FAFSA and General Frequently Asked Questions

To apply for need-based, federal, and state financial aid; complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. To receive priority financial aid consideration at Michigan Tech, the FAFSA must be received at the federal processor by March 1.

Yes. A FAFSA is required for either a Direct Unsubsidized or a Direct PLUS loan. Neither of those loans require financial need to be eligible.

The FAFSA for the 2024-2025 academic year is now available. The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year is scheduled to become available on December 1.

Financial aid regulations for international students differ from those for US citizens, but some financial aid options for international students may still be available.

No. You may apply for next year's financial aid any time after the FAFSA becomes available for that upcoming academic year. The FAFSA for the 2024-2025 academic year is now available. The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year is scheduled to become available on December 1. To actually receive aid, you must be admitted and enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the University.

Merit-based scholarships are awarded beginning in November. Once awarding begins, new students can generally expect to receive scholarship notifications within two to three weeks after acceptance. For the 2025-2026 academic year, we expect to begin mailing FAFSA based award notifications for new, incoming students beginning in early February for those who have completed their FAFSA by January 1. Financial aid award notifications for returning students are prepared in July.

You can still apply for financial aid after the priority filing date but funds may be limited. Do not delay. We are unable to guarantee immediate processing of FAFSAs filed during a billing cycle or at the start of a semester.

The Department of Education calculates the SAI based on the information you provide on the FAFSA. Your SAI helps determine your eligibility for need-based aid like the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Direct Subsidized Loans, and the Michigan Tech University Student Aid Grant. The SAI may also be used to determine a student's eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant.

The SAI is comprised of a student (SC) and parent contribution (PC). The difference is likely based on your income and assets. Compare the student response sections of your FAFSAs.

No, your student bill will be based upon your credit load, major, housing plans, etc.

No, a student's SAI does not impact their student bill which is based upon credit load, major, housing plans, etc. A high SAI just means that a student would theoretically be able to afford a higher cost of attendance (COA) based upon the FAFSA data they have provided.

Yes. Financial aid is not automatically renewed or guaranteed from one year to the next. You must reapply for financial aid every year by completing the FAFSA or a renewal FAFSA. Also, program funding is dependent upon annual appropriations.

Yes, Federal and state regulations require applicants to report sources of assistance not shown on the Michigan Tech financial aid award notification. Your financial aid package may require adjustment. To report your sources of assistance:

• Log on to your Financial Aid Portal using your ISO username and password.
• Scroll down to the 2024-2025 Outside Resources section.
• Click "Add Outside Resources" and follow the prompts to access Banweb.
• Once you have navigated to Resources/Additional Information in Banweb, enter all scholarships you have earned and click "Submit Information." Be sure to enter scholarship information for each semester.
• Return to your Financial Aid Portal and select Refresh from the pop-up box.

Once entered, your scholarship(s) will take 2-3 business days to appear under the 2024-2025 Outside Resources section.  Repeat this process as you are notified of additional non-Michigan Tech awards.

In this process, the Financial Aid Office will compare information from your FAFSA with tax return transcripts or other financial documents. Differences in data will be corrected and the Student Aid Index (SAI) recalculated. A change to your FAFSA may result in a change to your financial aid package.

Federal law defines the conditions for independent status. Self-sufficiency is not a criterion. Also parent(s)' unwillingness to provide financial data or to pay for educational expenses cannot be recognized as the basis for independence. Currently, an applicant is independent if the individual meets one or more of the following:

• 24 years of age or older by December 31 of the award year;
• veteran of the US Armed Forces or has been a member of the National Guard or Reserves called to active duty for purposes other than training, or was a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, or attended a US military academy preparatory school. Must be released under a condition other than dishonorable.
• working on a master's or doctorate program during the award year;
• married
• ward/dependent of the court, or was a ward/dependent of the court until age 18;
• has legal dependents other than a spouse
• a student for whom a financial aid administrator makes a documented determination of independence by reason of other unusual circumstances.
• legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state.
• determined to be homeless or an unaccompanied youth by your high school or homeless shelter.

No, a legal guardian is not considered a "parent" for FAFSA purposes, and you may be considered an independent student. Please refer to the dependency questions on the FAFSA.

No, foster parents are not considered a "parent" for FAFSA purposes, and you may be considered an independent student.

You cannot project your marital status. You must report your marital status as of the date that the FAFSA is filed. If you file the FAFSA as single, then marry, you cannot update the FAFSA by changing the response to "married". A number of factors must be considered when making the determination of whether to postpone filing until you are married. For guidance, contact the Student Financial Services Center.

The parent who provided the most support to the student in the previous 12 months is the parent whose information will be used on the FAFSA.  It does not matter which parent you lived with, nor which parent claims you as a dependent for tax purposes. 

If on the date of filing the FAFSA your mother is remarried, you must provide the financial data of her spouse, or you will not be considered for federal student financial aid.

Report only your mother's income and asset information because she provided the most support to you during the past twelve months.

Assets must be reported as of the date that the FAFSA was filed. Updates to the asset amount reported on the FAFSA based on an increase or decrease in asset value since completing the FAFSA are not allowed. If you reported an asset value in error a "correction" is required.

A student's eligibility for a Pell Grant is determined by their FAFSA results each year. Student's must also meet all other federal general eligibility criteria. 

Both non-work-study and work-study positions are available on campus. Work-study positions are based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA results and are awarded as part of the financial aid package based upon availability of funds.

The majority of students working on campus are employed through non-work-study. The Career Center also lists job opportunities.

Generally, full time status (minimum 12 credits) is required to receive full consideration for financial aid. See Undergraduate Enrollment Status to determine the requirements for specific assistance types.

Contact the Veterans Affairs Coordinator located in the Registrar's Office for complete information regarding this application process.

First it is necessary to distinguish between veterans' education and non-education benefits.

Veterans' non-education benefits such as Disability, Death Pension, or Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and/or Veterans Affairs Educational Work-Study allowances must be reported on the FAFSA as a source of untaxed income. The value of these benefits is considered when calculating the Student Aid Index (SAI).

Veterans' education benefits such as the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, Active Duty-Chapter 33; Montgomery GI Bill®, Active Duty-Chapter 30; Montgomery GI Bill®, Selected Reserve-Chapter 1606; Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance Program-Chapter 35; and Vocational Rehabilitation-Chapter 31; and Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)-Chapter 1607 are not reported on the FAFSA. Veterans Affairs education benefits do not affect your financial aid eligibility at all.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

The value of military tuition assistance is not considered in the calculation of the SAI. Military tuition assistance received from the federal government or your state is considered a "resource" and "estimated financial assistance" when considering your overall eligibility for federal and institutional aid. The value of expected tuition assistance must be reported to the Financial Aid Office regardless of the timing of the payment.

Undocumented students are welcome to apply for admission to Michigan Technological University. The application for admission serves as the merit-based scholarship application for university-sponsored scholarships. At this time, undocumented students are unable to be awarded federal financial aid.

Authorized Aid is financial aid in which all of the requirements of the aid have been met. Memoed Aid is financial aid in which some of the requirements of the aid may be incomplete or the funds are being sent from an outside source.

Students may contact Financial Aid to inquire about possible financing options. A one-time cost of attendance adjustment may be made to allow students to have increased loan eligibility to assist with covering the laptop expense. Please note that you will be required to provide documentation, such as a price quote and/or receipt of purchase, to have the cost of attendance adjusted. Contact the Financial Aid staff at 888-688-1885 or email finaid@mtu.edu.