Frequently Asked Questions

  • 001397 - The FAFSA is the first step in applying for aid.

  • You first step is to provide the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the March 1st priority deadline for prospective students and January 1 for returning students. Once the FAFSA is completed with our federal school code indicated on the application, it will be sent to The University of New Haven from the federal processor. Note: We may request additional documents or information in order to successfully review your file. More detailed instructions and links are found on Applying for Financial Aid.

  • Merit-based scholarships such as the Distinguished Scholar Award and the Presidential Scholarship are awarded by the University of New Haven Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the time of acceptance and recognize a student's scholastic achievement. Visit the Merit Scholarship page for more more detailed information.

    • Filing your application late
    • Incorrect Social Security Numbers
    • Omitting the school code 001397 on the FAFSA
    • Not using your legal name from your social security card
    • Submitting illegible, incomplete, or unsigned documentation
    • Failing to include step-parent income
    • Failing to report untaxed income such as child support received, payments to tax deferred pension and savings plans, IRA deductions and payments to self-employed SEP, SIMPLE and Keogh, Tax Exempt interest income, Untaxed portions of IRA or Pension distributions, Living allowance paid to members of the clergy, Veterans noneducational benefits, Workers' compensation, Disability, etc.
    • Under reporting or failure to report parent and/or student assets

    Please be sure to check your FAFSA carefully before submitting it.

  • Each student's individual financial need is calculated based on the following formula: Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) (formerly EFC) = NEED. The Student Aid Index (SAI) is calculated by the Federal Department of Education from the information reported on your FAFSA. The SAI formula considers income, assets, and family size.

  • Families who experience a significant change in income, marital status, loss of job, or encounter special circumstances that are affecting their current financial situation must submit a Special Circumstances Appeal Form and provide a detailed explanation of the situation along with supporting documentation to the Financial Aid Office. In some cases a financial aid counselor will request further information in order to perform an accurate evaluation. For more information, visit our Special and Unusual Circumstances webpage.

  • The financial aid office has a limited amount of resources to distribute as equitably as possible to all of our financial aid applicants. We meet a percentage of a student's need with grants and scholarships, loans and student employment. Most families supplement their SAI (formerly EFC) and unmet need through a variety of resources such as the federal parent PLUS loan, a private student loan loan or through the monthly payment plan. These alternative options can be found on our Student Loan Page.

  • Use the University of New Haven Net Price Calculator for a preliminary estimate of your Student Aid Index (SAI) (formerly EFC) and your University of New Haven financial aid offer.

  • Financial aid takes many different forms and comes from a variety of sources including federal, state, institutional, and private sponsors such as: Merit-based scholarships, Athletic grants, Need-based grants, Student Employment, Loans – Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, and private student loans. These resources are all outlined in Financial Aid Programs.

  • If you have submitted your FAFSA by the March 1 priority deadline and have been formally accepted by Admissions, you will receive an “estimated” financial aid offer notification. The offer will provide all the details of your financial aid. Students selected for a process called "Verification" must submit additional documents to the Financial Aid Office. For those students, a final offer will be made once all required documentation has been submitted. Your estimated offer may be subject to change if the documentation you provide indicates a significant change from the information originally reported on your FAFSA.

  • Yes. Anytime a student receives funds from an outside company, employer, agency, or civic group they must report it to the University of New Haven Financial Aid Office. Any outside scholarship will first be used to satisfy unmet need and then to replace self-help (federal loans or work-study).

    Outside scholarships that specify they can be applied only to tuition costs will adjust the university merit scholarships dollar for dollar once the cost of tuition is met.

    Outside scholarships do not include any tuition remission benefits, Vocational rehabilitation benefits, etc. These types of awards will be substituted dollar for dollar from any university grants, including merit awards. We can be notified by email at financialaid@sanmingzhi.net.

  • Each institution has its own unique set of criteria for determining financial aid at their school, especially when it comes to offering institutional funds. Most institutions do not get into the practice of matching another school's financial aid offer.

  • Yes. Financial aid is not automatic and must be reapplied for each year. You can file the FAFSA anytime after October 1. Our priority date to submit the FAFSA is January 1. Students are reminded to apply early since their financial aid offer is based on the availability of funding at the time their FAFSA is received.

  • A student's need is determined for one year at a time and is therefore subject to change from one year to the next. Students are required to renew their FAFSA by the annual deadline each year. The Financial Aid Office strives to maintain the same offer from year to year. However, there are certain factors that can cause a significant change to a financial aid offer. These include: changes in a family's Student Aid Index (SAI) (formerly EFC), reduction in the number of family members in the household, change in marital status, moving off campus, going on a study abroad program, and making satisfactory academic progress.

  • Students studying abroad through another educational institution will be eligible for their federal financial aid through a consortium agreement but not institutional financial aid programs such as the University of New Haven Grant-in-Aid or merit based programs. In order to process your federal student aid, i.e. Pell grant, Federal Student/Parent Loans, students must have their study abroad courses approved by their academic advisor for transfer into their University of New Haven degree program, and complete a financial aid consortium agreement with the study abroad institution in order for our office to offer and process financial aid.

  • The Financial Aid Office is located in Bergami Hall and is open from 8:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. We can also be reached at (203) 932-7315, or by email at financialaid@sanmingzhi.net.