Awarding Process & Provisions
After you have completed the FAFSA and the UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid has all other required documentation (e.g. Verification, if required), your financial aid will be awarded. Award processing is typically completed by the end of the day each Monday.
VERY IMPORTANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS!
When your file is ready to be awarded you must:
- 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.
- be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- be registered with the Selective Service, if required.
The following students are not eligible for financial aid per federal regulation: visiting students; certificate of major students; students who are auditing classes; and non-degree seeking students.
Your financial aid is awarded based on the assumption that you will be enrolled full-time. Full-time status is a minimum of 12 credit hours and half-time is 6-8 credit hours. Enrollment status is the same for every semester. Most financial aid awards require at least half-time attendance and many programs require full-time attendance. If by the end of the drop/add period you are not enrolled as a full-time student, your aid is subject to change.
To view the specific requirements for each award please check our Programs At A Glance.
Enrollment Requirements
Awarding
The UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid has a broad program of financial aid for students who qualify on the basis of need and academic potential. Financial aid may consist of a scholarship (institutional or private), federal grant, NC state grant, loan, campus employment or a combination of the these.
The UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid begins awarding financial aid for the new academic year in March. If the student has met the priority deadline, he/she will be considered for all aid available at that time. Because of most aid's limited funding, the money is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
All aid (except Unsubsidized Stafford Loans) is based on the gross financial need that a student has as determined by The Estimated Cost of Attendance minus the FAFSA's calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Once a student's gross financial need has been met only then will Unsubsidized Stafford loans be awarded. Learn more about how each program is awarded on thePrograms at a Glance.
Estimated Cost of Attendance
It is important to understand that the Estimated Cost of Attendance is not the amount that you are expected to pay to the university. Rather it is a budget that determines the amount of aid a student may receive.
The Estimated Cost of Attendance includes both direct costs (Tuition/Fees and Room & Board for on campus students) and indirect costs. These indirect costs are items not paid directly to the university (e.g. books, transportation, personal expenses, loan fees, etc).
Award Notification
Your Financial Aid, once awarded, will be available to view on your OnePort account. An email will be sent to your UNC Asheville Email account when the financial aid has been completed. Information on how to view this information can be found at How do I view my awards through OnePort?
When you receive your award notification you should do the following:
- Make sure that your award lists all of your aid or funding sources. The award should include outside loans, institutional scholarships, outside scholarships, tuition waivers, merit awards, or fellowships, etc. If your award does not list all of your aid or funding, you must notify us in writing immediately, since your award may need to be revised.
- For specific information about each fund awarded to you be sure to go to our Programs At A Glance.
- If you have been offered a loan, you must log on to your OnePort account and either Decline or Accept your loan.
- You will also need to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note if this is your first Stafford loan at UNC Asheville at StudentLoans.gov
- Make sure that you were awarded for the correct semesters (Fall/Spring). If you are attending only one semester, your award should be based only on that semester. Notify the Office of Financial Aid immediately if you need to report enrollment changes. You will then receive revised award information via your OnePort account.
UNC Asheville reserves the right to reduce or cancel your awards at anytime. Revisions/Cancellation may result from changes in admission status, enrollment, classification, residency, housing status, changes in the availability of funds, or receipt of other awards.
Reporting Additional Aid
As stated above, any financial aid not included on your award letter must be reported to the UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid.
Federal regulations prohibit any student from receiving more financial aid than their estimated cost of attendance. The regulations also state that a student may not receive need-based aid that exceeds their calculated financial need (estimated cost of attendance minus the expected family contribution (EFC) as determined by the FAFSA).
Your financial aid is subject to change when we are notified of additional resources after you have been awarded. You may review any changes made to your award through your OnePort account.
Withdrawing from Classes
If you withdraw from a class after the drop/add period, this could have an affect on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (review the section on "Completion Ratio").
If you withdraw from all of your classes in a given semester you are still subject to our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. In addition, if you totally withdraw or stop attending all classes before completing more than 60% of the term, a portion of the total federal aid you received, excluding Federal Work Study earnings, may need to be repaid immediately. You will be notified within 45 days of your official withdrawal date regarding the amount owed.
Loans
In order for the UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid to process your Federal Direct Loans you must:
- Accept your offered loans through your OnePort.
- If this is your first Direct Loan, you will need to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note through via StudentLoans.gov.
More information can be found on our Loans Page.
Federal Work Study (FWS)
Federal Work Study awards are limited by the amount of federal funds UNC Asheville is allocated from the federal government. It is your responsibility to find a FWS job. The Career Center will begin posting jobs the first week of the fall semester. You should begin your search as soon as the jobs have been posted. There may not be enough jobs for all those that want to work. Therefore, this award does not guarantee that you will receive these funds.
If you were not awarded FWS and you are interested in the program, please speak with a financial aid counselor to be placed on a waiting list.
You may read more on our FWS Page.
University Scholarships
Laurels Scholarship
The Laurels Scholarship is the universal name for the entering freshmen scholarship here at UNC Asheville. Your award notification will show that you have been awarded "Laurels". Eventually, "Laurels" will show as cancelled and will be replaced with an actual scholarship name. For further information, please contact the Admissions Office at 828-251-6481 or 1-800-531-9842.
After each scholarship has been renamed, the UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid requires each recipient to write a Thank You Letter to their specific donor. The UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid will provide you with the exact name of your scholarship, your donor, and stationary to write your letter.
You must maintain a 3.0 grade point average each semester and be enrolled full-time to remain eligible for the Laurels Scholarship.
Departmental Scholarship
If you have been awarded a departmental scholarship, you are required to write a Thank You Letter to your donor. The UNC Asheville Office of Financial Aid will provide you with the exact name of your scholarship, your donor, and stationary to write your letter. You must maintain a 3.0 grade point average each semester and be enrolled full-time.
Maintaining Eligibility
To remain eligible to receive financial aid in subsequent semesters, you must be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress. Your Satisfactory Academic Progress is re-calculated each semester after grades have been posted. It is your responsibility to read and understand the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and to check your status at the end of every semester via OnePort. If you have questions regarding this policy, please come in and see a financial aid counselor.
Enrollment and Your Financial Aid
Most financial aid is awarded based on the assumption that you will be full-time (12+ credits). After the census date, if you are not enrolled in a full-time course load, your financial aid may be adjusted. Certain grant programs require that you be full-time and others may prorate the amount of financial aid for which you are eligible in a less than full-time course load.
IMPORTANT! Any courses that you are AUDITING will NOT be counted towards your financial aid credit hours. (Ex. If you are taking 9 regular credits and 3 auditing credits, though you are billed for 12 hours, your financial aid will only pay for 9 credit hours.)
Disbursement of Your Financial Aid
When all requirements have been met, your financial aid will disburse into your student account here at UNC Asheville. Financial aid does not disburse until 10 days prior to the start of the term.
When your financial aid disburses to your student account, the aid is credited to any charges you owe to the University (books are not included). If all charges have been paid and a credit results, remaining funds will be returned to the student via a refund check.
Refund checks will not be available before the first day of each semester. The Cashier's Office will notify you by email when your check is available to be picked up.