Apply for Aid - Step 5 for first-year students (Step 3 for Continuing Students)
"Apply for Aid" steps are detailed In a sequence of pages including this one.
To view the full sequence of steps, return to the Financial Aid Home Page and Select the link appropriate to you under the heading "Apply for Aid." The checklist you will see corresponds to this sequence of pages.
After being admitted to CUA we receive your FAFSA results. Beginning in mid-March and regularly thereafter, we will provide each applicant an Aid Package (aka "Award Letter") detailing eligibility for financial aid. If you have been awarded a scholarship by CUA, or if you have informed CUA of other scholarships you will be receiving, this information is included, as well.
Aid Packages include:
- Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility (typically $20,500).
- Direct PLUS Loan for Graduate Students eligibility. The Financial Aid Office determines the eligibility amount of this loan based on actual charges for tuition and fees plus a standard living-expense allowance, minus any other aid the student may be receiving.
- Scholarships offered by the Admissions Office.
- Other scholarships. Please notify the Financial Aid Office of any scholarships you will be receiving other than those that are offered by CUA.
After you review your Aid Package, and have determined the loan amount you wish to borrow, you will then have the opportunity to Accept/Adjust/Decline your financial aid awards by utilizing the online Financial Aid Award Letter (aka Package) in Cardinal Students. More details about how to accept financial aid are contained on the "Accept Financial Aid" page which is part of this sequence of pages.
Loan eligibility amounts represent your potential eligibility, and not the guarantee that you will receive this loan. Students rarely do not receive the full Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The PLUS Loan, does require a basic credit review for significant problems. Credit denials are rare, but there are options for appeal or using an endorser (co-signer), if needed.
For applicants who have completed a FAFSA, the total amount of aid is the same for all students in the same program. The "variables" are scholarships and PLUS Loans. For example:
Student A
$ 0 Scholarships
$20,500 Direct Unsubsidized Loan
$49,704 Direct PLUS Loan
$70,204
Student B
$10,000 Scholarships
$20,500 Direct Unsubsidized Loan
$39,704 Direct PLUS Loan
$70,204
Note: For Evening (Part-Time) students, the example would be:
Student A
$ 0 Scholarships
$20,500 Direct Unsubsidized Loan
$36,502 Direct PLUS Loan
$57,002
Student B
$10,000 Scholarships
$20,500 Direct Unsubsidized Loan
$26,502 Direct PLUS Loan
$57,002