University of Florida Office for Student Financial Assistance 2014-15 Financial Aid University of Florida Office for Student Financial Assistance

Financial Aid Topics How and When do I apply for financial aid? What if my parents have not filed their tax return? What happens after I complete the FAFSA? What am I applying for when I complete the FAFSA? Financial Aid Award Package What is verification? What is satisfactory academic progress? Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program What is isis? How will SFA communicate my financial aid status to me? additional information regarding financial aid?

How and When do I apply for financial aid? To apply for financial aid you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually. Apply online by using FAFSA on the Web at: www.fafsa.ed.gov If you need assistance “7 Easy Steps to Completing the FAFSA”: http://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/fafsasimplification Complete and send your FAFSA in time for the results to reach SFA by our "on-time" deadline. "On-Time" 2014-2015 Financial Aid Application Deadline: March 15, 2014 UF Federal School Code: 001535 SFA must receive your FAFSA results from the federal processor with a calculated Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) by the deadline. If you apply after the "on-time" deadline you will be awarded Federal Pell Grant, if eligible, and Federal Loans.

What if my parents have not filed their 2013 tax return? It is better to use your parents information from their 2013 Federal Income Tax Return. You may use your family information from your last year’s FAFSA. You may use your family information from yours and your parents 2013 W-2’s to estimate.

What happens after I complete the FAFSA? You will receive and email “From: Federal Student Aid” with the subject “FAFSA Confirmation Page E-mail” letting you know your FAFSA is being processed. You can check the status of your FAFSA being processed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You will receive and email “From: Federal Student Aid” with the subject “FAFSA Processed Successfully” letting you know your FAFSA is processed. READ THIS EMAIL! You are responsible for knowing the status of your FAFSA.

What am I applying for when I complete the FAFSA? When you complete the FAFSA, you are applying for all aid programs administered by SFA, including the following: SFA Scholarships: Awarded based upon academic merit and financial need. Grants: Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Florida Student Assistance Grants, and Turner Grants. Loans: Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Loans, University of Florida institutional loans. Work Programs: Federal Work-Study. You MUST complete the FAFSA by the ‘on-time’ deadline date for consideration of all of the above aid programs.  

Financial Aid Award Package Packaging for 2014-15 begins in April of 2014. You will receive an email notification the middle of April letting you know your awards are available to view.

What is verification? Verification is a process of confirming data supplied by the student and/or parents on the FAFSA. Through verification, SFA resolves any discrepancies or conflicting information that may have occurred when completing the FAFSA. UF participates in the Federal Quality Assurance Program and that allows SFA to establish verification criteria for UF and determine which student files must be verified. Because of this you should disregard any statement on your Student Aid Report (SAR) that your application was selected for verification.   If your application is selected for verification an email from SFA will be sent to your UFL email account alerting you to check your financial aid status on ISIS. ISIS will list the document(s) you and/or your parent(s) must provide to SFA. Financial aid funds cannot be disbursed to you until you have submitted all requested documents and your file has been reviewed. The review process can take 4 weeks or longer. You are strongly advised to submit all requested documents promptly to assist in the timely processing of your financial aid file.

What is verification? DO Turn in all documents requested by SFA as soon as possible Be sure all documents are signed Be sure your name and UFID are on all documents you submit Keep photocopies of all information you submit and record the date you send in the documents Keep photocopies of tax transcripts and W-2’s. Don’t Forget to sign your forms Submit incomplete or illegible documents; if you do, they will be returned to you with a request for acceptable forms, causing a delay in processing your aid Submit photocopies of tax transcripts with information obstructed by another form Submit any documentation unless requested to do so by SFA  

What is satisfactory academic progress? SFA is required by federal regulations to monitor student’s academic progress (AP). SFA monitors student’s academic progress at the end of each semester in order to provide a formal intervention by UF for those that do not meet the AP standards. The standards of academic progress must include the student’s total academic history (UF, AP, dual enrollment, and accepted transfer credit hours towards degree completion). In order to receive Title IV aid, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress regardless of whether he or she previously received Title IV aid.

What is satisfactory academic progress? Standards of Academic Progress   Grade Point Average: Undergraduate students are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. Credit Hour Completion: Undergraduate students must satisfactorily complete 75 percent of all hours attempted. Maximum Timeframe for Degree Completion: Undergraduate students may attempt up to 150 credit hours for programs that require 120 earned hours to achieve a baccalaureate degree and remain eligible for financial aid. Undergraduate students in programs that regularly require more than 120 earned hours to achieve a baccalaureate degree may attempt up to 160 credit hours and remain eligible for financial aid.

Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program To be eligible, you must: Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen as determined by UF. Be enrolled as a degree/certificate seeking student. Enroll in a minimum of 6 semester hours per term by the end of UF's drop/add period. All Bright Futures recipients are required to meet minimum credit hour and GPA requirements to renew their award each year. Students enrolled full time for both semesters are required to earn at least 24 semester hours in order to renew their award at the end of each academic year. For students not enrolled full time for both semesters, the hours required to renew are prorated. *Florida Academic Scholars with 2.75-2.99 will renew as Florida Medallion Scholars. SFA has provided students with a Bright Futures predictor. This online tool will assist you in determining exactly how many hours you will need to renew your particular Bright Futures award. It’s available on the SFA website – www.sfa.ufl.edu.

What is ISIS? ISIS is an online gateway/portal that allows you secure access to your UF student information. Through ISIS you can: Accept/decline/reduce loan offers Check and download missing financial aid document requests Notify SFA of outside scholarships Register for classes Pay charges Sign up for Direct Deposit

How will SFA communicate my financial aid status to me? All students receiving financial aid are responsible for keeping track of their aid file and awards through ISIS, including providing information still needed to complete their file. On ISIS, under “Financial Aid” under the correct award year, you can choose from: Aid Status (missing documents, verification, financial aid academic progress, inactivate your financial aid application if filed only receive Florida Bright Futures awards, etc.) Awards and Disbursements (review your award; accept, cancel, reduce work and loan programs awards; and report additional aid) Additional Aid Reporting (select to report additional aid not listed on your aid award; you can also do this on the Awards and Disbursements page) Check your Gatorlink e-mail daily for important financial aid correspondence. SFA uses email as the primary way to communicate with financial aid applicants and recipients. SFA also generates e-mails directly from your aid file to alert you to requirements you have yet to complete. These e-mails often provide a link directly to ISIS. Types of financial aid e-mails include: Financial Aid Awards and Revised Awards Financial Aid Follow-Up Letters Direct Loan Correspondence (e.g.: entrance counseling) Academic Progress Notifications Verification Notifications Requests for Additional Documentation

additional information regarding financial aid? You can also contact our office and speak with a financial aid advisor. Financial aid advisers are assigned to students based on the last 2 digits of their UFID.   You can visit our lobby to see a financial aid advisor anytime during our office hours. Office Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (excluding State/University holidays) Main Office Information: S-107 Criser Hall P. O. Box 114025 Gainesville, FL 32611-4025 Phone Number: (352) 392-1275 Fax Number: (352) 392-2861