Summer Financial Aid Application Process

1. A 2008–09 Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The application must be received at the federal processor by June 30, 2009. Students are encouraged to apply no later than June 1, 2009 to ensure the application is processed before the deadline. Students who have already submitted the FAFSA for the 2008–09 academic year do not need to submit the FAFSA again.

2. A Summer Financial Aid Application. This can be completed online at the Financial Aid channel within CU Connect at cuconnect.colorado.edu.

Study Abroad Students

CU-Boulder degree-seeking students participating in a Study Abroad program must complete the Summer Aid Application and be enrolled in a CU-Boulder Study Abroad program to be eligible for financial aid. Exception: Students in the College of Architecture and Planning who are enrolled in the UCD Study Abroad programs may be eligible for financial aid from CU-Boulder after completing the necessary application process.

Changes in Enrollment and Course Eligibility

Any changes to enrollment including changes to the number of credit hours being taken or the length of summer enrollment, may impact eligibility for financial aid. If changes occur after a student has applied for financial aid, a revised application needs to be submitted.

Award Notifications

Students completing a summer aid application will receive notification of summer financial aid awards via e-mail. Award status can also be viewed online through the Financial Aid channel within CUConnect at cuconnect.colorado.edu.

If awarded a Stafford Loan, the loan must be accepted online at cuconnect.colorado.edu or by contacting the Office of Financial Aid. If a Master Promissory Note is required, it may be completed online at dlenote.ed.gov. Students may also contact the Office of Financial aid to request a paper Master Promissory Note be mailed.

Awards

Summer aid consists of, if eligible, Federal Direct Stafford loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grant, and work-study. Students must enroll at least half time to be eligible for federal loans during the summer. For financial aid eligibility, half time is defined as 6 credit hours for undergraduates and 4 credit hours for graduates. Awards are made after the summer aid application and the FAFSA information are received by the Office of Financial Aid. Additionally, all required supporting documents must be received which may include, but are not limited to, tax returns and a master promissory note. Student aid is awarded based on the cost of attendance which includes the number of hours enrolled in and the length of enrollment. Eligibility is based on the information submitted on the summer financial aid application. Financial aid funds, except work-study and some alternative loans are credited to students’ university bills based on the Summer 2009 disbursement schedule available on the Bursar’s website at www.colorado.edu/bursar.

Financial Aid Refunds

Financial aid funds are posted to student bills before classes begin as long as all eligibility criteria have been met. If any funds are remaining after the bill has been paid in full, a refund will be issued to the student. Refunds will be processed according to the following schedule:

Session(s)	Refunds Processed
M and Q	May 14, 2009
M/Q and A; M/Q and B; M/Q and C or D	May 14, 2009
A and/or B, with C/D; A, C or D only	May 29, 2009
B only	July 6, 2009

University bills can be viewed at cuconnect.colorado.edu.

ACG and SMART Awards

The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is a federal grant offered to Federal Pell Grant eligible U.S. citizens who are first- and second-year undergraduate students and who meet specific academic criteria. Visit www.colorado.edu/finaid/acg.html for additional information on eligibility.

The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant is awarded to third- and fourth-year Federal Pell grant eligible undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens. For further information regarding eligibility, visit www.colorado.edu/finaid/smart.html.

The ACG and National SMART Grant awards are part of the financial aid award package and in combination with all other aid received cannot exceed a student’s cost of attendance. Students must be enrolled full time during the summer to receive an ACG or National SMART Grant.

Loans

Federal annual loan limits for students are:

For example, if a dependent, junior student borrows $5,000 in a Stafford loan during the academic year, the student may be eligible for an additional $2,500 Stafford loan for the summer term.

Summer Work-Study

Students interested in summer work-study should apply no later than March 15, 2009. Priority is given to all applicants who apply for summer aid, have a valid FAFSA on file, and have submitted all required documents by March 15, 2009. Students who had work-study earnings during the 2008–09 academic year are also given first priority.

Summer work-study awards may be earned between May 3 and August 8, 2009. If a student has not been awarded a work-study award by May 15, 2009, it is unlikely a summer work-study award will be granted.

Students may earn work-study wages if not enrolled during the summer term. To be eligible for work-study during a period of nonattendance, the student must have been enrolled at CU-Boulder during the spring 2009 term and must also be enrolled for the fall 2009 term by May 3, 2009.The student must also complete a 2009–10 FAFSA by May 3, 2009, and demonstrate financial need.

If awarded summer work-study, a student may be assessed a summer savings requirement. Summer savings is the difference between summer aid eligibility and the amount of the work-study award. Therefore, any amount greater than a student’s aid eligibility is counted toward summer savings. “Expected Summer Savings” will appear on the award notification for any student to which it applies. The notification will also appear on the student’s 2009–10 financial aid award offer and will be recorded as a resource. Note: This is not an award but rather the amount of summer work-study earnings that a student is expected to use toward 2009–10 academic year expenses.

If awarded summer work-study, a student must begin earning that award by May 30, 2009. If a student has not begun working by this date, the Office of Financial Aid must be notified or the award will be cancelled. Summer work-study awards are for 14 weeks. If a student does not intend to work the full 14 weeks, the Student Employment Office should be contacted. If a student wishes to apply for a work-study increase for summer, the request can be completed online at www.colorado.edu/studentemployment.

To comply with the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1990, each summer work-study student is required to contribute to a retirement fund. For undergraduate students taking less than 6 credit hours or graduate students taking less than 3 credit hours, a payroll deduction will occur.

Summer Hourly Employment

Work-study and non work-study positions for summer are posted online at cuconnect.colorado.edu under the Student Employment channel. Positions include clerical assistants, food service workers, grounds keepers, night clerks, painters, conference aides, lab assistants, student librarians, cashiers, and peer counselors. The Job Location and Development (JLD) program is also available to assist students in locating suitable off-campus hourly employment.

Special Circumstances

If a student has special circumstances, such as unexpected medical expenses or a significant decrease in income, an appeal may be filed with the Office of Financial Aid to reevaluate a student’s aid eligibility. A student wishing to file an appeal should write a detailed letter explaining the specific circumstances warranting such a reevaluation. All documentation must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid no later than three weeks prior to the last day of a student’s summer classes. It is recommended that a student wishing to file an appeal initiate the process early enough to allow for processing.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal law requires students receiving financial aid to make satisfactory academic progress. Students determined to not be meeting minimum requirements during the spring 2009 semester may lose summer aid eligibility even if aid has already been awarded. Students may file an appeal with the Office of Financial Aid to regain financial aid eligibility.

Withdrawing and Financial Aid

Students may be required to repay some or all of the aid received when completely withdrawing from school. Additional information regarding financial aid and withdrawing from the university can be found at either www.colorado.edu/finaid/withdrawing.html, or registrar.colorado.edu/students/withdraw.html.

Summer bill due dates are available at http://colorado.edu/bursar/

Contact Information