Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid

Prospective and current students should file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at www.studentaid.gov  to determine eligibility for financial aid annually. Be sure to include our school code, 002928, on your FAFSA application. Financial Aid is awarded to students without additional steps required for most students. 

Yes, to receive federal, state, or institutional financial assistance you must fill out a FAFSA annually. You can find the application at studentaid.gov. Be sure to include our school code 002928.

You do not need to be admitted to file a FAFSA on www.studentaid.gov. Prospective students are encouraged to file their FAFSA as soon as possible. Students can add several schools to their FAFSA before they make their decision or are admitted to their chosen institution.

Students will receive an email with their Financial Aid award. You can view your financial aid award on Banner Web. Students can also navigate to their FSU Engage and click on “Financial Aid.” Grants and scholarships are automatically accepted. 

Financial aid funds typically begin disbursing two weeks after the start of classes each term. If you are enrolled in late start 8-week courses, your aid may be applied in increments or in full after your second 8-week session begins. Aid is awarded and disbursed based on the number of credit hours you are actively attending. To avoid delays, review your Banner Web financial aid page for any outstanding requirements and regularly check your student email for important updates.  

Depending on your US Citizenship status, you may not be eligible to complete the FAFSA. As an international student, you may be eligible for scholarships. View information for international students at International Students.

Newly admitted and Continuing students are awarded on a rolling basis based on FAFSA completion date.  Award notifications start on approximately March 1 prior to the start of the academic year (scholarships may be offered earlier).

State and federal grants are awarded based on financial aid eligibility as determined by your FAFSA. Eligibility is determined by your SAI, determined by Federal Student Aid which is calculated factoring in family income, assets and family size.  Additionally, only first-time undergraduate students (no prior bachelor’s degree) are eligible to receive the Pell grant and Next NC State grant. The Next NC State Grant has income limits, see more information on this and other state grants at https://www.cfnc.org/pay-for-college/next-nc-scholarship/. For questions about eligibility, please contact our office. 

Students that file a FAFSA will be automatically considered for state grants by The State of North Carolina. You must be considered a NC Resident for tuition purposes. For questions about state residency, please visit here.   

We encourage students to contact our office to discuss their options for funding their education. Students who need additional aid to cover their balance should apply for scholarships, for more information visit our scholarship page at https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/scholarships.

Options for additional funding may include Parent Plus Loans (studentaid.gov) and private student loans. For more information on student loan options please visit Loan Information at Fayetteville State University.

FAFSA applicants who are considered to be dependent students must include parent information on the FAFSA. The parent(s) or guardian(s) must create a FSA ID and complete their portion of the FAFSA as a contributor. To be considered an independent student, you must be 24 years of age or older, a veteran, an active-duty service member, married, or a graduate/professional student. For a full list of criteria, see studentaid.gov or contact our office. 

The income information reported on the FAFSA uses tax data from the prior-prior year, which is two years before the academic year you will be attending. Because of this, the FAFSA may not always reflect your current financial situation. If your family has experienced a significant change such as loss or change of employment, divorce or separation, or other unusual circumstances, The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid may be able to review your situation through a professional judgment to determine whether your aid eligibility can be updated. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid may recalculate your Student Aid Index (SAI) based on appropriate circumstances and sufficient documentation, on a case-by-case basis. Approval is not guaranteed. Please contact our office for more information.

Please contact our office to discuss your situation and options for filling out the FAFSA.

Dropping a course during the add/drop period (see the academic calendar) may result in adjustments to your financial aid. Some grants, such as the Pell Grant and Next NC Grant, are prorated based on credit hours and will be updated to match the number of credits in which you are enrolled. Federal student loans require a minimum of 6 credit hours (half-time enrollment) to be disbursed, so they will not be adjusted as long as you remain enrolled in at least 6 credits. Some scholarships also have minimum credit hour requirements. For more information about credit hours and enrollment status, please refer to the Office of the Registrar. To understand how a schedule change may impact your specific aid package, please contact our office.

