Financial Aid

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Newly Admitted Students

• If you have not done so, you should complete the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible.

  If you are admitted for fall 2010, spring 2011 or summer 2011, you should file the 2010-2011 FAFSA as soon as possible. We suggest you file the FAFSA by March 1st.

  To sign the FAFSA on-line, you will need a Federal Personal Identification Number (PIN), so be sure to visit the PIN Web Site. Both the student and the dependent student's parent must sign the FAFSA.

  Though not required on the admissions application, the student's Social Security Number is used to match FAFSA information with the federal processor. Please be sure the student's SSN is on file with UNCW. Contact the Admissions Office to update SSN information.

• Students who are entering in the summer of 2011 must complete the 2010-2011 FAFSA as well as the Summer School Financial Aid Application.

• To qualify for federal financial aid, as well as many other forms of financial aid, you must be enrolled, at least half-time, as a degree-seeking student or in a qualified certification program. You may not receive financial aid for audited classes or classes that do not count towards your degree or certification.

• The Application for UNCW Scholarships becomes available on November 15th and will be open until April 1st. See the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid section of the current catalog for a listing of these scholarships.

• Some financial aid funding is limited and is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Having a completed and accurate application on file as soon as possible gives you the best chance of being awarded from these funds. We begin awarding these funds in early March.

• If we have received your FAFSA by March 15th and all necessary documentation is complete and accurate by April 15th, your financial aid should be ready to pay your bill when it comes due.

• Other scholarship opportunities include departmental scholarship programs and the Honors Scholars Program. Check with your academic department of interest for departmental scholarships. For more information on UNCW's Honors Scholars Program please visit http://www.uncw.edu/honors

• If you are interested in outside scholarship sources, just check out our listing of Scholarship Search Engines and Advertised Scholarships.

• If you do receive a scholarship from an outside source you must inform our office as soon as possible, so that we may update your awards. To facilitate the process, please ask the awarding organization to make the scholarship check payable only to UNCW and mail directly to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid. Be sure that the check lists your Student ID (beginning with 850) and name so we know to apply the funds to your account.

• An Award Notification, which lists all of your financial aid awards as of the date it was compiled, is mailed to every entering freshman and transfer student after they have been awarded. You must accept or decline your awards, sign and return your Award Letter. Subsequent award notices are sent via UNCW e-mail. You will be directed to SEANET to check award information and accept or decline awards offered.You may submit a written request for a printed copy of your Award Letter by letter, email or fax to the addresses listed on the left. Your financial aid information is available anytime on SEANET.

• SEANET is the Student Electronic Access System to which all students have access. This secure web site is one of the most important tools for you to use during your career at UNCW. Through this site you will have access to your Financial Aid Award Letter, Missing Information Notification, your Student Account, and links to all important sites you may need.

• You have a UNCW E-mail account, which will be set up for new students two business days after registration. It is very important that you check your e-mail at least once per week. This office sends most of its notifications to students by e-mail to this address. You will receive notice whenever your award has changed, with directions on how to get to SEANET. You will also receive notice to check SEANET for missing information. Click here for more information about your UNCW E-Mail.

• Buying books is the student's responsibility. You should plan to buy your own books ahead of time. There are several options for buying your books. Please visit the UNCW Book Store Web Site.

• Refunds for any financial aid over and above the cost of tuition, fees, dormitory charges, cafeteria plans, and other such expenses will not be available until after classes have started.

  Before refunds are issued, your registered hours are compared to your anticipated hours (which are taken from the FAFSA), to be sure that the you are registered for at least as many hours as your award was based on. If you are registered for fewer hours, the award must be adjusted and a refund may not be issued.

  The Student Accounts Office issues refunds to students via direct deposit. Log into SeaNet and E-Bill to enter bank account information for direct deposit.

• If you are interested in federal student loans, UNCW participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Student Loan Program. To apply for student loans, you must complete the FAFSA. To receive loan funds, you must accept the loan (or portion of the loan offered), complete a loan entrance counseling session and sign a Master Promissory Note. The best way to sign your note for your Direct Loan is with E-Sign on the web (needs acrobat reader). You may complete loan entrance counseling on-line at www.studentloans.gov.

• You have the right to privacy - All financial aid records and data submitted with your application for financial aid will be treated as confidential information and is subject to disclosure requirements under the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA).

  If you wish to give someone else (such as your parents) the right to this confidential information then you must submit a signed FERPA Release Form. Click here to open a copy of the FERPA Release Form on our forms page and print it out (needs acrobat reader).