• What is financial aid ?
• What does the Financial Aid Office do?
• What determines whether or not I will receive financial aid?
• Is financial aid available only to low income people?
• I am a graduate or professional student, do I have to file the FAFSA?
• Do I have to attend full-time to qualify for financial aid?
• I know I make too much money to qualify. Do I still have to complete the FAFSA to get a student loan?
• Does coming from a large family or having more than one student in college at the same time increase the amount of financial aid?
• Why does my award change each year?
• How do I access my financial aid information at UTPA?
• Why can't you discuss my financial aid status with my spouse, parents, and outside agencies?

What is financial aid?

Financial aid is money available to assist students with the costs of attending college. Financial aid comes from the federal government, state government, the institution, and from private sources in the form of scholarships.

What does the Financial Aid Office do?

• Assists students in applying for financial aid from the federal or state government, and the institution;
• Provides students with general advisement regarding the application process;
• Provides applications for scholarships from the university or the private sector;
• Assists students in securing on-campus employment;
• Conducts orientation sessions about financial assistance; and
• Provides assistance and guidance about money management and sensible borrowing.

The primary factor is financial need. Financial need is computed by determining your educational costs (tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and a personal allowance) minus your family contribution (based on federal and institutional formulas). The difference between these is the need for financial assistance.

Is financial aid available only to low income people?

While many loans and grants are based on financial need, many are available regardless of need. Financial aid is available to everyone. Financial aid is intended to remove those financial obstacles for families who cannot afford the cost of an education beyond high school and to fill in the gaps for those families who can afford only part of the cost. Remember paying for an education is a family's responsibility.

If I am a graduate or professional student, do I have to file the FAFSA?

Yes. If financial assistance is needed to pay for educational expenses, a FAFSA application must be completed.

Do I have to attend full-time to qualify for financial aid?

No! You may enroll on a part-time basis. However, any financial aid you may qualify for will be adjusted according to the number of hours you are enrolled.

I know I make too much money to qualify. Do I still have to complete the FAFSA to get a student loan?

Yes, even if you think that you or your parents earned too much money last year to qualify for some type of financial aid, you still need to complete the FAFSA, some programs do not require demonstrated need, but the financial information from the FAFSA is still required.

Does coming from a large family or having more than one student in college at the same time increase the amount of financial aid?

When there is more than one undergraduate family member in college at the same time, your family contribution is divided among the college students. So, if there were two children in college one year and only one the following year, 100% of the family contribution would be expected to be available for the remaining student.

Why does my award change each year?

At UT-Pan American, eligibility for financial aid is based on federal and institutional estimates of your family's ability to contribute to the cost of education. A typical award includes grant, loan and work study.

Keep in mind that your award is likely to change each year for one or more of the following reasons:

• the cost of education may rise
• your family's income will change
• your loan amount may increase as you change classifications
• the number of family members in college may change
• you forget to reapply for financial aid and miss the priority deadlines.

Students may take care of all of their financial aid business at the Financial Aid Office. Refer to contact, for information regarding campus location, telephone numbers, fax numbers, etc.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the Buckley Amendment) limits access to educational records without express written consent. Outside agencies will have their own forms which you may sign when they wish to access information about you.

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