Tuition & Aid FAQs

Our university is committed to providing an accessible experience for all students navigating our services or trying to obtain important information about their financial aid. If you are experiencing technical barriers in navigating the financial aid system to getting information you need, please contact your UMass Global One Stop Specialist for assistance.

To apply for a Federal Direct Loan, you must first complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We will use the information from your FAFSA to determine how much student aid you are eligible to receive. Direct Loans are generally included as part of your financial aid package.

What is the deadline when applying for a Federal loan?

You must apply prior to finishing your enrollment process (at least half-time) for the academic year.

• Complete loan entrance counseling if you are a first time loan borrower (graduate students must complete the graduate version).
• Complete and sign the Direct Loan Master Promissory Note.
• If you are applying for GradPLUS, complete the GradPLUS application, the Master Promissory Note (MPN).

There are very specific requirements for qualifying for financial aid. We follow the U.S. Department of Education eligibility criteria that you must meet in order to qualify for Federal Student Aid:

• You must demonstrate financial need (for most programs).
• You must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen with a valid Social Security number.
• You must have proof of a high school diploma or recognized equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate or home school setting approved under state law.
• You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree, teaching credential, or certificate program and maintain satisfactory academic progress in college.
• For any Direct Loan, you must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible. At UMass Global, half-time enrollment for undergraduates is 6 credits per trimester, and for graduates is 4.5 units per trimester.

All students applying for financial aid must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)certifying that you are not currently in default on a federal student loan and do not owe repayment on a federal student grant. The agreement also confirms that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes. When completing your FAFSA, you will be asked to include your institution’s federal school code. UMass Global's federal school code is 041618.

You may be eligible for a direct subsidized loan or direct unsubsidized loan if you are an undergraduate student who is enrolled at least half-time in an eligible program leading to a degree, teaching credential, or certificate. If you are a graduate or professional degree student, you may be eligible to receive a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The difference between Direct Subsidized Loans and Unsubsidized Loans is that Direct Subsidized Loans have slightly better terms to help out students with financial need.

You may be eligible for a Direct PLUS Loan, if you are a graduate or professional degree student enrolled at least half-time in a program leading to a degree and meet the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid. You must also have good credit or provide an endorser with good credit.

Yes. There are limits on the maximum amount in subsidized and unsubsidized loans that you are eligible to receive each academic year (annual loan limit) and over your academic career (total loan limits). These limits depend on what year you are in school and whether you are a dependent or independent student. If you are a dependent student whose parents are not eligible for a Direct PLUS Loan, you may be able to receive additional funds.

See Federal Student Aid for information and current interest rates. In addition, limits for credential students are $5,500 for dependent students and up $12,500 for independent students with a $5,500 limit on subsidized loans.

Current Direct Loan interest rates and fees can be found here: Direct Loan Interest Rates

This is a common question for students who are transferring into UMass Global from a community college or other institution. Since the annual loan limits are based on an academic year, if you transfer from another school into UMass Global there will be an overlap in academic years. This overlap may affect the amount that you are eligible to borrow at UMass Global or for your new program.

Although the explanation here applies primarily to transfer students, the same principles apply in the case of current students who change programs within UMass Global.

Federal student loans must be repaid, just like car loans and mortgages. However, in certain situations, you may be eligible for loan forgiveness, cancellation, or assistance. Below are some programs UMass Global students may find beneficial.

Programs for Teachers:

• Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Programs
• Federal Student Aid: Forgiveness, cancellation and discharge

Programs for Military:

• ARMY
• NAVY

Programs for Public Service:

• Public Loan Forgiveness Program

Programs for Health Care:

• The California State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
• The Health Professions Education Foundation

The FAFSA form determines a student’s eligibility for financial aid. To fill it out, you need to provide your Social Security number and other identification. You need to include federal tax and other financial information. This helps to clarify your need for assistance. And since situations change from year to year, each student needing assistance needs to submit the form each year, available on October 1st.

FAFSA filing deadlines for students wanting to receive aid for the upcoming academic year is June 30.

