Tuition & Aid FAQs

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.

Students may submit the FAFSA at any time during the academic year for which they are still enrolled and seeking aid - as early as October 1 of the year prior. However, we strongly recommend filing as early as possible, preferably before your classes begin. Early submission helps ensure timely processing and maximizes your eligibility for available funds. For example, if you’re applying for financial aid for the 2025-2026 academic year, which begins Fall 2025, (or July 1 for MyPath students), you can file your FAFSA anytime between October 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026*.

For priority consideration for aid starting in the fall term, we encourage submitting your FAFSA by March 2. To receive priority consideration for the 2025-2026 year, submit it by March 2, 2025. Students who apply by this date are more likely to receive aid without delays. Be sure to respond promptly to any requests for additional documentation. All submitted information must be accurate to avoid processing issues.

*Note: You must be enrolled in an eligible program at the time aid is disbursed. While you can file the FAFSA before your program begins, you cannot receive aid for a term you've already completed or if you are no longer enrolled. If you wait until the end of the term to file, we cannot guarantee that your aid will be processed in time.

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

You must give consent for the U.S. Department of Education to transfer your federal tax information from the IRS into your FAFSA form.

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 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.

IMPORTANT: If a required contributor doesn't provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA form, you (the student) will not be eligible for federal student aid—even if the contributor manually enters tax information into the FAFSA form.

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 in determining your award amount are your cost of attendance (COA) and your Student Aid Index (SAI). Your COA is estimated by adding up the cost of tuition and fees, housing and food, cost of supplies, transportation, an allowance for child or dependent care if needed, costs related to a disability, and other miscellaneous expenses. Your SAI is calculated according to a formula established by law. Factors considered in the formula include your family’s taxed and untaxed income, assets, benefits, and family size.
Once these two factors are estimated, UMass Global will determine how much need-based aid you can receive by subtracting your SAI 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.

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.

If you have not previously received a Direct Loan, the Federal Government requires you to complete entrance counseling to ensure that you understand the responsibilities and obligations you are assuming.

If you are completing entrance counseling to borrow a loan as an undergraduate student, then the entrance counseling will fulfill counseling requirements for Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

If you are completing entrance counseling to borrow a loan as a graduate or professional student, the entrance counseling will fulfill counseling requirements for Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Direct PLUS Loans.

Exit counseling provides important information to prepare you to repay your federal student loan(s).

If you have received a subsidized, unsubsidized or PLUS loan under the Direct Loan Program or the FFEL Program, you must complete exit counseling each time you:

• Drop below half-time enrollment
• Graduate
• Leave school

Students who received a TEACH Grant and are graduating from their program of study or withdrawing from school must complete TEACH Grant Exit Counseling.

TEACH Grant Exit Counseling provides information about fulfilling the TEACH Grant service obligation and explains the terms and conditions that will apply if the TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

You must complete exit counseling when you:

• Graduate; or
• Withdraw from the school where you received your TEACH Grant

• Verified FSA ID
• School Name
• Details on your income, financial aid, and living expenses

For both entrance and exit loans, the entire counseling process must be completed in a single session. Most people complete counseling in 20-30 minutes.

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 do not accrue interest while enrolled half-time and during periods of deferment.

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 do not need to have good credit but you must not have adverse credit. If you have adverse credit, you may procure an endorser that does not have adverse 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.

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 to 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 to UMass Global there may be an overlap in academic years. If there is an overlap, this may limit or even prohibit you from borrowing federal student loans at UMass Global for the academic year.

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

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. Instead, we provide a list of lenders previously used by UMass Global students. 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.

The amount of loans you can borrow depends on several factors, including the type of loan and your eligibility.

Private (or alternative) loans are offered by non-federal lenders and may be used to cover remaining educational expenses up to the COA, minus any other financial aid received. However, lenders may impose their own restrictions based on your credit, income, and other underwriting criteria.

Before borrowing, we encourage you to review your COA and only borrow what you need.

Before selecting a private lender, be sure to ask the following questions:

• What is the interest rate? Is it fixed or variable? Can it be reduced (for example, by enrolling in automatic payments)?
• What fees are involved? Ask about loan origination fees, processing fees, late payment fees, and any penalties or adjustments to the principal based on defaults or missed payments.
• What are the repayment terms? Understand the length of repayment, deferment options, and whether interest accrues while you're in school.

Getting clear answers to these questions can help you compare lenders and avoid unexpected costs later.

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 FAFSA Submission Summary that indicates you have been selected for verification, you must complete the Verification Worksheet and attach a copy of your federal tax transcript. The required form(s) can be found in your student portal.

• 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 verification, child support 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
65 Enterprise, Suite 150
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

The verification review process can take 2–6 weeks, and students are expected to submit requested documentation within 30 days of being notified. Additional items may be required depending on your submission, so we strongly recommend submitting everything as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing and disbursing your financial aid.

University of Massachusetts Global requires verification to be completed before determining your eligibility for federal financial aid. A federal loan cannot be originated for a term that has already ended or if you are no longer enrolled at least half-time. If verification is not completed in time to allow for processing, awarding, and disbursing aid while you are still enrolled, you will not be eligible to receive financial aid.

The final deadline to submit all verification documentation for the 2025–2026 academic year is June 1, 2026. If verification isn’t completed by then, we won’t be able to process your financial aid for the year.

• 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 mail:

Mail to: University of Massachusetts Global
Financial Aid Office
65 Enterprise, Suite 150
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

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