Frequently Asked Financial Aid Questions

The first step in determining a student's federal financial aid eligibility is submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA may be submitted electronically at www.fafsa.gov . The FAFSA must be completed annually. The FAFSA becomes available on January 1st each year. The priority filing date at Florida A & M University is March 1st.

To receive the federal financial aid, students must: be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen; be enrolled in a degree seeking program; be enrolled at least half-time; not be in default on any federally funded student loan; and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.

Once a student has received his or her first bachelor's degree,the federal government no longer provides gift aid (federal grants). Students who have obtained a bachelor's degree are eligible for self-help federal financial aid. Hence, students at Florida A & M College of Law are eligible for the Federal Loan Programs.

Graduate and professional students may borrow a maximum of $20,500, in the Stafford Loan, for the academic year. Effective July 1,2012, graduate and professional students will no longer receive subsidized Stafford Loans. Interest will begin accruing after disbursement on all federally funded loans.

Students may be awarded up to their Cost of Attendance. The Cost of Attendance is a comprehensive student budget specifically created for students attending Florida A & M University College of Law. Each student's Cost of Attendance is based on the student's enrollment, residency and housing status. If you would like to view the estimated Cost of Attendance, please visit: http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?FinancialAid&CostofAttendance .

To receive a disbursement of federal financial aid a student must ensure they have submitted all items requested on the To-Do-List via the Student Center in iRattler. Students must also ensure they have completed all steps in the loan process.

Some students are selected by the federal processor for the verification process. Verification entails students submitting the Verification Worksheet and appropriate documentation to the Office of Financial Aid at the College of Law to be compared to the information submitted on the FAFSA. If there is any conflicting information, the Office of Financial Aid will update the FAFSA information accordingly. Students, who are selected for verification, do not receive financial aid packages or disbursements until the process is complete.

Per federal regulation, students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to receive federally funded financial aid. Florida A & M University Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy has the following requirements:

• Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative  GPA
• Students must successfully complete 67% of courses attempted (Successful completion of a course requires a grade of A;B;C;D; or S)
• Students attempted course hours must be within 150% of the hours required for degree completion

To receive a Stafford Loan students must:

• Accept the loans via the Student Center in iRattler
• Complete the online Entrance Interview Counseling for the Stafford Loan: www.studentloans.gov 
• Complete  a Stafford Loan  Master Promissory Note: www.studentloans.gov

The aggregate limit for the Federal Stafford Loan for Graduate and Professional students is $138,500. No more than $65,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. This amount includes all Stafford Loans, including loans received at the undergraduate level.

Students, who would like to receive funding up to their Cost of Attendance, may apply for the Graduate/Professional (Grad) PLUS Loan.  The Grad PLUS Loan is a credit based loan with an 7.9 % interest rate.  Students may borrow up to their cost of attendance minus any Stafford Loan eligibility in the Grad PLUS loan.  Credit worthiness is determined by the U.S. Department of Education. Credit worthy endorsers may be utilized, if the student borrower does not meet the U.S. Department of Educations's credit criteria. .

• Apply for the Graduate PLUS Loan via www.studentloans.gov 
• Complete online Entrance Interview Counseling for the Graduate PLUS Loan www.studentloans.gov
• Complete a Graduate PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note www.studentloans.gov

Please note the Graduate PLUS Loan is not accepted via iRattler.  The Graduate PLUS Loan requires credit approval from the chosen lending institution.  The Office of Financial Aid will accept Graduate PLUS Loans for students with credit approval from the U.S. Department of Education.

Financial aid disburses after the add/drop period of each term. Students are required to complete all requested documents and sign the Master Promissory Note on studentsloans.gov before disbursements are made. Students should be prepared to purchase the books and materials required for their courses. Additionally, students should be prepared to pay the first-two months of living expenses of each semester.

Federal financial aid is provided to students to assist with expenses related to educational pursuits. Funds students received should be used towards tuition, books, supplies and living expenses associated with being a student.

Students who have received the maximum Stafford Loan for the academic year ($20,500) will not have remaining Stafford Loan eligibility during the summer term. However, students who have not exhausted the maximum academic year amount may receive the remaining amount up to $10,250 for the summer. Students, who do not have remaining Stafford Loans available in the summer, may apply for the Graduate PLUS Loan.

If a student fails to earn any credit for a given semester, the student may have to return a portion of the financial aid received for that term.