Most students and families use a variety of resources when it comes to paying for a post-secondary education. These include: Income and Savings, Scholarships, Grants, and Student Loans.
There are also Tax Benefits for Education for which many qualify—but unfortunately, those won’t be realized until next year’s taxes are filed.
If you haven’t filed a FAFSA for 2018-19, do so as soon as possible at www.fafsa.gov. Make sure you use your tax information from 2016 (not 2017). If your application is not processed prior to the tuition due date, to avoid any late fees, you will need to pay any charges from a prior term as well as $100 toward tuition. Please keep in mind, once the semester ends, the options available to help you pay for a past due balance are very limited.
For those unable to pay the entire bill by the initial due date, the University offers an Installment Payment Plan. This allows you to defer the balance of your payment with 50% due October 8 and the final payment due November 7. All registered students were required to complete the Online University Credit Agreement which means you have completed the requirements to use the Installment Payment Plan if you need it.
If you did file the FAFSA, but you simply don’t have enough funds, there are a couple of financial aid programs left to consider. We encourage you to read the section “Additional Financial Resources” in the current version of the Financial Aid Handbook. These pages discuss the Federal Parent and Graduate PLUS Loans and the Private Educational Loan program. Details on these popular programs, as well as links to the online applications, can be found on the corresponding webpages. All can be found under the Finances/Types of Financial Aid/Loan tab on the One Stop Website.
- Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans—a federal loan available to parents of dependent, undergraduate students.
- Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans—a federal loan available to students enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree.
- Private Educational Loans—many private lenders offer loans to students who need additional funds to pay for their post-secondary education. This link provides lender names and a comparison tool to help in your selection.
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