Summer School Aid

• The amount of loan funds you are eligible to receive is based on:
  • your current grade level (freshman, sophomore, etc)
  • how much you borrowed through the 2023-2024 year
  • how much you borrowed cumulatively throughout your entire time in college.
• The Niner Central staff can help you determine whether or not you will have funding available.

Federal Pell Grant

• Additional Pell grant funding may be available for eligible students, even if you received 100% of your Pell grant for fall/spring
• Pell Grants are available to full- and part-time students enrolled in at least six credit hours throughout the summer
• Review this page for details >>

Federal Direct Loans

• If you borrowed the maximum Federal Direct loan amount based on your grade level for 2023-2024, you will not have remaining eligibility for summer.
• If you did not take classes or had previously declined Federal Direct loan funding in either the fall or spring semesters, you may have summer funding available. 

Federal Direct Parent and Graduate PLUS Loans

• ​This is a federal, credit-based loan for parents of dependent undergraduate students or graduate students enrolled in an eligible degree program. Additional information can be found on our Loan Information Page.

*If you are eligible for summer financial aid, please be aware that ALL financial aid awards and disbursements for both the Summer First Half and Summer Second Half will be combined and paid prior to the Summer First Half. A change in enrollment after the aid disbursement may result in a balance owed back to the university.

If you miss these deadlines above:

• First Half Term:
  • If you submit your loan application after May 1, you are responsible to pay all charges by the first payment due date (May 24) or your classes will be canceled.
  • In order to be awarded financial aid prior to the final cancellation of classes (May 24), you must have your summer class registration finalized and submit your summer school loan application by May 1, 2023.
  • If you submit your application after May 1 but before the last day of classes, your loan funds will be awarded 10 business days after your application is received. Your loan funds will come to you as a refund (since you would have already paid your bill in full).
• ​Second Half Term:
  • If you submit your loan application after June 15, you are responsible to pay for all charges by the first payment due date (July 7) or your classes will be canceled.
  • ​In order to be awarded financial aid prior to the final cancellation of classes (July 6), you must have your summer class registration finalized and submit your summer school loan application by June 15, 2023. 
  • If you submit your application after June 15 but before July 6, your loan funds will be awarded 10 business days after your application is received.  Your loan funds will come to you as a refund (since you would have already paid your bill in full).

If you change enrollment after submitting your summer loan application or you receive any additional funding after originally awarded, a hold may be applied to your disbursement for eligibility review.

• The summer loan application is not required to receive any federal or state grants for the summer term.
• The summer loan application is required if you are applying for Federal Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized loans).
• Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours during the Summer term to be eligible for disbursement(s) of Federal Direct and Parent PLUS Loan funds.
• Graduate students must be enrolled in at least three credit hours during the Summer term to be eligible for disbursement(s) of Federal Direct and PLUS Loan funds.
• All students enrolled for Summer Second Half ONLY will not have their disbursement(s) released before July 1st.
• If you change summer terms or reduce the total number of enrolled hours due to dropping or cancellation of classes, your award will be reduced accordingly, or possibly canceled.
• You must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy requirement at the end of the spring semester.   More information is available at the SAP Information page. If you are academically suspended, you are not eligible for summer financial aid.
• Financial aid will only pay for the 1st and 2nd attempt of the same course that has been successfully completed with a grade of D or better. Some courses are exempt from this rule because they are designated as being repeatable.
• The following students must contact Niner Central for a paper summer school financial aid application: graduate students only enrolling for thesis hours, students enrolled in a study abroad program, and students on transient study during the summer. Additional information may be required.​

• Alternative, non-federal loans may be available to students who do not qualify for federal student loans or those who need additional loan assistance beyond the federal loan maximums.
• The summer loan application is not required if you are ONLY applying for an alternative loan for summer. The Office of Financial Aid will receive your information directly from the lender. Be sure to sign all disclosure notices with the lender.
• In order to receive an alternative loan, the borrrower must apply directly with the lender. You may choose any lender of your choice.  For your convenience, we offer this handy ELM Select alternative loan tool, which walks you through important information about types of funding and money management.  After you review this information, you will see a list of lenders offering loan products in a way that makes it easy to compare them.
• You will receive an email when your award has been finalized. Please allow 3 weeks to process the alternative loan. 

• You must be enrolled at least half time, which is 6 credit hours, over the entire summer if you received a Pell Grant as a full time student for both fall and spring terms
• Your FAFSA shows that you are Pell eligible for the academic year
• You meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards
• You have not exceeded your lifetime limit (LEU) – Lifetime eligibility for the Pell Grant remains at 600%
• Limited eligibility of repeated courses – Financial aid will only pay for the 1st and 2nd attempt of the same course that has been successfully completed with a grade of D or better
  • Some courses are exempt from this rule because they are designated as being repeatable

Review these scenarios to help you determine how much summer Pell you will receive.

Scenario 1: Received 100% of your Pell funding in fall/spring; enrolling full time (12 credit hours) for summer

• 0 EFC (based on FAFSA)
• Eligible for full Federal Pell Grant for 2023-2024
• Enrolled full-time for fall and spring 
• Received full Pell disbursements
• Eligibility: full-time disbursement in summer

Scenario 2: Received 100% of your Pell funding in fall/spring; enrolling half time for summer

• 0 EFC (based on FAFSA)
• Eligible for full Federal Pell Grant for 2023-2024
• Enrolled full-time for fall and spring 
• Received full Pell disbursements
• Eligibility: half-time disbursement in summer if enrolled in 6 credit hours.

Scenario 3: Received 87% of your Pell funding in fall/spring; enrolling full-time for summer

• 0 EFC (based on FAFSA)
• Eligible for full Federal Pell Grant for 2023-2024
• Enrolled full-time for fall; enrolled 3/4 time in spring 
• Received full Pell disbursement for fall; received 3/4 Pell for spring
• Eligibility: full-time disbursement in summer if enrolled in 12 credit hours.

Scenario 4: Received 100% of your Pell funding in fall/spring; enrolling less than half-time for summer

• 0 EFC (based on FAFSA)
• Eligible for full Federal Pell Grant for 2023-2024
• Enrolled full-time for fall and spring 
• Received full Pell disbursements
• Eligibility: Not eligible for summer Pell because not enrolled at least half-time

• You must be enrolled at least half-time, which is 6 credit hours, over the summer if you were full-time during the 2022-2023 school year. 
• If you are an undergraduate enrolled in 3 credits for Summer First Half and 3 credits for Summer Second Half, this counts as half-time enrollment. 
• Your Summer Pell Grant award will adjust with any enrollment adjustment through census date (July 10, 2023).
• If you enroll only in Summer Second Half, you will have a delay in your Pell Grant disbursement.  Your disbursements will begin on July 1st.

After you register for classes, you will receive your Pell award decision within 3 business days.