Applying for & Receiving Financial Aid
Read this before you apply for aid:
Apply early! Because of complex federal requirements, it can take six to eight weeks to process an accurate application. Errors will delay your award even more. Campus-based funds are awarded according to need to the earliest applicants. Once these limited funds have been awarded, applicants will be considered for Pell Grants and Stafford Loans only. Make sure you apply in time to meet financial aid deadlines.
Apply for a PIN online at www.pin.ed.gov. This can save you time by allowing you to complete your entire application online. Your parents can also get a PIN online so they can sign your FAFSA if needed as well.
Apply for admission. You can't be awarded until you are fully admitted (matriculated) into a USU degree-granting program. Extension students are eligible for financial aid only if they are fully admitted into a USU degree program.
Check your email. That's where we will notify you if you have unmet requirements, and it is where you will be notified of your award. To give us your email address, log onto USU Access and enter the email address you wish USU to use.
Getting Married is Tricky: If you are planning on getting married, you are usually better off waiting to file until you are actually married. Contact your financial aid counselor for more details.
Application Checklist - to do each year you wish to receive aid:
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Collect the documents you need.
You may print a pre-application worksheet before you begin the FAFSA. If you don't have a copy of your federal tax form, you can request a transcript of your return from the IRS by calling 1-800-829-1040. -
Complete the FAFSA on the web.
(FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) - by email if you provide one. Keep this for your records. USU school code for the FAFSA is 003677. Paper applications are available through the Financial Aid Office, but applying through the mail is much slower and more prone to error and delay. -
Complete other requirements.
If you are selected for verification, you will be notified at your USU email address. need to complete a verification form and may be required to submit copies of your federal taxes. Once verification is complete, we will submit any necessary corrections before awarding you. -
Review & accept your awards.
Once you receive your award notice, log onto USU Access to review and accept your awards. If you are accepting a student loan, be sure you have completed the additional steps noted below. -
Check your charges, receive remaining funds.
Your financial aid funds will be automatically applied to your charges. Check your account summary on USU Access a day after you accept your awards. If you owe more than the estimated financial aid, you must pay the balance before fee-payment deadline to prevent your classes from being dropped. If you have remaining financial aid funds, a check will be sent to your mailing address the first week of class. Or you can arrange to have the funds deposited directly into your checking account by submitting a Direct Deposit form.
Additional Steps to Receive a Student Loan
After you accept your Stafford or Perkins loan on USU Access, you must complete a few more steps:
- Complete loan Entrance Counseling. You only need to do this one-time at USU.
- Complete a loan promissory note:
For Perkin Loans: If you were awarded a Perkins loan and need to sign a promissory note, you will see a requirement on USU Access under your Financial Aid Status (look for "Unsatisfied student requirements.") Click on the link to download the promissory note, complete the form and submit it to the Registration/Cashiers Office.
For Stafford Loans, you have two promissory note options:
Option One: UHEAA Lenders
USU does not have a preferred lender list, however, nearly all USU students choose lenders who work with the nonprofit UHEAA Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority. To the best of our knowledge, UHEAA offers the best borrower benefits in the country and provides excellent service. Students can choose from among their 22 local and national lenders when they sign their Master Promissory Note. All lenders associated with UHEAA offer the same terms and borrower benefits.
If you wish to choose a UHEAA lender, simply accept the loan on USU Access. We will certify the loan and UHEAA will notify you if you need to sign a promissory note.
Complete the promissory note. If this is your first loan with UHEAA, you should receive a notice within 10 days of accepting your loan. The notice from UHEAA will give you instructions for going on-line to complete your promissory note. This is where you will select a lender.
Please Note: UHEAA sends notices for the upcoming school year starting in July. Students who borrowed loans through Zions Bank will need to sign a promissory note with a different lender.
During the school year you can complete the promissory note online.
- 3-5 business days after accepting your loan on USU Access, go to uheaa.org.
- Click on “Account Access,”
- Click on “Create an Account.”
- Provide the requested information.
- Select “Your Stafford MPN is available for completion.”
- Follow instructions to completion.
- To sign electronically, you’ll need your FAFSA PIN number
For problems, phone UHEAA toll-free at 877-336-7378.On the first day of class, or seven to ten working days after completing your promissory note, your Stafford loan should be able to pay toward anything you might owe the school and forward any remainding funds to you.
Note: If you have borrowed a Stafford loan previously and your lender has a valid Master Promissory note, you will not need to sign another promissory note to receive a loan.
Option Two: Other Lenders
After you accept your Stafford loan on USU Access, please contact the financial aid office to set up your Stafford loan with the lender of your choice. Not all non-UHEAA lenders process loans electronically which may delay the receipt of your loan funds. You will lose out on UHEAA's borrower benefits which are among the best in the nation. You may also need to contact your lender directly to sign a master promissory note.
Does it make any difference which lender I choose?
Parent/Graduate PLUS Loans
- Your parent can submit a Parent PLUS application. This form can be downloaded here. Even if you are pre-approved for a PLUS loan through your lender, you must complete this form and submit it to our office.
- Graduate students who wish to apply for a PLUS loan should contact their financial aid counselor.
Private Education Loans (Alternative Loans)
If the federal programs are not sufficient to cover all of your school-related expenses, you may also consider a private eduation loan.