University withdrawals and charge adjustments are determined and processed by the Office of the Registrar (see important information https://www.uncfsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/departments-and-offices/office-of-student-accounts/withdraw-without-penalty). If you withdraw before the end of the term, your federal and state Title IV aid may be subject to a Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation, depending on the timing and specific details of your withdrawal. Any unearned funds must be returned to the appropriate federal programs, which may result in a balance owed to the university.

Verification is a process initiated by the Department of Education where the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid confirms that the information a student and/or contributor submitted on the FAFSA is accurate. Students selected for verification may be asked to provide documents such as a photo ID, tax documents, or military orders to verify their FAFSA responses. In addition to standard verification, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid are required by federal regulations to review and resolve any conflicting information in a student’s file, even if the student was not selected for verification. This ensures that all aid is awarded based on correct and consistent data. 

There is no separate application to receive Federal Student Loans. Students who filed a FAFSA will automatically be offered loans based on their financial aid eligibility.

To receive a Federal Student Loan, undergraduate level students must be enrolled in 6 credit hours that count toward your degree/program of study. Graduate level students must have a minimum of 5 credits hours applicable to their current degree program.  Certificate programs are not eligible for federal aid, including loans.  

Direct Subsidized Loans are need-based loans for undergraduate students. The government pays the interest while the student is enrolled at least half-time, during the grace period, and during approved deferments. Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to undergraduate and graduate students regardless of financial need. Interest begins accruing as soon as the loan is disbursed, and the student is responsible for all interest. Students who are offered both types should accept their subsidized loan first.

Federal Student Loans will be paid directly to a student’s account at FSU. All federal student loans are intended to pay for your school charges and education related expenses. For refund questions, please contact Student Accounts. 

If you have not already done so, you must complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Loan Entrance Counseling on studentaid.gov. Be sure to select the correct level (undergraduate or graduate). These required steps also provide important information about repayment, loan limits, and your responsibilities as a borrower.

You can complete these on studentaid.gov for both student and parent loans.

Undergraduate dependent students, the aggregate limit is $31,000 (no more than $23,000 in subsidized funding). Independent students, the aggregate limit is $57,500.  Graduate/professional students may borrow up to $138,500. To view your lifetime borrowing, log in to your studentaid.gov account.

Please note: These limits reflect current federal regulations. However, significant changes are expected with the implementation of the Big Beautiful Bill, which will adjust borrowing limits and repayment terms for future aid years. Details will be announced once the Department of Education finalizes guidance. We encourage students to stay informed by visiting www.studentaid.gov and monitoring upcoming official updates from our office.

Aggregate Loan Limits (Effective July 1, 2026)

If you have federal student loans in default, you will be ineligible to receive federal student aid including grants and additional loans. Students with defaulted loans will need to present the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid with documentation stating that the default is cleared, and the loans are in good standing. This may include a rehabilitation letter after a certain number of payments. To understand loan delinquency and loan defaults, visit www.studentaid.gov. Contact our office for further guidance on reinstating your aid eligibility.

To apply and see your eligibility, visit the 306090 at https://www.uncfsu.edu/academics/30-60-90/free-summer-school.

For refund information and to set up direct deposit, visit https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/refunds-and-billing for directions or contact our Student Accounts Department.

Students are eligible for a refund if their paid funds are more than their balance. Please note that not all funds are eligible to be refunded, such as institutional scholarships. You can view your charges and billing information on your Student Account Suite. Contact Student Accounts for any account related questions which include billing and refund inquiries. For more information, please visit https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/refunds-and-billing. 

Military benefits including Tuition Assistance, VR&E, and all GI Bills are not processed through the financial aid office. Please see our military benefits page guidance at https://www.uncfsu.edu/academics/colleges-schools-and-departments/fsu-at-fort-bragg-learning-center/military-affiliated-and-veteran-student-resource-center.

Veterans and active-duty service members are encouraged to complete the FAFSA. Even if you receive VA education benefits, filing the FAFSA ensures you are considered for additional financial aid such as state and federal grants, federal student loans, work study, and FSU’s Military Tuition Scholarship.

See eligibility criteria and apply for the Military Tuition Scholarship at https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/scholarships/military-tuition-scholarship.

