2012-2013 George Mason University Online Scholarship Application

• The George Mason Online Scholarship Application is used to award scholarships offered by George Mason University currently listed on the Mason Scholarship Listing. Students only need to submit one application if the application source is the financial aid office online application. Otherwise, please contact the application source.
• An automated email copy of your scholarship application will be generated to your email account upon successful submission.
• Notification of scholarship awards begins Summer 2012 and continues throughout the academic year as funding becomes available. Only students awarded a Mason Scholarship for 2012-2013 academic year will be notified by letter.
• The 2012-2013 George Mason University Scholarship Application will close Friday, June 1, 2012 at 5 P.M. Submit a George Mason University Scholarship Application

2012-2013 PLUS Loan MPNs

2012-2013 Master Promissory Notes for Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS loans will be available to complete at studentloans.gov starting July 1, 2012.

Aid for Continuing and Transfer Students

Continuing students and transfer students will receive financial aid notifications in early June.

Aid for New Students

As soon as your financial aid package is ready, you will receive an email to directing you to view and accept your financial aid on patriotweb.gmu.edu.  Please use these directions to set up your PatriotPass.  If you are a new student and your package is not ready, check Patriotweb.gmu.edu to see if you need to turn in any documents.  Please allow a week for processing, and then if all requirements are complete, your package will be available on patriotweb.gmu.edu.

After your package has been offered, you must accept your aid within two weeks.  Accepting aid is not the same as accepting your admission to the unversity, which is a separate process.  If you accept your aid and later decide not to attend George Mason, please let us know and we will cancel your financial aid at George Mason.  That will not impact your aid at other schools.

As you review your financial aid options, please feel free to browse our website to learn more about grants, scholarship opportunities, student employment, and loan options.

Continuing students and transfer students will receive financial aid notifications in early June.

Summer Aid

Summer aid is limited if you have already used your maximum aid eligibility during fall and spring.  Therefore, applying for summer aid does not guarantee funding.  If you are not eligible for stafford loans, you may be eligible for PLUS Loans or private loans instead.  Federal loans require a minimum of half-time enrollment, which is 6 credits for undergraduate students or 4.5 credits for graduate students.

To apply for summer financial aid, please complete the following steps in this order:

1. Complete the 2011-2012 FAFSA at fafsa.ed.gov, if you have not yet completed it.

2.  Register for summer classes.

3.  Download the Summer Aid Form available in the Forms section of the financial aid website.

4.  Return the Summer Aid Form to the financial aid office. If you are participating in a study abroad program, attach the cost breakdown from your study abroad program.

5.  After you complete the application process and register for summer classes, you will receive an email directing you to view and accept your awards on patriotweb.gmu.edu.  Loan offers must be accepted on PatriotWeb before your summer classes end.

For more information, please review our website’s section about Summer Aid.

Submitting Requested Documents

If you need to submit documents to continue the processing of your financial aid, such as taxes, W2s, or citizenship information, you will be notified via email. Newly admitted freshman students who have not established Mason email accounts will be emailed at the address listed on their FAFSA.  You only need to submit documents to the Mason financial aid office if they are requested. If you would like to correct your FAFSA, you may do so at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You do not need to submit documents to correct your FAFSA unless we email you with a request.

The deadline to submit documents is May 15, 2012.

For information on how and where to send documents, please view the section of our website with instructions for sending documents.

Due to high volume, please allow one week to pass before checking on the status of your documents while they are processed.  When all documents are verified, PatriotWeb wil show a complete status.

Financial Aid Communication Policy

The Office of Student Financial Aid sends all requests and notifications primarily to students via their Mason email account. Please monitor your Mason email account regularly for important information regarding your Financial Aid status.

Financial Aid Disbursement and Refund Information

Loan funds will begin to disburse as early as August 19th. Federal loan disbursements require a minimum of half-time enrollment and completion of an online Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling session at studentloans.gov.

Refunds generated from loans and grants, if eligible, will be mailed approximately 7-10 business days after disbursement. You may sign up for Direct Deposit of your Refund by completing a Direct Deposit Refund Authorization form, found at http://studentaccounts.gmu.edu/forms.

Changes in enrollment after aid disbursement may result in a reduction in aid and a balance due. Please notify the aid office in writing of any changes in enrollment.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2011-2012

If you are attending school in the Fall 2011 and/or Spring 2012, you must complete a FAFSA to be eligible for Financial Aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be accessed on the web at www.fafsa.gov. Remember, only applications received by the federal processor before March 1st (Mason’s priority filing date) will receive priority consideration for all available funds.

• File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the web. You will need a PIN number from the Department of Education to complete the form. If you do not already have a Department of Education PIN, one may be obtained from the Department of Education’s PIN web site. (Note: Parents and students must obtain separate PIN numbers.) To access the online FAFSA filing process, just go to FAFSA on the Web.
• If you received your PIN from the Department of Education for your 2010-2011 Renewal FAFSA, you can complete your renewal online.
• George Mason’s Federal School Code is 003749.