Application Process

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is an equal opportunity institution in the administration of its financial aid programs. In keeping with this policy, financial aid is extended to students without regard to race, creed, sex, national origin, veteran status, religion, age or disability. In order to qualify for federal financial assistance, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen or be eligible to be classified as a Texas resident under Senate Bill Law 1528.
2. Be registered with Selective Service (Students subject to selective service registration will be required to file a statement that the student has registered or is exempt from selective service registration in order to be eligible to apply for financial aid.)
3. Be enrolled as a regular student working toward a degree in an eligible program.
4. Have signed a statement of educational purpose certifying that any federal or state aid received will be used for educational purposes.
5. Be enrolled as a regular student working toward a degree in an eligible degree program.
6. Have not defaulted on any federal, state or institutional loan, and not owe a refund to any federal or state grant program.
7. Demonstrate financial need, except when applying for funds from a program that does not require financial need.
8. Be in satisfactory academic standing and making Satisfactory Academic Progress (as defined by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy described below) at the university.
9. Have completed a financial aid application and all required documentation is on file by the appropriate deadline.

IMPORTANT: Students MUST be ADMITTED to a degree-seeking graduate program to be eligible for financial aid. Students with CONDITIONAL ADMISSION (i.e., conditions that have been specified by the graduate program), participating in a CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, or participating in CONTINUING EDUCATION or PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT are NOT eligible to receive financial aid.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

File your FAFSA over the Internet at www.fafsa.gov; you will need to obtain an FSA ID (a username and password) to be able to access and sign your FAFSA.

You may visit us either at our Edinburg or Brownsville locations for one-on-one electronic FAFSA submittal assistance. All required documents must be submitted before any aid can be awarded. Some applications are selected for verification of information submitted on the application.

If you are classified as a Texas Resident under Senate Bill 1528 law, you must complete a TASFA application. The TASFA application can be obtained online under the Financial Aid Forms section at www.utrgv.edu/finaid.

In order to apply for summer institutional grants, you must submit a Summer Notification at www.utrgv.edu/finaid in addition to a FAFSA or TASFA. The Summer Notification is available yearly on December 15.

Additional Information on the Federal Verification Procedure

As stated above, some FAFSA applicants are selected for verification. Verification is the process in which the school’s financial aid office requests documentation from students based on the information provided on the FAFSA application submitted to Department of Education. If an applicant has been selected for verification, we will notify them by email and via their ASSIST account. In most cases the documents used to verify information are the prior year’s federal tax return transcript and a Verification Worksheet; additional documents may be requested depending upon the information to be verified. Applicants are asked to submit the requested information to the Financial Aid Office within two weeks. The financial aid application is considered incomplete until verification is completed; that is, no aid offer will be made until verification is complete.

If corrections must be made as a result of verification, corrections to the ISIR will be submitted to the federal processor. If an aid offer must be adjusted because of information submitted as part of the verification process, the applicant will be notified via email through a revised Financial Aid Notification.

The UTRGV School Code for the FAFSA is 003599 .

Application Deadlines

Final deadline to apply for financial aid is June 30 of the end of the award year. In order to award aid for an application submitted after the end of the spring semester, the student must be currently enrolled in a summer term. Aid is awarded on a funds-available basis, and priority is given to students that file by the March 15 priority deadline.

Students that did not apply for financial aid or submit required documents by the recommended priority dates may not have their aid awarded at the time payment is due. Arrangements will then need to be made by the student for an alternative method of payment.

Benefits of Applying Early

• You increase your chance of receiving some of the state and/or local aid, which is limited in funding.
• You get an award letter prior to the payment of tuition and fees.
• If your file needs corrections, these can be completed before the payment date of tuition and fees.

The Disbursement Process

Students receiving financial aid can expect to receive their aid in any of the following methods:

1. When the student accepts his/her award, the award will be credited to the student’s account to pay for educational expenses 10 days before the first day of classes.
2. Stafford Loan funds will be credited to the student’s account 10 days prior to the first class day for students who have successfully completed the required counseling session and master promissory note. If a student is a first-time freshman borrower, the funds will not be received until 30 calendar days after the first class day.
3. Financial aid cash disbursements: Any credit remaining in the student’s account after all tuition/fees and all educational expenses have been paid will be disbursed during the week prior to the first class day. Direct deposit can be set up via the student’s ASSIST account so that any disbursements are deposited into the student’s bank account. If direct deposit has not been set up, any disbursements will be mailed to your mailing/billing address on the system. Changes of address can be made via your ASSIST account.

NOTE: Changes in class schedule or enrollment status may cause an adjustment or cancellation of your awards, which will require you to pay a balance or return funds.