. Satisfactory academic progress, a mandatory regulation for maintaining financial aid, may be affected by dropping classes. You were awarded aid based on achieving a specific number of credits per term (as stated in your financial aid award). If you do not successfully earn those credits at year end, when we check academic progress, you will be ineligible to receive aid for the next academic year until those deficient credits are achieved. Students have an opportunity to appeal their loss of eligibility.

Bottomline... before you change your schedule, drop a class or withdraw from a class, you must notify the Financial Aid Office to determine if that change will affect your eligibility for aid or your loan amounts.

Filing your application late - Incorrect Social Security Numbers – Omitting the school code 001397 on the FAFSA - Not using your legal name from your social security card - Submitting illegible, incomplete, or unsigned documentation - Failing to report other untaxed income such as child support, contributions to a 401k plan or an IRA, etc. - Under reporting or failure to report student assets - Incorrect reporting of number in household/college on the FAFSA. Please double check your FAFSA before submitting it.

Yes. Anytime a student receives funds from an outside company, employer, agency, or civic group they must report it to the University of New Haven Financial Aid Office.

Yes. Financial aid is not automatic and must be reapplied for each year. You can file anytime after October 1, and our priority date to submit the FAFSA is January 1.

The Financial Aid Office is located in Bergami Hall and is open from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. We can also be reached at (203) 932-7315, or by email at financialaid@newhaven.edu.