After you have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid has all other required documentation (e.g. Verification, if required), your financial aid will be awarded. When awarded, students must agree to a set of terms and conditions that govern their financial aid. These terms and conditions are based on federal, state, and institutional policies and apply to all students who receive aid while attending UNC Asheville.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Have a social security number
- Be registered with the Selective Service, if required
Students receiving federal, state, and/or institutional aid must:
- be enrolled as a degree seeking student in an eligible degree program
- be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress
Students not eligible for financial aid per federal regulation include:
- visiting students
- certificate of major students
- students who are auditing classes
- non-degree seeking students
UNC Asheville reserves the right to revise or cancel your federal, state and institutional 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.
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. You must first read and accept Terms & Conditions before you can access your awards.
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, visit our Types of Financial Aid section on this website.
- 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.
Enrollment Requirements
Most financial aid is awarded based on the assumption that you will be a full-time student. Full-time status is a minimum of 12 credits per semester for undergraduate students and nine credit hours for graduate students. Most financial aid awards require at least half-time attendance (six undergraduate credit hours; five graduate credit hours) and many require full-time attendance. If by the end of census date (tenth regular day of classes) you are not enrolled as a full-time student, your aid is subject to change.
To view the specific requirements for each award please see the Types of Financial Aid section.
Note: Any courses you are auditing will NOT be counted towards your financial aid credit hours. (Example: If you are taking nine regular credits and three auditing credits, though you are billed for 12 hours, your financial aid will only pay for nine credit hours.)
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 in our Types of Financial Aid section.
Withdrawing from Classes
If you withdraw from a class after the drop/add period, this could have an effect 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.
Loan Requirements
If you have been offered a loan, you must log in 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 Direct Loan at UNC Asheville at StudentLoans.gov.
Disbursement of 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 Student Accounts Office will notify you by email when your check is available to be picked up.
Reporting Additional Aid
As stated above, any financial aid not included on your award letter must be reported to the UNC Asheville Office of Admissions & 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.