How to apply

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You can access the FAFSA online at fafsa.gov. You fill out the FAFSA each year you plan to enroll in school. You can begin filling out your FAFSA on October1.

Students applying for Federal Student Aid must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Have a valid Social Security Number (unless you are from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau).
  • Be registered with the Selective Service if you are a male and 18 to 25 years of age.
  • Have a high school diploma or General Education Development Certificate (GED) or passed an exam approved by the US Department of Education.
  • Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program at a school that participated in the Federal Student Aid Program.
  • Not have a drug conviction for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid such as grants, loans or work-study.
  • Must not owe a refund on a Federal Grant or be in default on a Federal Student Loan.

To apply for federal student aid you must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA asks for financial information about you and your family, like income and asset information, as well as your academic background. You will need the following information to complete the FAFSA:

  • Your Federal Tax Return for the prior tax year and corresponding W-2 forms
  • Your spouse's Federal Tax Return for the prior tax year and corresponding W-2 forms (if applicable)
  • Your parents' Federal Tax Return and corresponding W-2 forms (if you are dependent)

Each student must have a unique FSA ID and password in order to apply for Financial Aid. Visit fsaid.ed.gov to obtain your FSA ID and set your password.

Chowan University’s school code is 002916. Please be sure that you review your FAFSA for accuracy before it is submitted.

FAFSA

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You can access the FAFSA online at fafsa.gov. You fill out the FAFSA each year you plan to enroll in school. You can begin filling out your FAFSA on October 1.

After you apply

The Financial Aid Office begins processing FAFSAs in November for the upcoming school year. We will electronically receive your FAFSA within 3 business days of it being submitted. If your FAFSA is selected for verification our office will notify you and request any additional documentation.

Once we receive you FAFSA we will develop a financial aid package for you based on the information provided. Your award package will outline the various types of aid for which you may qualify. 

We will send award packages out beginning in March. Once you have received an award package, we encourage you to accept or decline your awards within two weeks.

Selected for Verification?

Verification is a review process designed to improve the accuracy of the information submitted on the FAFSA.

T.E.A.C.H. Grant

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program that provides grants of up to $3,706 a year (effective March 1, 2013) to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school. You must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field that serves students from low-income families.

As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant.

IMPORTANT: If you fail to complete this obligation, all amounts of TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. You must then repay this loan to the U.S. Department of Education. You will be charged interest from the date the grant(s) was disbursed. Note: TEACH Grant recipients will be given a 6-month grace period prior to entering repayment if a TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

To receive a TEACH Grant you must meet the following criteria:

  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Be enrolled as an undergraduate, graduate student at Chowan University. Undergraduate students must be accepted into the Teacher Education Program at Chowan University in order to be eligible.
  • Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework.
  • Meet the cumulative GPA requirement of at least 3.25.
  • Federal Direct Loans that are offered to a student as a TERM Loan are required to be disbursed in two separate installments. It is a federal requirement that the second installment occur after the midpoint of the semester.

If you are interested in this program, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Contact Financial Aid

Monday - Friday
8:30am - 5:00pm
(252) 398-1229
finaid@chowan.edu

Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan (Graduate Students Only)

The Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan is available to eligible graduate students. The maximum loan amount is calculated by subtracting other aid from the cost of attendance. Grad PLUS  borrowers are subject to a credit check to determine creditworthiness. An origination fee is deducted from the loan amount; therefore, you may wish to increase your loan request to accommodate this fee. You may call us for assistance in determining a Grad PLUS loan amount. For more information regarding the Federal Grad Direct PLUS Loan, click here.
Graduate students must have a FAFSA on file for the school year they wish to apply for Grad PLUS. 

To be approved, you must not have an adverse credit history. If you are denied a Graduate PLUS loan because of adverse credit, you may reapply with a credit-worthy cosigner. If there are documented extenuating circumstances related to your credit history, you may also appeal the denial.

Conditions that result in an adverse credit history include:

One or more debts with a total combined outstanding balance greater than $2,085 that are 90 or more days delinquent, or that have been placed in collection or charged-off (written off) during the two years preceding the date of the credit report.
Having been subject to any of the following conditions during the five years preceding the date of the credit report:

Default determination
Discharge of debts in bankruptcy
Foreclosure
Repossession
Tax lien
Wage garnishment
Write-off of a federal student aid debt

Interest Rate:

Can be found here. These interest rates are fixed for the life of the loan. Interest begins accruing when the loan is first disbursed and continues to accrue throughout the life of the loan. You can pay the interest directly to your servicer as it accrues if you wish. If not paid, interest will be capitalized when repayment begins.

Origination Fee:

A loan origination fee is proportionately deducted at the disbursement of each installment of the loan. Origination fees can be found here. 

Information and Forms

Financial Aid Forms
Loan Information
Tuition and Fees
Verification

Summer Session Financial Aid

The summer school course schedule is normally published in late March of each year. Once you have registered with your advisor, we will receive a copy of the registration. Listed below is the process students must complete in order to receive financial aid for summer.

NOTE: Most students use loans in summer session. You must take at least 6 credits to qualify for federal loans.

Register with your advisor and counselor.
Financial Aid will review the grades, grade level, and the summer registration form to see what you have remaining in financial aid to use for summer.
The Financial Aid Office will mail you an award letter to sign and return.
Once the last day to add a class has passed for summer registration, we will make any necessary corrections to your aid package. If there is a change to the number of hours you are taking, you may be required to sign an updated award letter.

If you need to make changes to the information that you provided to the Financial Aid Office on your application, please email us at finaid@chowan.edu.