Financial Aid/Student Employment

Cragmor Hall, Room 201 (top floor)
(719) 255-3460
1-800-990-8227
Fax (719) 255-3650
http://www.uccs.edu/~finaid/
FAFSA code: 004509

The financial aid program is designed to assist students who would be unable to attend the university without aid. The university receives funding from the state of Colorado, the federal government, and private donors to meet the needs of students who can document their financial eligibility. The campus also uses its own resources to meet students’ needs.

 

There are two basic types of financial aid available to help students meet their educational costs: need-based aid and non-need-based aid.

Need-based Aid

Need-based aid requires sufficient documentation of financial need. See the directions in the section below entitled “How to Apply for Financial Aid.”

Need-based aid consists of grants, loans, and work-study awards.

Grants

Grants are funds that do not have to be repaid. Examples include the federal government’s Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, the Academic Competitiveness Grant, the National SMART Grant and the Federal TEACH grant. Grants funded by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado include the Colorado Student Grant, the Colorado Leveraging Educational Assistance Program (federal funds are matched by the state), the Supplemental Leveraging Educational Assistance Program (federal funds are matched by the state), the Colorado Colleges’ Responsibility Grant, the Governor’s Opportunity Scholarship Program, the Colorado Graduate Grant and the Colorado Pre-Collegiate ACG Match.

Loans

Loans are funds that have to be repaid at a future date. Examples include the Federal Perkins Loan and the Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan.  Repayment begins six months after the student is no longer enrolled half-time.

Work-study

Work-study awards offer part-time, subsidized employment (approximately 10-20 hours per week) with both on-campus and selected off-campus employers. Both Federal Work-Study and Colorado Work-Study awards are available. To be eligible for work-study employment, students must apply for financial aid and receive a work-study award. Students must also be enrolled at least half-time and comply with the financial aid policy on Reasonable Academic Progress to maintain eligibility for work-study.

Note: State of Colorado funds are available only to students who qualify for resident tuition (not based upon military status or Olympic status). Both resident and nonresident students may be eligible for federal funds. See the Student Employment website at http://www.uccs.edu/~stuemp/ for more information about work-study and all student employment options.

Non-Need-based Aid

Information and applications are available on the web at http://www.uccs.edu/~finaid/index.html .

Loans

These funds have to be repaid at a future date. An example is the Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. Interest accrues immediately and can be paid quarterly or can be added on to the principal. Repayment begins six months after the student is no longer enrolled half-time.

For application information, see the section below entitled “How to Apply for Financial Aid.” While eligibility for these loans is not based on need, an applicant must first establish that he or she is not eligible for need-based aid; therefore, the financial aid application procedure described in the section entitled “How to Apply for Financial Aid” must be followed.

Colorado No-Need Work-Study

These funds are not based on financial need and offer part-time, subsidized employment (approximately 10-20 hours per week), on campus or at selected off-campus employers. Applications for no-need work study awards are available online and are due by the end of the first week of fall classes. This program is available during the fall and spring semesters only; awards are made only once, early in the fall semester.

Undergraduate degree students who are eligible for resident tuition (not military or Olympic status), who take at least six credit hours and who comply with the financial aid policy on Reasonable Academic Progress may apply for Colorado No-Need Work-Study. Students are selected for this award by a computerized random selection program.

Parent Loans

These are low interest loans that parents of dependent students may obtain to help pay the costs of attendance. The parent must qualify for credit (not have adverse credit history). The parent may apply for the full cost of attendance (as set by the Office of Financial Aid/Student Employment) for the year, minus financial aid awarded. Eligibility must be established each year. At this time, filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not a requirement. To establish eligibility and apply for the Parent Loan to Undergraduate Students, go to www.studentloanonline.com.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Follow these instructions to apply for financial aid, including Federal Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized):

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov or obtain the paper FAFSA from a high school or any college financial aid office. The process can be completed after January 1 each year. We recommend that applicants file the FAFSA no later than MARCH 1 each year and that it is filed on the Web. The correct information must be on the UCCS Campus Solutions by March 1 to meet our financial aid awarding priority date. Students must also be admitted to a degree program by that date. Meeting this priority date does not guarantee a student will receive financial aid, but he or she will be considered for all types of assistance, including need-based grants.
2. The FAFSA analyzes family income, assets, family size, and other factors, and allows the Financial Aid Office to estimate student contribution and/or the amount your family could reasonably be expected to contribute to the student’s education. The philosophy of the student assistance programs is that the student and family have the first responsibility to pay for the educational costs. The financial aid programs are available to promote access for students/families with the least ability to pay.
3. After the processor receives the information, the results will be sent electronically to UCCS (assuming the correct FAFSA code of 004509 was listed on the Web application or the paper form). Students will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Students should carefully review, and if corrections are needed, contact the Financial Aid Office and we will make them electronically. If no corrections are needed, keep the SAR. Students are not required to submit the electronic or paper SAR to the Financial Aid Office.
4. If students wish to apply for a Federal Stafford Loan (subsidized or unsubsidized), follow all of the steps listed above and, in addition:
   
