How to apply for financial aid at George Mason University

(GMU's Federal Title IV School Code: 003749)

To determine if you are eligible for need-based financial aid and to establish eligibility for alternative non-need based financial aid resources, each year you must:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Renewal FAFSA Application submit it to the federal processing center as soon as possible after January 1st of the year for which you are applying to receive financial aid. You should file the FAFSA online through the U.S Department of Education's FAFSA on the Web site (www.fafsa.ed.gov). This site will allow you to complete the application online and sign it electronically using a U.S Department of Education PIN number (www.pin.ed.gov). Applications received by the processing center after March 1st for the next academic year are considered "late", and will not be given priority consideration, and will be reviewed for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Stafford Loans, and Federal Parent loans. For example, the federal processor must receive 2008-2009 financial aid applications by March 1, 2008 to be considered "on-time."
• After you complete the FAFSA, you will receive an email of your Student Aid Report (SAR). You must review it, and if it is not correct, make corrections. You can make corrections via the Department of Education's FAFSA on the Web website.
• If additional information is required to process your file, you will receive a Missing Information Letter from the Office of Student Financial Aid. You should respond to this request as quickly as possible. Failure to respond in a timely manner can drastically reduce the amount of aid that you are offered.
• Once all information is received by our office, we will compare your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to our established Cost of Attendance (COA) to determine if you are eligible for need-based financial aid. If you are eligible for need-based aid, you will receive a Financial Aid Notice of Award and Acceptance in the mail. This will include the types and amounts of aid you are offered and instructions for applying for the Federal Stafford Loan program. If you are found ineligible for need-based financial aid, a Financial Aid Notice offering you an Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan.  All dependent students awarded any type of financial assistance will be mailed information about the Federal PLUS loan starting in June. For on-time new incoming freshmen, this award notification should arrive sometime in April. For on-time new transfer students and returning students, this award notification should arrive sometime after June 1st.

Other tips to remember about applying for financial aid:

• You must reapply for aid EVERY YEAR.
• Missing the on-time priority filing date will limit the amount of aid for which you are considered.
• You can complete the FAFSA using ESTIMATED income and tax figures. If necessary, do this rather than missing our priority filing date. Be prepared to provide complete copies of your Federal tax returns, tax schedules, and W-2 forms if requested.
• Respond quickly to ALL requests for information.
• Put the student's name and Mason ID (i.e. G#) on all documents submitted to our office.
• Keep a copy of all documents related to your financial aid.
• Return the required portions of your award notification after completing all sections and making sure to sign where indicated.
• Keep a record of all previous loans, including promissory notes and disclosure statements.
• Since private scholarships often require separate scholarship applications, begin research into scholarships early.

      PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND!!