North Carolina A&T State University
Student Financial Aid Office
INFORMATION FOR
DOCTORAL, MASTERS’, TEACHER CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE STUDENTS
Financial assistance is available to graduate students attending NC A&T State University. To apply for federal assistance, graduate students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The primary source of funding awarded through the Financial Aid Office for graduate students are loans (Federal and Alternative Loans). Graduate students may also receive funding through Scholarships, fellowships, teaching assistants, research assistants, tuition remission and other sources.
Eligibility - Graduate students must be admitted as a degree seeking student.Eligibility for federal assistance is based upon the results of the processed FAFSA.
Reapplication - The continuation of your financial aid from year to year is not automatic. All recipients must reapply for aid each academic year. Students can apply at (www.fafsa.ed.gov). FAFSA forms are generally available after January 1 each year. NC A&T State University school code is 002905.
Course Work – Masters’ and Doctoral students must enroll in at least half time (5 hours) of graduate course work (600 or 700 course level) to be eligible for a Federal Direct Student Loan. The University considers 9 hours to be full-time; therefore, half time would be 5 hours. Financial aid for Graduate students will not cover undergraduate courses taken or classes that are being audited.
Federal Direct Loans – Graduate students who receive a Federal Direct Student Loan must sign a Master Promissory Note only once for all disbursements unless the student cease continued enrollment for a year or longer. The award notification or the Disclosure Statement from the U.S. Department of Education will serve as notification of the loan amount. Students may decrease the amount borrowed by completing the decrease section of the Federal Direct Loan Certification Form. Graduate student’s awards may include the subsidized and/or unsubsidized loan. All Federal Direct Loans are disbursed in two payments. Listed below is the difference between a subsidized and unsubsidized loan.
A subsidized loan is based on financial need. The federal government pays the interest on the loan while you are enrolled in school and the grace period. The Unsubsidized loan is not based on financial need and you pay the interest (monthly or quarterly) while enrolled in school or the interest may be deferred and added to the principal amount. Payment on Federal Direct Loan begins six months after you graduate, cease enrollment or drop below half-time enrollment.
All Federal Direct Loan borrowers at NC A&T State University are encouraged to sign their Direct Loan promissory note electronically. Students must have their U.S. Department of Education assigned PIN# to sign their promissory note. This is not the PIN# assigned to you by the University. The website to sign your Master Promissory Note is (dlenote.ed.gov). A listing of students who signed their promissory note will be forwarded electronically to the Student Financial Aid Office.
U.S. Department of Education PIN Number - It is very important that every financial aid recipient who completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid receives and maintains the PIN# from the U.S. Department of Education. Anybody for whom a PIN# has not already been generated can now have one created by supplying basic identifying information on the website. Once created, the PIN#, when used along with the applicant’s identifying data, allows access to that applicant’s data in several Student Financial Aid systems, as identified below, and may also serve as that person’s signature. Anyone interested in obtaining a PIN# should go to www.pin.ed.gov and click on Apply for a PIN. Once the data has been successfully submitted, the Central Processing System will confirm the identifying information with the Social Security Administration Database. After a successful match, a PIN# will be generated.
The PIN# should be used to apply for aid each year and to access various websites by the Department of Education. This PIN# can be used to access the following web sites:
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Entrance Counseling - If this is your first time attending NC A&T State University and/or first time borrowing through the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, you must complete the entrance counseling session. This session is available via the web at (www.dlssonline.com). You should click on Entrance Counseling. You must have your PIN number to complete the Entrance Counseling Session.
Right to Cancel A Loan – As a Direct Loan borrower you have the right to cancel or reduce your loan within 14 days of disbursement. Your bill from the University indicates the date the loan proceeds are credited to your account.
Tuition Remission – Tuition Remission awarded prior to registration will only be offered on the system. The semester award will not be posted to student’s account until after the Graduate School verifies the hours enrolled and matching funds. If tuition remission is awarded on the system, the Treasurer’s Office will use the semester amount in calculating the semester balance. The Graduate School Office will notify the Student Financial Aid Office after the drop/add period when to credit the amount to the student’s account. Please do not expect a refund from Tuition Remission during the first three weeks of classes.
Enrolled for One Semester -If you are enrolled for one semester, your loan will be disbursed in two payments. The first disbursement at the beginning of the semester, (provided all required forms are completed and on file and a Master Promissory note is signed) and the difference at the mid-point of the semester, generally October for Fall semester and March for Spring semester.