   1. Federal Stafford Loan applicants should obtain a loan application from the Financial Aid Office or on the Web at http://www.uccs.edu/~finaid/forms/loanApp0809.pdf , complete it, and send it or fax it.
   2. If this is the student’s first federal student loan at UCCS, the student should complete pre-loan counseling on the Web at http://www.uccs.edu/~finaid/loans.shtml then click on the ”Stafford Entrance Counseling.”  Confirmation will be sent to the Financial Aid Office electronically.
   3. You may select a lender from our lender list; if it is the first time the student has borrowed a Federal Stafford Loan at UCCS, certification will be done electronically and College Assist (formerly College Access Network) will contact the student to complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN). This note is valid for ten years if the student remains with the same lender. The timely return of the MPN to the College Assist is imperative. Funds will then be applied to your student bill electronically.
   4. If the student selects a lender that is not on our list, and is a first time borrower, the student must obtain the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and School Certification Form (that you get from the lender) and submit it with the lender and guarantor’s name and address to the Financial Aid Office to complete. This must be done each time you apply for a loan. Loan eligibility is certified, and funds are sent, by mail. This is a much longer process.

All correspondence will be sent to your permanent address (not your mailing address). Be sure to keep it updated in the Records Office. You may also make address changes online once you have your student PIN. 

Scholarships

All of the scholarships available to students are listed on the Web at http://finaidse.uccs.edu/. The deadline for most of the institutional scholarships is March 1 in the Financial Aid office. Postmarks will not be honored. Many of the scholarships require that students have completed the FAFSA (see above). Outside scholarship search databases (all free) are also listed on the scholarship Web page.

Temporary Assistance

The university has available a short-term loan program for students in need of temporary financial assistance (e.g., books). These loans are temporary in nature and have a maximum repayment period of one semester. The fee to borrow is $5 per $100 borrowed. Students may borrow only one loan per semester with a maximum of $700. Interested students should see a financial aid counselor in the Office of Financial Aid/Student Employment.

Student Loan Deferment

(Includes Summer Term)

All special or unclassified students seeking an enrollment deferment for student loans will be considered undergraduates for verification purposes. In order to receive a deferment as a half-time student, the student must be enrolled for six credit hours. In order to receive a deferment as a full-time student, the student must be enrolled for 12 or more credit hours. Deferment forms are available on the Web at www.nelnet.net/ or through your student loan lender. The Office of Admissions and Records certifies the student’s enrollment status.

The Office of Financial Aid recommends that students wanting a deferment as a graduate student obtain degree status in their school or college.

Cragmor Hall, Room 201 (top floor)
(719) 255-3460
fax (719) 255-3650
http://www.uccs.edu/~stuemp/

The Financial Aid/Student Employment Office offers a self referral employment service to currently enrolled students, and to students who have been accepted for the following term. Students need not document financial need to apply for these jobs; both work-study students and non-work-study (hourly) students are eligible to use the employment service. There is no charge for any of these services.

On-Campus Employment

On-campus employment is available to full-time or part-time degree status students or unclassified students who are at least half-time. Additionally, during the summer, degree-seeking students may work on campus without being enrolled if they were enrolled as at least a half-time student during the previous spring semester and will return in the fall semester. Jobs are generally part-time and are listed throughout the year depending upon employer needs. The majority of openings, however, are at the beginning of each semester.

Off-Campus Employment

Off-campus employment, both part-time and full-time, is available throughout the year depending upon employer needs. Openings range from highly skilled technicians and computer assistants to clerical work, food service and general labor. Temporary and on-call positions in such areas as day care, tutoring, house cleaning and furniture moving are also listed. Many residential nationwide camps list openings for the summer.

SEAN’S PLACE

Current job openings, both on and off campus, work study and non work-study, are listed on SEAN’s PLACE, a computerized student employment assistance network for students. This service is strictly self-referral, and to apply for any job the student must contact the employer directly. Students may access SEAN’s PLACE on the Web at http://www.uccs.edu/~stuemp/ .