Eligibility for Financial Aid
At UMA, most students are eligible to apply for financial aid. In fact, over 60% of UMA degree students receive some form of financial aid: grants or scholarships, low interest loans, work-study, or a combination of grants, loans, and/or work. To be eligible for financial aid, students must:
- Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) listing UMA on the form. UMA's "Federal School Code" is 006760, and you will need to supply this number on your FAFSA form. You may file online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
- Be admitted to an eligible degree or certificate program.
- Be enrolled at least half-time, which is defined as six or more credit hours per semester. Exceptions to this required number of hours are sometimes possible.
Additional information on eligibility for financial aid can be found in the Federal Student Guide. (Click here to go to the Federal Student Guide web site.)
Special Information for Those Under Age 24
Federal regulations classify as dependents all students who are undergraduates and who are under the age of 24, not married, not supporting dependents of their own, not veterans, and not orphans or wards of the court.
Even if a student's parents choose not to help with school expenses and/or no longer declare a student as a dependent for tax purposes, parents' income and assets are used to determine how much they could pay, and financial aid eligibility is based upon this information.
The only exceptions to this rule is when there is a complete breakdown in the parent-child relationship, such as might happen in situations involving abuse. If this is the case, consult with a UMA financial aid advisor for help in documenting the situation.