The University of Nebraska at Kearney provides graduate students with financial assistance in the form of scholarships and loans. The Financial Aid office assists students with financial aid from federal and state resources, the University and private organizations. Frequently, students receiving assistance to pay for college are funded through a variety of sources. It is the responsibility of the Office of Financial Aid to coordinate the application and awarding process of multiple types of aid for students.
Graduate students are not eligible for many of the need based federal and state grants undergraduate students can receive. However graduate students can receive Stafford Loans. Stafford Loans are federally guaranteed student loans and have repayment benefits that are extremely favorable to students. Eligibility for Stafford Loans is determined by the Office of Financial Aid upon the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally graduate students can receive a Graduate PLUS Loan once Stafford Loan eligibility has been exhausted.
The FAFSA can be completed on the internet by going to www.fafsa.ed.gov. In order to complete the FAFSA entirely online, applicants will want to request a "PIN" number from the U.S. Department of Education, if they do not already have an existing PIN. This can be done at www.pin.ed.gov. The "PIN" number is an electronic signature with the Department of Education and eliminates the need to sign any part of the FAFSA. The results from the FAFSA will be sent to UNK automatically when a student enters the Title IV School Code (002551) on the FAFSA. The FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible after January 1 for the following academic year.
In addition to the FAFSA, students may be required to submit additional information at the request of the Financial Aid Office. Once this information is received, the student's application is checked for correctness. Occasionally more documentation will be requested to confirm the student's eligibility. Once verification of the FAFSA is completed, the student will be notified via email with instructions for reviewing the financial aid award in MyBLUE. The award lists the types and amounts of financial aid for which he/she is eligible.
For information on applying for merit-based scholarships see Scholarships. Graduate students interested in Graduate Assistantships should contact the Graduate Office.
Questions regarding federal or state aid may be directed to:
Contact the office via email at finaid1@unk.edu or via phone at (308)865-8520.
18 Jun 2013
gradcat@unk.edu