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Applying for Aid

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid plays a vital role at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where a large percentage of students receive some type of financial assistance.

Tuition and fees at UTRGV are significantly lower than private universities and equal to, or lower than, most public universities. This, together with the availability of financial aid funds, makes UTRGV an outstanding educational value.

There are several sources of student aid, including federal, state, institutional and private funds. Financial assistance comes in the form of grants, scholarships, student loans, and work-study.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is an equal opportunity institution in the administration of its financial aid programs. In keeping with this policy, financial aid is extended to students without regard to race, creed, sex, national origin, veteran status, religion, age, or disability.

To qualify for federal financial assistance, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

  1. Have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and all required documentation is on file by the appropriate deadline.
  2. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  3. Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  4. Be enrolled as a regular student working toward a degree in an eligible program.
  5. Have signed the certification statement of on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form stating that you're not in default on a federal student loan, you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and you'll only use federal student aid for educational purposes.
  6. Be enrolled as a regular student working toward a degree in an eligible degree program*.
  7. Demonstrate financial need, except when applying for funds from a program that does not require financial need.
  8. Be in satisfactory academic standing and making Satisfactory Academic Progress (as defined by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy described on U Central) at the university.
    Be enrolled in courses that are required towards the completion of a current degree plan.

* Students enrolled in certificate programs are not eligible for financial aid.

Important Note: Students that complete a FAFSA and want to be considered for State and Institutional aid, should be registered with Selective Service (Students subject Selective Service registration will be required to file a statement that the student has registered or is exempt for Selective Service registration in order to be eligible for receive State and Institutional aid).

Students must be in a degree-seeking program (undergraduate or graduate) to be eligible for financial aid.

Graduate degree-seeking Students with conditional admission (i.e., conditions that have been specified by the graduate program), participating in a certification program, or participating in continuing education or professional improvement are not eligible to receive financial aid.

HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID

To apply for financial aid, a student must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To initiate the application, the user must create an FSA ID and password. The UTRGV School Code for the FAFSA is 003599.

Students may visit us either the Edinburg or Brownsville locations for one-on-one electronic FAFSA submittal assistance. All required documents must be submitted before any aid can be offered. Some applications are selected for verification of information submitted on the application.

To find out if the federal student financial aid application has been processed, or to see the information on the application, a student can call 1-800-433-3243 or visit the website.

If you are classified as a Texas Resident under Senate Bill 1528 law, you must complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). The TASFA application can be obtained online under the Financial Aid site. and selecting the ‘Forms’ tab on the left side of the page and then selecting the aid year for which you are applying to.

In order to apply for summer institutional grants, students must submit a summer notification to the Financial Aid Office, in addition to a FAFSA or TASFA. The summer notification is available yearly on December 15.

INFORMATION ON THE FEDERAL VERIFICATION PROCESS

Some FAFSA applicants are selected for verification. Verification is the process in which the school’s financial aid office requests documentation from students based on the information provided on the FAFSA application submitted to the Department of Education. If an applicant has been selected for verification, we will notify them by email and via their ASSIST account. In most cases the documents used to verify information are the prior year’s federal tax return transcript and a Verification Worksheet; additional documents may be requested depending upon the information to be verified. Applicants are asked to submit the requested information within two weeks. The financial aid application is considered incomplete until verification is completed; that is, no aid offer will be made until verification is complete. To expedite the processing of financial aid prior to the beginning of the fall semester, students are highly encouraged to submit all verification documents no later than June 1st.

If corrections must be made as a result of verification, corrections to the ISIR will be submitted to the federal processor. If an aid offer must be adjusted because of information submitted as part of the verification process, the applicant will be notified via email through a revised Financial Aid Notification.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Fall Awards:  January 15
Spring Awards: September 15
Summer Awards:  February 15

Please Note: The dates above are subject to change based on FAFSA availability.

Final deadline to apply for financial aid is June 30 of the end of the award year. To offer aid for an application submitted after the end of the spring semester, the student must be currently enrolled in a summer term. Financial aid funding is limited for many programs and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s important for you to submit your materials by FAFSA or TASFA priority dates.

Students that did not apply for financial aid or submit required documents by the recommended priority dates may not have their aid offered at the time payment is due. Arrangements will then need to be made by the student for an alternative method of payment, such as an Installment Plan, Emergency Loan, or pay on their own.

BENEFITS OF APPLYING EARLY

By applying early, you:

  • You increase your chance of receiving some of the state and/or local aid, which is limited in funding.
  • You get an offer letter prior to the payment of tuition and fees.
  • If your file needs corrections, these can be completed before the payment date of tuition and fees.