Graduate Catalog

Officers of Administration

Graduate School

Financial Aid

Office for Student Financial Affairs

Financial aid is available to qualified graduate students through the Office for Student Financial Affairs (SFA) in S107 Criser Hall, mainly through work or loan programs (see Loans and Part-Time Employment). Students who wish to apply for aid administered by SFA must follow the instructions in the Gator Aid Application Guide, completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the application deadline. Graduate students who apply for assistance through SFA must be registered for at least 5 credits to receive aid from Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans (FDSL), Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans (FDUSL), Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loans and Federal Work-Study. To receive FDSL, FDUSL, or Federal Work-Study during the summer, graduate students must register for at least 4 credits for the entire summer term (students who enroll for fewer than 4 credits during Summer A/C cannot be paid until Summer B).

For complete financial aid information, including instructions on how to apply: SFA website http://www.sfa.ufl.edu/. After applying, use UF’s ISIS system: http://www.isis.ufl.edu/. To access ISIS, students must use their UF PIN and their UFID and GatorLink password.

Financial Aid Nexus Tapes

The Office for Student Financial Affairs prepared a series of brief tapes for the NEXUS phone tape series to provide current information on financial aid programs. To use this service, call (352)392-1683 and request the tape you want to hear: 402-A Applying for Financial Aid; 402-B Student Loans; 402-C Federal Direct Loans; 402-D Student Budgets; 402-E Financial Aid for Graduate Students; 402-F Student Employment; 402-G Grants; 402-H Scholarships; 402-I Loans and Debt Management; 402-J Financial Aid Phone Numbers; 402-K How Financial Aid Is Disbursed; 402-L Registration Period Update; and 402-M Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities. These tapes are available on the web at http://www.sfa.ufl.edu/infoserv/nexus.html.

Loans

Graduate students may qualify for the following student loans: Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loans,University of Florida Institutional Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans. These programs offer long-term, low-interest loans that must be repaid when the borrower graduates, withdraws, or drops to less than half-time enrollment. In general, students may borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid per academic year at interest rates from 5% to 9% annually. Some loans are based on financial need; others are not. The actual amount of each loan is based on financial need and/or program limits. To apply, obtain a Gator Aid Application Guide and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): http://www.fafsa.ed.gov or Office for Student Financial Affairs in S107 Criser Hall. Do not wait until you are admitted to apply for aid. Apply as soon as January for fall loans. Although students may apply for Federal Direct Stafford Loans throughout the year, they must observe the deadlines set each term for applying for loans for the next term and should always apply as early as possible. For deadlines, visit Gator Aid Application Guide, or SFA’s website http://www.sfa.ufl.edu.

Short-term loans: UF has an emergency short-term loan program to help students meet temporary financial needs related to educational expenses. Graduate students may borrow up to $1,000 or the amount of in-state tuition if they have an acceptable repayment source. Interest is 1% per month and these loans must be repaid by the first day of the last month in the term the money is borrowed. Processing takes about 48 hours. For applications, visit SFA in S107 Criser Hall.

Part-Time Employment

UF offers part-time student jobs through three employment programs: Federal Work-Study jobs, including the Federal Community Service component; Other Personnel Services (OPS); and off-campus jobs. Federal Work-Study jobs are based on financial need. To apply for Federal Work-Study jobs, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available from the Office for Student Financial Affairs (SFA) in S107 Criser Hall, or use FAFSA on the Web at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. OPS jobs are not based on financial need. UF maintains online job boards for student work programs. For information on jobs and how to apply, go to http://www.sfa.ufl.edu/programs/studentemployment.html.

Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid Recipients

Students receiving financial aid must be in good standing at UF and maintain financial aid satisfactory academic progress requirements. UF’s financial aid academic progress requirements are available on the Office for Student Financial Affairs (SFA) website at http://www.sfa.ufl.edu, in SFA’s Gator Aid Handbook, in the brochure that accompanies all financial aid award letters issued by SFA, and as a handout at the SFA service counters in S107 Criser Hall.