Students who wish to apply for financial aid must meet certain general eligibility criteria to apply for most need based financial aid. If you meet the criteria outlined below, please review the steps listed under the Application Process to ensure that you complete all required steps.
- must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (for all federal programs);
- must be working toward a degree or certification at UTA;
- must have a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- must be enrolled at least half time at UT Arlington (6 undergraduate hours for undergraduate students, 5 graduate hours for graduate students);
- must meet the published Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements;
- must resolve any drug conviction issues;
- must not be receiving financial aid at another institution while receiving aid at UT Arlington.
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1. Complete the 2012-2013 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using your 2011 federal income tax return information. The IRS Data Retrieval function will allow you to access IRS data for tax returns that have arleady been filed. You may file electronically through FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA is used to establish your eligibility for various financial aid programs.
If you plan to enroll in summer classes at UT Arlington for summer 2012, you should also complete an Enrollment Plan. The Enrollment Plan will be available soon.
2. Within two weeks after the FAFSA is filed, you should receive your Student Aid report either electronically from the U.S. Department of Education, if you included an email address when you filed your FAFSA, or by mail if you did not. You should review it for accuracy and any further instructions.
3. A number of financial aid applicants are selected by the U.S. Department of Education for a process called verification. This means that you will be required to provide additional documents to complete your financial aid file. Typical required documents include the Verification Worksheet which is available in the Forms section of this website and IRS tax transcripts of the student's 2011 federal income tax return and the parents' 2011 federal income tax return if parental data was required on the FAFSA. Signed copies of the federal income tax returns are no longer acceptable documetation. If you used the IRS Data Retrieval function when completing your FAFSA and did not change any of the data provided, you will not be required to submit IRS tax transcripts.
You may contact your local IRS office directly. This link provides a list of offices that provide in person taxpayer assistance: http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html.
We will notify you of any required outstanding documents. You can also see a list of the outstanding items in the "To Do" list on the Student Services Center page of your MyMav account. Prompt response to our requests will expedite the awarding process. No financial aid awards can be made until these documents are received and reviewed.
4. Once your financial aid file is completed, it will be reviewed and awarded. You will be sent a Financial Aid Award Notification outlining your financial aid award. In order to receive the financial aid funds awarded to you, you must accept the awards on line through your MyMav account. Instructions will be sent to you with your award notification.
5. If you are a first time borrower through the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, you will be required to complete additional steps to receive loan funds. Upon your acceptance of loan funds you should follow the instructions on the second page of the Financial Aid Award Notification. Follow all instructions concerning the master promissory note and entrance counseling requirements. NO LOAN FUNDS WILL BE RECEIVED until all steps are completed.
If you wish to apply for financial aid for the 2012 spring term, you should complete the 2011-2012 FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov.
Change of financial circumstances:
If there have been changes in your financial situation or if there are any unusual circumstances that could affect your ability or your family's ability to contribute to your education, please contact our office. You may wish to complete a Request for Consideration of Change of Circumstances form located in the Forms section of this web site so that we may have a more accurate picture of your financial situation.
Changes to Awards:
In certain cases, revisions must be made to your financial aid award after the award is completed and/or accepted. Some events that could cause the award to be reduced or cancelled include:
- enrolling for fewer hours than originally indicated
- enrolling as a less than half time student (6 hours for undergraduates, 5 hours for graduates) at UT Arlington
- dropping hours during the refund period
- withdrawing from UT Arlington
- receiving aid from other sources including departmental and outside scholarships after financial aid is awarded
- becoming eligible to pay the in-state tuition rate if the initial award was based on paying out of state tuition charges
- receiving financial aid at another school while receiving financial aid at UT Arlington
You will be notified if a change in your financial aid award is required.
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Legislation enacted in Senate Bill 1528 (SB1528) and House Bill 1403 (HB1403) grants residence status for tuition purposes to certain non-resident students. Criteria, details and forms to determine eligibility for this status are at www.uta.edu/admissions/freshmen/apply/residency.php.
SB1528/HB1403 students are not eligible for federal funds and, therefore, cannot complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
An alternate form, the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) is available at www.collegeforalltexans.com for SB1528/HB1403 students to apply for need-based State funds. The completed hard copy and all supporting documents should be turned in to the UTA Financial Aid Office, Box 19199, 252 Davis Hall, Arlington, TX.
Funds for students eligible to complete the TASFA form are extremely limited and may not be eligible for new students in the fall, 2011 pending state legislation, so early completion of the TASFA is recommended. At UT Arlington, the state fund from which TASFA awards are made is the TEXAS Grant.
A summary of the categories of TEXAS Grant awards at UT Arlington follow:*
New Awards
Texas residents who have graduated from a Texas high school, have completed the Recommended or Distinguished curriculum, and enroll at UT Arlington for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.
Texas residents who have been awarded the first Associate degree within 12 months prior to enrollment at UT Arlington and have completed the TEXAS Grant Interest Form.
Renewal Awards
Previous TEXAS Grant recipients at UT Arlington who continue to meet renewal requirements.
Previous TEXAS Grant recipients at other institutions who continue to meet renewal requirements and have completed the TEXAS Grant Interest Form.
*A complete description of the TEXAS Grant program and its requirements can be found at www.collegeforalltexans.com. All awards are subject to availability of funding.
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