Financial Aid

Student Financial Assistance
Student financial assistance for graduate and professional students through the Office of Admission and Student Financial Assistance at the University of Hartford is currently limited to the Federal Family Education Loan programs and supplemental loan programs. Students must meet all eligibility requirements as established by the U.S. Department of Education.

Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Programs
To determine eligibility for the FFEL programs, the U.S. Department of Education uses a standard formula (Federal Need Analysis Methodology), which is established by Congress. Federal Methodology evaluates the information the student reports on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The results of that analysis (Expected Family Contribution or EFC) are summarized on the Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR is forwarded directly to the student by the U.S. Department of Education’s Central Processing System (CPS). The verified EFC must be used in determining the student’s eligibility for all FFEL programs.

Visit http://www.ed.gov/index.jsp to request information.

Students currently receiving federal student financial assistance should submit the Renewal FAFSA application or a standard FAFSA application. Students who are not currently enrolled and wish to apply for the FFEL programs must submit the FAFSA application. Graduate and professional students are encouraged to apply at least six week prior to the term for which they wish to be considered for financial aid.
Students must also submit the University of Hartford Graduate Student Financial Assistance Booklet.

Federal Stafford Loan
The Federal Stafford Loan is a low-interest educational loan and must be repaid. Students participating in the subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan program must make their loans through a lender participating in this loan program. Typically, lenders include banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, or other financial institutions. These loans are backed by the federal government and insured through a state or national guarantee agency.

Graduate and professional students may borrow up to $20,500 per academic year. Eligibility for annual loan limits are contingent upon the student’s cost of attendance and other financial aid awarded.
Federal regulations require the lender or guarantee agency to forward the proceeds of the loan directly to the University in multiple disbursements (usually one disbursement for the fall term and one for the spring term). First-time borrowers at the University must also complete an entrance interview requirement; all borrowers must complete an exit interview requirement.

Previous Federal Stafford Loan borrowers are required by federal regulations to apply to the same lender. If the lender no longer participates in the loan program, the student should contact the Office of Admission and Student Financial Assistance.

The interest rate for borrowers will be a variable annual rate. The new variable loan rate is effective July 1. The minimum annual payment on a subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan is $600; the maximum loan repayment period is 10 years.

Federal regulations allow a fee up to 4% to be deducted proportionately from each disbursement of the loan. The net amount of the loan is forwarded directly to the University.

Subsidized Loan
If the student is eligible for a need-based subsidized Federal Stafford Loan, principal and interest on the loan are deferred while the student is enrolled at least half-time and during the six-month grace period following graduation.

Unsubsidized Loan
If the student is not eligible for a need-based subsidized Federal Stafford Loan, or if the annual loan limit of the Federal Stafford Loan has not been reached, the student may be eligible for the unsubsidized loan.
Interest, however, is the responsibility of the student from the date of disbursement. The student may opt to begin repayment of principal and interest, make interest payments only, or defer both principal and interest payments while enrolled at least half-time. If the student defers principal and interest payments, the interest will continue to accrue and will be added to the principal (or capitalized).

Additional Unsubsidized Loan Eligibility for Graduate and Professional Students
Graduate and professional students who had previously borrowed under the Federal SLS Loan Program or first-time graduate students who wish to borrow additional funds may borrow through the unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan program.

Graduate and professional students may borrow up to $10,000 per year (contingent upon cost of attendance) to an aggregate loan limit of $73,000, including former undergraduate and graduate Federal SLS Loans or additional unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans.

Supplemental Loan Programs
Students are encouraged to apply for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) programs first. However, if a student has not exceeded the estimated cost of attendance and needs to borrow beyond the FFEL program limits, a variety of supplemental loan programs are available. The student should contact the Office of Admission and Student Financial Assistance for further information.

Assistantships and Fellowships
Students are encouraged to contact the Office of the Dean of their respective school or college at the University of Hartford regarding the availability of assistantships or fellowships in their specific programs of study.

Student Consumer Information
The University of Hartford conforms to the Student Consumer Information requirements established by the U.S. Department of Education. The Director of Student Financial Assistance and other staff members are the individuals designated under those requirements to assist students in obtaining information regarding financial assistance.
Under certain circumstances, the Internal Revenue Service may consider a portion of grants, scholarships, fellowships and assistantships to be taxable income. A tax professional should be consulted for guidance on this matter.