Satisfactory Academic Progress – Masters’ and Doctoral students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) to continue receipt of financial aid. Full-time students must earn at least 9 hours per semester and part-time students must pass 80% of the classes enrolled for the academic year. Financial aid is suspended if the appropriate number of hours and cumulative grade point average is not earned. Masters’ students are not eligible for aid beyond 54 semester hours unless enrolled in the Human Development and Services program with a major in Counselor Education, Human Resource (Agency Counseling), and Human Resource (Business and Industry). Students enrolled in the Human Development and Services program are not allowed to receive aid beyond 90 semester hours. Satisfactory Academic Progress is checked at the end of each Spring semester.
Outside Scholarships - Students are encouraged to investigate all possible forms of assistance from outside sources. All scholarship checks should be made payable to North Carolina A&T State University and mailed to the Treasurer’s Office, 1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411. We encourage students to search for scholarships via the Web. You may visit our website at www.ncat.edu/finaid for various scholarship information and sites. Please do not pay a company for a free service.
Scholarships And Other Aid Not Listed On Your Award Notification - If you are receiving a scholarship or other aid that is not listed on your award notification, please check with the appropriate office to ensure that documentation is sent to the Student Financial Aid Office. Additional award may cause reduction or cancellation in aid already awarded, even if the student has received a refund from aid already credited to the student’s account.
Alternative Loans - Students may apply for an Alternative Loan to assist with funding their education. Students are encouraged to first apply for federal and state funding unless suspended from financial aid. Alternative Loans are made available through banks and other lending agencies. Most alternative lenders conduct a credit check to determine qualification. A co-signer may be required if a student cannot show sufficient income or credit worthiness. Students are encouraged to contact the Student Financial Aid Office for possible lenders. Less than half-time students can apply through EdAmerica Private Loans. Several Alternative Loan lenders are:
Sallie Mae Signature Loan 1-800-695-3317 www.salliemae.com
Citiassist (Citibank) 1-800-745-5473 www.studentloan.com
TERI 1-800-255-8374 www.teri.org
EdAmerica 1-866-398-7725 www.edamerica.net
Change in Classification - If you will be classified as an Undergraduate in the Fall semester but will be a Graduate student in the Spring, you must notify the Financial Aid Office for revision of your aid.
Assistantships – Teaching assistantships are awarded through the academic departments. Contact your Academic Department to see if Assistantships are offered.
Stipends – A stipend is a form of scholarship award paid directly to a student for participating in a program. We call this award a Scholarship Stipend. Scholarship stipends are considered as resource for financial aid purposes and counted as a form of financial aid. Stipends may affect your eligibility for federal financial aid. Federal or State taxes are not withheld from scholarship stipends. Graduate student who receive a stipend after a loan has been disbursed, may have to repay some or all of the refund received from the Federal Direct Student Loan. We are unable to tell you how a stipend will affect your award until we receive the total amount of stipend for the year, however, if you contact the Scholarship Office, they will provide you with as much information as possible.
A stipend award may reduce the amount of aid awarded to you. Listed below is an example of how a stipend may affect your award:
Budget $16,800
Expected Family Contribution (determined by the Federal Government) - 1,200
Unmet Financial Need = 15,600
Financial Aid Awarded (Academic Year) (Stipend) - 8,500
Amount of additional aid you can receive (Federal Loans) = $7,100
If your stipend payments are more than the eligible amount of additional aid you can receive, your financial aid must be reduced. This is considered an over-award. If you received a refund from aid previously disbursed, you must repay the amount that exceeds the eligible amount (over-award). Any balance due to the University as a result of an over-award or over-budget will be your responsibility. Please plan accordingly.
Refunds – Refunds will be generated according to the refund schedule provided all documents have been submitted and processed, aid posted to the account, promissory notes and/or Direct Loan Certification signed and entrance counseling session completed. Part-time (less than 9 hours) students’ financial aid will not be posted to the account until after the census date. Refund is generally ready a week after the aid is disbursed to the account. Please refer to the refund schedule.
Adjustment to an Award – Financial aid awards are based on the assumption that students will enroll full-time. Financial aid budgets and awards will be adjusted for graduate students enrolled less than 9 hours. Adjustments will be based on the hours enrolled as of the census date. If adjustments are made and the student has