External scholarship checks come to the school via mailed check, wire, or students can bring in their scholarship check to our office. Student signatures may be required for some donor checks. Please monitor your student email for communications regarding your external scholarship. Once you receive notice that your scholarship has been sent to the school, please allow 7-14 business days for us to process and apply your funds to your account. Email scholarships@uncfsu.edu with any questions.

Merit Scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen only based on your admissions application. Offers are sent to students based on eligibility and time of admission. There are a limited number of scholarships available; no additional steps are necessary to be considered. 

Log in to our scholarship portal after you have been admitted and have access to your school credentials at https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/scholarships. Please note important information including deadlines on our scholarship page. For scholarship-related questions, please contact scholarships@uncfsu.edu or visit us in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid in the Lilly Building on campus.

Students should apply to our general scholarship application to be considered for graduate-level scholarships. Log in to our scholarship portal after you have been admitted with your school credentials https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/scholarships. Please note important information including deadlines on our scholarship page. For scholarship-related questions, please contact scholarships@uncfsu.edu or visit us in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid in the Lilly Building on campus.

If you are interested in being considered for an athletic scholarship, please contact the appropriate team department within athletics and apply to our general scholarship application at https://www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/scholarships.

Merit scholarships are only awarded to incoming freshman. However, we do have transfer scholarship opportunities with partnering institutions. Admitted and eligible students will automatically be considered with no extra steps required. For more information, please visit our transfer page https://www.uncfsu.edu/admission-and-aid/transfer-partnerships. 

Financial aid can usually pay for a repeated course one additional time if you previously passed it. If you did not pass the course, financial aid may cover additional attempts until you earn a passing grade. However, repeated courses still count toward your enrollment level, Satisfactory Academic Progress review, and overall attempted credits.

FSU is required to monitor SAP, or Satisfactory Academic Progress, to ensure students are meeting standards set by the Department of Education to receive financial aid. Satisfactory Academic Progress is not the same process as Academic Standing. Academic Standing reviews GPA while Satisfactory Academic Progress reviews GPA, completion rate, and timeframe. Review our page on SAP for more information at https://www.uncfsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/departments-and-offices/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress-(sap).

SAP appeals are assigned to students in student forms at uncfsu.studentforms.com. For examples of documentation, visit our SAP page https://www.uncfsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/departments-and-offices/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress-(sap).

Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Visit our SAP page for important dates and contact information at https://www.uncfsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/departments-and-offices/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress-(sap). Please allow up to three business days for a response from the Appeal committee.

Dropped courses are different from withdrawn courses. Courses dropped within the add/drop deadline (see the academic calendar) do not count toward a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Withdrawn courses may not affect GPA, but they do impact other SAP requirements such as timeframe and completion rate. For details on how each course designation affects SAP, please visit our SAP page at https://www.uncfsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/departments-and-offices/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress-(sap). Students wanting to adjust their course schedule should connect with their academic advisor prior to making changes.

Yes, FSU has its own federal work study application that interested students should apply for annually. For deadlines and to view the application, visit the FWS page at uncfsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/departments-and-offices/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/federal-work-study-program.

Students receive their funds based off of the hours they work. The total amount a student has the potential to earn will be included in their financial aid award. Working students receive the funds directly in a bi-weekly paycheck. More information for awarded students is shared during the federal work study orientation.

Admitted students will receive an email notifying them when the work study application is open, and it will link to the application page.

Students who have received work-study will receive an email from our office notifying them, and their award will appear in Banner Web on the Financial Aid page. 

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulations requires that a student must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program to receive federal and state financial aid. The Course Program of Study (CPOS) ensures that only courses counting toward your officially declared program of study are eligible for federal and state financial aid sources. Funds will only be disbursed for the courses applicable to the program of study requirements. Students enrolled in courses that are not required to complete their degree could see their financial aid prorated and/or cancelled as required by the Department of Education. For more information on CPOS related impacts on financial aid please visit www.uncfsu.edu/paying-for-college/course-program-of-study-(cpos)-requirement.