The preferred filing date is March 2 of each year for the upcoming school year. Preference will be given to students who apply by March 2. Applicants are asked to respond promptly to any requests for additional information. All data provided to the Financial Aid Office and the federal government must be accurate in order to minimize processing time.

Log in to MyUMassGlobal, click on the Self-Service tab, then click on the Financial Aid tab, then select the Financial Aid Portal.

As you complete your FAFSA you may be asked to provide your federal tax information or tax returns, including IRS W-2 information, for you and your spouse if you are married, and for your parents (if you are a dependent student). You may transfer your tax data directly to the FAFSA using Data Retrieval Tool, or request the Tax Return Transcript in PDF format directly from the IRS website at www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript, which becomes available Oct 1.

The website is fully secure and a warning notifies users of the federal penalties for fraud for any misuse of the system. You will need to create an account if you do not already have one and a security code will be sent to your provided email address which you will need to enter before proceeding to the secured site.

The financial aid office at your school will determine how much financial aid you are eligible to receive. At University of Massachusetts Global, your One Stop Specialist will assist you through the process. Once you are presented with your financial aid package, you can choose which options you want to use.

The two major factors of determining your award amount are your cost of attendance (COA) and your expected family contribution (EFC). Your COA is estimated by adding up the cost of tuition and fees, room and board if you live on campus (which doesn’t apply at UMass Global), cost of supplies, transportation, an allowance for child or dependent care if needed, costs related to a disability, and other miscellaneous expenses. Your EFC is calculated according to a formula established by law. Factors considered in the formula include your family’s taxed and untaxed income, assets, benefits, family size and the number of members who will be attending college during the year.

Once these two factors are estimated, UMass Global will determine how much need-based aid you can receive by subtracting your EFC from your COA. The final step is to add in how much non-need based aid you are eligible for by taking your COA and subtracting any financial aid you have already been awarded. The product of these outcomes will determine how much money you will receive.

You can always get a head start on estimating your investment by taking advantage of UMass Global’s Financial Aid Net Price Calculator that is based on the university’s current academic year costs.

A loan has to be paid back with interest while a grant is a one-time gift that doesn’t have to be paid back. The exceptions are TEACH Grant and Golden State Teacher Grants, which must be repaid if service requirements are not met.

The most commonly awarded grants are Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants provided by the federal government. Cal Grants are provided by the State of California. These grants are available to undergraduate students only. Check out the Undergraduate Financial Page for all the details.

For Washington State residents seeking information and resources about student loan repayment, or seeking to submit a complaint relating to your student loans or student loan servicer, please visit www.wsac.wa.gov/loan-advocacy or contact the Student Loan Advocate at loanadvocate@wsac.wa.gov.

Private student loans are made available to students through banks, savings and loans, credit unions and other financial institutions. Although regulated by the federal government, these loans are not subsidized or guaranteed by the government. They are instead a private arrangement between you and the lender. University of Massachusetts Global does not recommend any particular lenders. A private student loan should be funding of last resort. We encourage you to exhaust all financial aid sources before pursuing this option.

All lenders require different criteria – most will require a satisfactory credit rating. Some lenders may require co-signers, some lenders require that students be enrolled in specific majors or graduate programs. There may be requirements that borrowers enroll full time, possess specified minimum GPAs, have incomes above a defined amount, and so forth.

Federal rules somewhat limit the amount you can borrow, but lenders also can restrict the amount they wish to lend you based on their policies and your eligibility.

Ask about the interest rate –whether it’s variable or fixed and if there’s anything you can do to decrease it (pay through automatic withdrawals). Ask about loan fees – will depend on lender’s policy but usually will include loan origination fees, processing fees, late payment fees, and penalties and adjustments to principal based on defaults or late payments.

The easiest way to obtain information about loan terms and apply for a loan is to visit the lender’s web site. Local branches may have some information, but it is usually limited. The lenders’ websites customarily provide toll free telephone numbers so that you can contact loan officers specializing in private educational loans. The lenders are important sources of information about their loans, but UMass Global is here to assist you. Please contact your One Stop Specialist should you desire more information about the loan application process.

