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Student Financial Affairs
www.ufsa.ufl.edu/sfa/

The Office for Student Financial Affairs (SFA), in S107 Criser Hall, coordinates and administers student financial aid programs and provides financial assistance and counseling at UF.

SFA awards aid to students according to financial need-the difference between current educational costs and what individual students can pay toward these costs. The university evaluates financial need for UF students from data provided by the federal need-analysis processor, after the processor has analyzed the information students and their families have supplied on the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Customer Service: SFA is open from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. For financial aid information, applications and advising, students can go to S107 Criser Hall or call 392-1275.

What is Financial Aid? Financial aid is money provided to students and their families as either gift aid or self-help to help pay college costs. Gift aid is free money, such as scholarships and grants. Students do not have to repay these awards. Self-help programs include loans and employment and are named "self-help" because students must repay loans and work for money awarded through employment programs. Awards consist of scholarships, grants, loans and/or work, singly or as a package.

Types of Aid: Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance and financial need. SFA awards a limited number of scholarships to academically outstanding undergraduates with documented need. Most academic scholarships are awarded through the Office of Admissions. Individual colleges also offer scholarships. For information, students should contact their college.

Grants are awarded to undergraduates with financial need. The two largest grant programs are the Federal Pell Grant and the Florida Student Assistance Grant.

The following undergraduate loan programs are available at UF: Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans, UF Institutional Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans. Parents of dependent undergraduates also can take out educational loans through the Federal Direct PLUS Loan program. These programs offer long-term, low-interest loans that must be repaid when the borrower graduates, withdraws, or drops to less than half-time enrollment.

Loans range upward from $500 per academic year at low annual interest rates. The amount of each loan, except for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans and Federal Direct PLUS loans, is based on financial need as determined from information the borrower provides on the FAFSA.

The university also has a short-term loan program to help students meet emergency financial needs related to educational expenses. Students may borrow up to $1,000 or the amount of in-state tuition if they have an acceptable repayment source. Interest is 1 percent per month, and these loans must be repaid by the first day of the last month in the semester in which the money is borrowed.

Part-time employment through the university is offered to about 7,500 students each year. Students normally work 15-20 hours a week and earn at least minimum wage. Most departments arrange work hours around the students' academic schedules.

When to Apply: Applications are available January 1 each year. Students are con-sidered for aid according to the date their aid file is complete. A few programs such as Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan, and OPS employment are open for application throughout the year (refer to important deadlines below).

Although SFA cannot award financial aid to students until they have been admitted to the university, students should apply for aid as soon as possible after January 1 each year.

Important Deadlines: Financial aid applications should be completed and sent to the appropriate processor as soon as possible after January 1. March 17 is the "on-time" deadline for SFA to receive students' information from the need analysis agency. Students who wish to be considered for campus-based and institutional programs (such as Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins loans, Turner Grant, and university loans) should apply by this date since these funds are limited.

Federal Direct Loan Program deadlines are set by semester. The fall deadline for applying for Federal Direct Stafford/Ford, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford, and Federal Direct PLUS loans is October 15. Individual colleges within the university and private organizations have their own deadlines for applying for aid.

How to Apply: Financial aid applications are not sent automatically when students apply for admission. Students may obtain a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a UF Gator Aid Application Guide from any Florida community college or high school guidance office. Students also can request these forms from the Office for Student Financial Affairs, Box 114025, Gainesville, FL 32611-4025, or by calling (352) 392-1275. FAFSAs also are available from the federal government by calling toll-free: 1-800-433-3243. Students also can apply electronically using "FAFSA on the Web," an online application available as a link through SFA's Web site: www.ufsa.ufl.edu/sfa/.
Students must complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Federal Student Aid Programs processor at the address indicated on the form. Students' financial data must reach us from the processor by March 17 for their application to be considered "on-time." Allow a minimum of three weeks for processing.

Confidentiality of Student Records: The university ensures the confidentiality of student records in accordance with State University System statutes and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, known as the Buckley Amendment. Students' family financial information and the type and amount of their aid are held in confidence. Information is released only with the student's written consent.
Student Employment Office: The SFA Student Employment Office is a clearing-house for part-time employment and coordinates three employment programs: Federal Work Study, OPS and off-campus jobs. Student Employment maintains an online job list on our web site.
Satellite Offices: SFA has satellite offices located at: College of Dentistry: D3-#17A Health Science Center, (352) 846-1384; Colleges of Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, HPNP G208, (352) 273-6202; College of Law, 164 Holland Hall, (352) 392-0421; and College of Medicine, M-128 Health Science Center, (352) 392-7800.

ISIS: Using ISIS, students can access information about their personal financial aid files, as well as complete financial aid processing transactions such as Federal Direct Loan confirmation and first-time borrowers entrance counseling via the Internet. The ISIS Web address is
www.isis.ufl.edu/.

Enrollment Requirements for Financial Aid
UF students must enroll at least half time to receive most types of financial aid. For undergraduate students, full-time enrollment for financial aid eligibility is 12 credit hours per term, and half time is six credit hours per term.

The sum of all credit hours in Summer A, B and/or C will determine a student's enrollment status for summer. Pell grants are prorated according to enrollment status.

Academic Progress Requirements for Financial Aid
UF students receiving financial aid are required to be in good standing and to maintain satisfactory academic progress. While a general summary of the academic progress requirements is presented here, for specific details please see the UF Web site at www.ufsa.ufl.edu/sfa/receiving/academicprogress.html

Each student must meet three measures of satisfactory academic progress that are determined by the student's class and college: a qualitative component (grade point average), a time-frame component (maximum credit hours carried for degree completion), and a measure of progress within that time frame (percentage of credit hours earned each term). Students who fail to meet these standards are suspended from receiving financial aid until they meet the requirements.

Students who fail to meet the requirements for satisfactory progress may appeal to have their financial aid reinstated. Please visit the SFA Web site for complete instructions on the petition process at www.ufsa.ufl.edu/sfa/receiving/petition. html#progress.

Postbaccalaureate Students: Students enrolled in postbaccalaureate studies must petition the Academic Progress Appeals Committee to receive financial aid. The types of financial aid available to postbaccalaureate students depend on the student's degree-seeking status.