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Applying for Financial Aid

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The types of financial aid available at UNC Asheville are summarized on our financial aid website under our Programs-At-A-Glance page.  To apply for most types of financial aid, you must first complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  You must complete a FAFSA each academic year. 

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To be eligible for Financial Aid you must:

  • fill out the FAFSA
  • be enrolled as a degree seeking student in an eligible degree program.
  • be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • have a Social Security Number.
  • make satisfactory academic progress as outlined in the Financial Aid Handbook.
  • register with the Selective Service, if required.

How to Apply

The types of financial aid available at UNC Asheville are summarized on our Financial Aid website under our Programs-At-A-Glance page.  To apply for most types of aid, you must first complete a 2011-2012 FAFSA. Some aid requires an additional or separate application.

To apply for most types of financial aid, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You must file a FAFSA each academic year. You may begin this process as early as January 1, 2012 and March 1, 2012 is the priority filling date.

-  For questions about the FAFSA (or to request a paper FAFSA), please call the U.S. Department of Education at 1-800-433-3243.

-  You will need to enter a PIN number to serve as your electronic signature for the FAFSA. If you are an undergraduate, dependent student your parent must also sign the FAFSA with their own PIN number.

-  If you did not file a FAFSA in the prior year and do not have a PIN, you (and your parent, if applicable) can apply for a PIN online at www.pin.ed.gov.

-  Your application will not be processed without the appropriate PIN number(s).

-  You will receive the PIN number(s) from the Federal Processor via email or mail within 3 – 10 days from the date of the request.

-  Once you complete and submit the FAFSA on-line, the processed information will be sent electronically from the Federal Processor to UNC Asheville within two weeks, provided that you included UNC Asheville's School Code (002907) on the FAFSA.

The FAFSA

If you filed in the previous academic year and provided a valid e-mail address, a renewal reminder will be sent to you there from the Federal Processor. If you did not provide a currently valid e-mail address you will receive a reminder via regular mail at the permanent address provided on that application. This will remind you to either file your FAFSA on the web or complete the paper version of the FAFSA and return it to the US Department of Education. January 1, 2011, is the first day that you can complete your FAFSA application via the web using your pin number (and parent pin number if you are considered to be a dependent student for financial aid purposes) or by requesting a paper application by calling 1-800-4FED-AID. Once you have completed a paper application, mail it to the federal processor in the envelope attached to the form. Do not mail the application before January 1, and do not mail it to UNC Asheville.

If you did not file a FAFSA in the previous academic year or are not sure of your current filing status you may file a FAFSA by using either the web or submitting a paper application. (see below)

If you filed a FAFSA on the Web last year and your grade level status was senior or graduate student, you will not receive communication from the Federal processor. You will need to complete a FAFSA on the Web or file a new paper application.

If you have questions about the FAFSA, you can call 1-800-4FED-AID. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the TDD number at 1-800-730-8913.

IMPORTANT: To file using the web you (and your parent if dependent) should have a PIN number. If you do not have a valid PIN you can use the option of printing out the signature page and following the directions for mailing the signatures to the US Department of Education. To apply for a pin, go to www.pin.ed.gov.

Special Conditions

In some instances, the FAO can consider special circumstances (such as job loss) that are not reflected by information provided on the FAFSA. Contact the FAO for the appropriate Professional Judgment forms. You will be required to submit supporting documentation before your situation is reviewed. See "Special Circumstances" on the Financial Aid web page.

Web Application (UNC Asheville’s preferred FAFSA and Renewal process)

The FAFSA may be filed on the Web at no cost. The advantages to filing your FAFSA on the Web include a faster processing time and interactive editing of your answers to lessen the chance of your application being rejected. The address is: www.fafsa.ed.gov.

If you are completing a FAFSA application, you can apply for a PIN, which is provided by the Department of Education online at www.pin.ed.gov. It will take approximately three business days after you request your PIN for you to receive an e-mail notification with instructions on how to retrieve it electronically, or 7-10 days to receive it in the mail via the US Postal Service. After completing and submitting the application on-line, be sure to print out a signature page and mail it immediately to the federal processor, if you have not obtained a PIN. Your application will not be processed until the signatures are received. If your signature page is not received within fourteen days, the federal processor will reject your application. You will be mailed a rejected SAR Acknowledgement Form that you will need to complete and must return to the US Department of Education to have it reprocessed.

If you have questions about the FAFSA on the Web, you can call 1-800-801-0576 to speak to a customer service representative. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the FAFSA on the Web TDD number 1800-511-5806.

Student Aid Report

The SAR lists all the information you provided on the FAFSA. If you do not receive a SAR, call the federal processor at 1-800-433-3243.

Once you receive the SAR, review all the information to make sure your application has been processed and that all information is accurate and complete. If your SAR contains comments you do not understand, contact our office for help. If you have corrections the fastest way to make them is by submitting them yourself at www.fafsa.ed.gov or write the corrections on the SAR, complete the required signatures and send it to the Federal Processors at Federal Student Aid Programs, PO Box 7020, Lawrence, KS 66044 -7020. If submitting the corrections by the two previous means is unsuccessful, you can submit your SAR with the appropriate signatures to the FAO and we will submit the corrections electronically. If you have difficulty while processing your corrections, you may contact the Federal Processor at 1-800-433-3243.

Check the Information Release section of your SAR to be sure UNC Asheville (school ID number 002907) is listed as a school to receive your information. If UNC Asheville does not receive your information, we will not know that you want aid. We receive an electronic record of your SAR automatically, if you listed UNC Asheville on the FAFSA. To receive your information or add UNC Asheville as a recipient of your information, contact the Department of Education at 1-800-433-3243. You will need to know the DRN (Data Release Number) located on the front of your SAR to do so.

Tips for Filing the FAFSA

  • If the federal processor receives your FAFSA by March 1, your application becomes a "Priority Application" for UNC Asheville. This means that you have a better chance of receiving funds awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis (although there are no guarantees). Please note: March 1 is not a postmark deadline. The federal processor must receive the FAFSA by this date.
  • Read the instructions for the FAFSA carefully before you fill it out. This is very important. Errors and omissions delay processing and awarding.
  • Make sure your name and SSN are correct on the FAFSA to prevent delays.
  • A "dependent" for financial aid purposes is a child or person who lives with you, receives more than half their total support from you, and will continue to be supported by you from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012.
  • Provide your parents' SSNs, last names, first initials, and date of birth.
  • Pay special attention to the tax line numbers given for some questions. These will guide you to the correct figures from your tax forms. reported on your FAFSA form as income from work.
  • Be sure the required signatures are present on the FAFSA before submitting. Without appropriate signatures, your application will be rejected.
  • Be sure to list UNC Asheville's federal school code: 002907. If you do not include UNC Asheville we will not receive your information and will not know that you want aid.
  • Do not enclose tax returns or other extraneous information with your FAFSA, since it will not be retained by the Processor or forwarded to UNC Asheville. Keep these documents for your records. You may need to provide copies of them later to the FAO, if requested to do so.