After you apply for a loan and the lender approves your loan, the lender will request that UMass Global verify your enrollment, tuition charges, and some other demographic information. This request typically is made electronically, and UMass Global will respond promptly. The entire process from submission of your application to your lender to disbursement of loan funds onto your student account could take as long as four weeks, so please allow sufficient time. A small number of lenders do not wish to exchange data and transfer funds electronically. If you choose to borrow from one of these lenders, the process may take six weeks.

Verification is a federally required process to confirm the accuracy of information you provided on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. Verification selection can be random or because your FAFSA data was incomplete, estimated or inconsistent. Typically, the government selects 30% of financial aid applicants for verification.

If you have completed the FAFSA and you have received a Student Aid Report that indicates you have been selected for verification, you must complete a Verification Worksheet and attach a copy of your federal tax transcript.

• If you were not required to file a tax return, copies of your W-2 forms are required with an IRS confirmation of non-filing.
• If you are a dependent student, we will also request a copy of your parent's federal tax transcript.
• We may also request documentation from you regarding: high school completion, identity and educational purpose, child support paid or received and other untaxed income or benefits.

The verification worksheet can be completed and signed online via the financial aid portal. If you do not want to complete the form online, you can print and mail it to:

University of Massachusetts Global

Financial Aid Office, Third Floor

16355 Laguna Canyon Road Irvine, CA 92618

or fax to 866-659-1147

There are two ways:

1. Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer tax data to your FAFSA (Recommended)
2. Request an IRS Tax Transcript.

Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

If you did not use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when you filed your FAFSA, you may still do so. We highly recommend this option for providing your tax information.

1. Login at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa to "Make FAFSA Corrections"
2. On the FAFSA, in the Financial Information section, click "Link to IRS'"
3. On the IRS website, fill out the form and click on "Transfer my tax information into the FAFSA"
4. Request an IRS Tax Transcript (a copy of the 1040 form is not acceptable).

Requesting an IRS Tax Transcript

If you are selected for verification and are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you must submit an official IRS TAX RETURN TRANSCRIPT, (not an Account Transcript.) There are 3 ways to do this:

1. Request one electronically on the IRS website at www.irs.gov. In the Tools section of the homepage click "Order a Return or Account Transcript" Under Choice 3, click "Order a Transcript"
2. Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 and follow the prompts to request a Tax Transcript
3. File Form 4506T-EZ

If you filed an amended return, submit the original IRS Tax Transcript and a signed copy of the IRS 1040X form. REMEMBER: Include your UMass Global ID number on your tax transcript before you submit it to the Financial Aid Office.

The verification review process can range from 2-6 weeks. Additional information may be required based on the documentation that you submit. Send copies of any requested documentation within 30 days.

University of Massachusetts Global requires verification to occur before determining eligibility for loans. A federal loan application cannot be originated for a period of enrollment that has already passed if you are no longer enrolled or enrolled less than half time. As a result, if you do not complete verification within sufficient time to allow for processing, awarding and completion of loan applications prior to ceasing half-time attendance, you will be ineligible to receive loans. Failure to submit all requested documentation will result in the forfeiture of your financial aid eligibility.

• Submit all documents within 14 days of receipt of the verification notice.
• Make sure all documents are completely filled out and signed. Incomplete documents will result in processing delays.
• Remember to make copies for your records.
• Print your name and UMass Global ID number on each page of the documents that you submit.

Submit all documents at the same time to the Financial Aid Student Portal where you can directly upload all documents requested. You may also submit documents by fax or mail:

Fax: (866) 659-1147

Mail to: University of Massachusetts Global

Financial Aid Office, Third Floor

16355 Laguna Canyon Road Irvine, CA 92618

To view your financial aid status, as well as the forms required to complete verification at UMass Global, login to Self-Service.

• Log in to Self-Service
• Select the Financial Aid tab
• Click on the box title, “Financial Aid Portal”
• Scroll down to view the status of required documents