Graduate Information Session

1
Graduate Information Session

• Office of Student Financial Aid and Enrollment
  Services

2
Types of Financial Aid

• Federal Aid Subsidized Loan, Unsubsidized Loan,
  Perkins Loan, Grad PLUS Loan, Alternative Loans,
  Federal Work-Study
• State Aid TPEG (Texas Public Education Grant)
  Graduate Resident, TPEG Graduate Non-Resident,
  State Work-Study
• Institutional Aid UTSA Grad Grant Resident,
  UTSA Grad Grant Non-Resident, Scholarships,
  Fellowships, Assistantships, Institutional
  Work-Study

3
The First Step

• Apply for PIN _at_ www.pin.ed.gov - NOW
• Fill out your FAFSA _at_ www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Fill out beginning January 1st
• UTSA FAFSA Priority Deadline
• March 31st

4
FAFSA provides

• Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Determines
  the students ability to contribute towards the
  students education
• (EFC Calculation Same no matter what school
  student attends)
• Grant and Loan eligibility

5
Grants

• Texas Public Education Grant
• Must be a Texas Resident
• First come, first served
• Enrolled in at least 4 hours
• Have unmet need
• Not in default on previous loans
• Making Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Max Award 2500
• UTSA Grant
• First come, first served
• Must be a Texas Resident
• Need based and non-need based

• UTSA

6
Work Study

• Federal, State, and Institutional Work Study
  available
• Must state interest on FAFSA
• Awarded to students with demonstrated need
• Funds are limited for all three programs
• Student should coordinate with Career Services to
  find on-campus employment

7
Scholarships

• Apply for General Scholarships with the General
  Scholarship Application
• www.utsa.edu/scholarships
• Check with your college/department for other
  scholarships
• Utilize Outside Donors
• Surf the Net (www.fastweb.com)
• Check companies and community organizations
• UTSA Outside Donor Scholarship Form

8
Scholarships / Fellowships

• Offered through college / department
• COEHD, COLFA, COE, COS
• Grant funded source
• Research involved
• May pay tuition, fees, and stipends
• Apply with applicable department

9
Teaching, Graduate, and Research Assistantships

• Assistantship is employment
• GA, TA, GRA
• Must relate to the assistants degree program
• 19 hours non-benefits eligible
• Handled through Human Resources
• Check with your college or program department

10
Reporting Scholarships, Fellowships, and
Assistantships

• Make certain that all of your scholarship,
  fellowship, and / or assistantship awards are
  reported to the UTSA Financial Aid Office
• Each award is kept on file and will be added to
  your financial aid package

11
Limits on Awards

• Limits on aid are set by the government on amount
  based on students cost of attendance (budget)
• Estimated budget tuition / fees, books,
  housing, transportation, and personal expenses
• Possible maximum cost incurred in a year
  maximum amount of aid a student can receive per
  year

12
Budget Awareness

• Be cautious of accepting large sums of loans if
  you are expecting more funding in grants,
  scholarships, fellowships, and / or
  assistantships
• Keep careful track of all awards and
• ask questions if uncertain

13
Take Charge of Your Spending

• Create a Spending Plan
• Do you know how much money you have?
• Do you know how much money you need?
• Do you know where your money is going?
• Separate Wants from Needs
• Budgeting Tips
• Record monthly income and expenses
• Create a payment calendar
• 70-20-10 Rule

Rowdy Sene
14
Responsible Borrowing

• Reduce the amount of loan money needed
• Submit FAFSA early ? by March 31st increases
  opportunity for GRANT funding!
• Search and apply for scholarships, fellowships,
  etc.
• Exhaust Federal Aid first
• Federal Subsidized / Unsubsidized Stafford Loans
• Federal PLUS Loans for Graduate Students
• Borrow only what you need
• Keep a loan portfolio
• Types of loans borrowed, and from what lender
• Cost of loans (principal, interest, and frequency
  of capitalization)

15
Federal Stafford Loans

• Subsidized 8500 maximum per year
• 6.8 fixed interest rate
• 0 interest while in school
• 6 month grace period for repayment
• Unsubsidized 12,000 maximum per year
• 6.8 fixed interest rate
• Interest accrues from date of disbursement
• 6 month grace period for repayment
• Must meet Title IV eligibility requirements

16
Grad PLUS Loan

• Requires credit check
• Proof of credit-worthiness
• 8.5 fixed interest
• Interest accrues from date of disbursement
• No grace period
• Loan enters repayment after full disbursement
• No loan limits
• Up to cost of attendance
• Must meet Title IV eligibility requirements

17
Alternative Loans

• No FAFSA needed
• Credit check required
• Interest rate based on credit score
• Interest is variable, not fixed rate
• Repayment begins after full
• disbursement
• No loan limits

18
Websites to Visit

• www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• www.finaid.org
• Financial aid information, advice, and tools
• www.nslds.ed.gov
• National Student Loan Database System ? record of
  loan history, amount borrowed, and lender contact
  information
• www.smartaboutmoney.org
• Financial literacy on broad range of financial
  topics
• www.mappingyourfuture.org/money
• Money management information, resources, and
  tools

19
Satisfactory Academic Progress

• Must maintain a 3.0 Cumulative GPA
• 67 completion rate of attempted hours
• i.e. Fall 6 hours / Spring 9 hours
• Total Attempted 15 hours
• Must complete 10 hours
• Maximum hours attempted must not exceed 1 ½ times
  the required number of hours necessary to earn
  degree
• i.e. Graduate Program 36 hours x 1.5 54 hours

20
Contact Information

• University of Texas at San Antonio
• Office of Student Financial Aid and Enrollment
  Services
• One UTSA Circle
• San Antonio, TX 78249
• [phone]
• 1-800-669-0919
• financialaid_at_utsa.edu
• www.utsa.edu/financialaid