Phone: 616-331-3234
800-748-0246
Fax: 616-331-3180
Financial Aid Office
finaid@gvsu.edu

100 Student Services Building
Allendale, MI 49401

  Office Hours

Financial Aid

Current Graduate Students

Graduate students have financial aid opportunities available to them.  The information compiled here is to ensure that you understand what is available for you and how the process works, as well as other pertinent information.

Links for Graduate Students:

Deadlines:

Grand Valley encourages students to have their FAFSA filed by March 1 for the following academic year.

Step 1a: Apply for Admission.  In order to receive financial aid, a student must be admitted with a degree-seeking status.  You can apply for admission to Grand Valley here.

Step 1b: Apply for a PIN.  The PIN allows both student and parent(s) to sign the FAFSA electronically.  This speeds up processing time and makes corrections quick and easy.  If you need a PIN, go to www.pin.ed.gov and click on "Apply for PIN" at the bottom of the screen. 

Step 2: File your FAFSA.  Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to file your FAFSA on-line.  A Pre-Application Worksheet can be printed from this site that tells you what information you need to gather to file your FAFSA.  In order for your information to come to Grand Valley, be sure to list our school code: 002268.

     a.) Graduate students are eligible for the federal loan and work-study programs. 

     b.) Direct loans are the primary source of assistance for Grand Valley graduate 
          students. Graduate students that are independent may borrow up to $18,500
          per academic year with a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized direct
          loans.

     c.) Graduate assistantships are available through the various academic
          departments. Contact the Graduate Assistantship Office for more information.

Step 3: Apply for outside scholarships.  There are many scholarship opportunities for students; even students who have not chosen a major.  Read the information in our On-line Scholarship searches for additional information about where and how to look for outside scholarships.  You can also utilize the GVSU Scholarship Search tool for Grand Valley specific scholarships.

Step 4:  Review the submitted FAFSA information.   The Federal Processor will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR) within 5 to 7 days after you submit your FAFSA.  If you listed an email address, it will be sent to the address you provided.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU REVIEW YOUR SAR.  If there are errors on your SAR fix them as soon as you can.  

Step 5: Correcting your FAFSA.  Return to www.fafsa.ed.gov and choose "Make Corrections to my Submitted FAFSA." Then login using your PIN (and your parent's if required) and correct any errors.

Step 6: Receiving your award letter.  Grand Valley will receive your information electronically, determine your eligibility, and send you an award notification of the types of aid you are eligible to receive at GVSU. 

Enrollment Status:

Enrollment Status

Full-Time

3/4 Time

1/2 time

Less than 1/2 time

Graduate

9 or more credits

6.5 to 8.5 credits

4.5 to 6 credits

1 to 4 credits

FAFSA Filling Tips:

  • As a graduate student you are now considered independent of your parents.  You do not need to list their income information or assets on your FAFSA. 
  • Since you have completed your bachelor's degree, the federal government will not offer you any grant money.  You can still look for scholarships and graduate assistantships.
  • It is okay to estimate your tax information.  Once you have filed your taxes go back to FAFSA and make any corrections necessary.

Employer Assistance:

If your employer offers tuition reimbursement the Student Accounts Office has a program to delay tuition bill.  The Company Deferment Plan has requirements that you must meet.  If you have additional information contact Student Accounts at (616) 331-2209 or toll-free (800) 789-1923.

 

     
  Last Modified Date: September 11, 2008
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