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Your Profile:     Campus • Graduate/Doctoral Degree • Traditional • Full Time     (change your profile)

Re-applying

Securing initial funding is only the first step toward obtaining financial aid. In order to invest full time in your graduate or doctoral degree, it's important to re-apply every year for your financial aid.

Reapplying for financial aid is critical to maintaining your grants, scholarships, work-study, and educational loans. The following tips can help you keep your aid throughout your entire degree program.

Re-Apply Every Year 
You should expect to re-apply every year for financial aid. Your financial aid package could depend on a number of factors: 

  • Your income, assets, and financial need
  • Your full-time student status
  • Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
  • General financial aid availability at your school

Your personalized aid package can change from year to year based on the asset and income information you submit on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Complete a renewal FAFSA as early as January for the following academic year.

Keep Up the Good Work
Grants, loans, and scholarships may all require you to make satisfactory progress within your graduate or doctoral program. That could mean maintaining a minimum grade point average (GPA), completing a designated number of credits per term, or completing a certain amount of research or publication in order to continue receiving your funding. 

Complete a Renewal FAFSA 
You may have already completed your first Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online, but you should update this important document every year with your new income and asset information. The FAFSA renewal form is considerably shorter than the first-time application and, like the original FAFSA, the renewal can also be completed online. The FAFSA renewal deadline is generally mid-March, and you'll be expected to complete the form on time even if you didn't receive a reminder via email or postal mail.

Stay In Touch 
Your financial aid needs and aid eligibility may change as you complete your educational program, and new opportunities for loans, grants, and scholarships may arise. The financial aid office can provide you with information about new programs as well as important application deadlines on the aid you already have. Keep them on your contact list.

By keeping track of important financial aid requirements and deadlines, you'll be more likely to maintain your funding eligibility for the duration of your educational program.