Spring/Summer Financial Aid Information
Are you planning to enroll in courses for Spring/Summer? An important factor in planning for Spring/Summer is to review the amount of financial aid you have used during the Fall and Winter semesters as this may limit your eligibility for Spring/Summer aid (including federal student loans). To discuss your unique situation please contact us or stop by our office at 100 Arend & Nancy Lubbers Student Services Center.
Important Spring/Summer Semester Dates
If you would like us to estimate what financial aid you may qualify for during the spring/summer semester prior to the application being available in February, email us with the number of credits you plan to take.
Spring/Summer Federal Pell Grant Recipients
If you are awarded a Federal Pell Grant for the upcoming spring/summer semester, the amount awarded is based on full-time enrollment (12+ credits). If you are enrolled less than full-time, your Federal Pell Grant will likely not pay for the full amount that you have been awarded. Please refer to your eBill on myBanner (Student > Student Account > Student Account Information > View Statement) for the amount of Federal Pell Grant you are eligible for, based on your current enrollment, or contact us for an estimate based on a specific number of credits.
If you make any changes to your schedule, please allow 24 hours for your Federal Pell Grant updates to be reflected on your eBill.
For more information about how your enrollment impacts your award, please visit Financial Aid Enrollment.
How do I apply for aid?
The application for spring/summer financial aid is currently closed. If you have questions about financial aid for the spring/summer semester, please contact us at [email protected] or 616-331-3234.
What requirements are necessary to receive aid?
- A 2023-2024 FAFSA for Summer 2024.
- Have a completed spring/summer application on file.
- Must be enrolled at least half-time to use federal loans. Half-time is 6 credits for an undergraduate and 4.5 credits as a graduate/doctoral student. Full-time enrollment for spring/summer is 12 credits for an undergraduate and 9 credits for graduate/doctoral students.
- The total credits for all spring/summer sessions will be combined to determine your total credit load. (For example: if you take 3 credits during the spring session and 3 credits during the summer session, your combined enrollment for the spring/summer term will be 6 credit hours.)
- Must be meeting Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) criteria.
- Dropping or withdrawing from classes may result in recalculation of your financial aid eligibility and you may owe a balance. For more information, visit our Withdrawal & Refund Policy.
NOTE: You MUST complete the Spring/Summer Application in order to receive financial aid for the summer.
What type of aid am I eligible to receive?
- Federal Direct Loans are awarded to eligible students. Your award amount for the fall/winter and spring/summer may not exceed your annual limit.
- Federal Pell Grants are awarded to eligible students.
- Federal Parent PLUS Loan is available to credit-worthy parents of dependent undergraduate students.
- Federal Graduate PLUS Loan is available to credit-worthy graduate or doctoral students.
- Alternative Loans are available to credit-worthy borrowers. Alternative Loans are available to credit-worthy borrowers. Late February is a good time to begin applying for a spring/summer loan with your chosen lender.
How do I accept my financial aid award?
- Approximately one week after you submit your Spring/Summer application, we will email a financial aid award notification to your GVSU student email. At that time, log in to your myBanner account to review your aid amounts for spring/summer and contact our office to request any changes.
- All undergraduate and doctoral awards will be based on full-time attendance. All graduate awards will be based on half-time attendance.
- Log in to the myBanner system to accept your aid electronically. Click here for specific instructions on how to view and accept aid.
If I have accepted more money than the amount of my bill, when will I receive the excess?
- Starting the second week of classes, our office reviews your enrollment status. Adjustments may be made to your award based on your enrollment. If you are not enrolled at least half-time, your federal loans will be canceled.
- If you are enrolled in first six week courses (spring session), refunds are processed during the second week of the spring session. You will know if an excess loan amount is coming to you if you see "Student Refund" on your eBill. Students enrolled in only second six week courses (summer session) will receive excess loan funds during the second week of the summer session.
NOTE: Please visit the Student Accounts website for payment due dates, payments options, and to set up direct deposit.