2012-2013 Graduate Programs Academic Catalog
69
When students are unable to fully fund their edu-
cation from personal resources, it is CIU’s policy
to attempt to assist them in obtaining additional
financing from federal, institutional and private
resources to the extent possible. Students who
wish to be considered for aid from these sources
must meet general eligibility requirements as well
as fund-specific criteria. Eligibility requirements
and instructions for applying are outlined below.
International students are not eligible for federal
aid but may qualify for institutional aid.
The following requirements are necessary to be
eligible for financial assistance:
•
Acceptance by the CIU Admissions Office
•
Completion of the FAFSA (annually) and CIU
Scholarship Application
•
Enrollment as a degree-seeking student
•
Institutional aid requires full-time enrollment
•
Federal student loans require minimum half-
time enrollment (4.5 hours per semester)
•
For federal aid, student must be U.S. citizen or
eligible non-citizen and certify funds will only
be used for educational expenses
•
Recipients of federal student loans must certi-
fy that they are not in default on any federal
student loan and do not owe a repayment on
a federal student grant
The two applications needed to determine a stu-
dent’s eligibility are the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CIU
Scholarship Application. The FAFSA is available
online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. CIU’s federal school
code is 003429. The CIU Scholarship Application
is available on Financial Aid Online which is locat-
ed at
online.ciu.edu.
FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID
Once you submit your FAFSA, the Office of
Student Financial Services will contact you
regarding the completion of your financial aid file.
You must respond immediately to any request for
additional information or documentation. Failure
to do so could cause you to forfeit awards.
Graduate students, if eligible, can receive federal
loans and work-study. Current information on fed-
eral aid is available online at
www.ciu.edu/become-student/financial-aid,or by
visiting the Office of Student Financial Services.
Federal Work-Study (FWS)
The Federal Work-Study Program is a need-
based program of financial aid providing students
an opportunity to work part time in an approved
on-campus job or community service position. It
provides an excellent opportunity for students to
earn money and obtain transferable skills while
attending CIU. To be eligible for work-study, a
student must be enrolled at least half time in a
degree-seeking program and have documented
need. “Need” is calculated based on the informa-
tion submitted on the FAFSA.
The Office of Student Financial Services and the
Office of Career Services oversee the Federal
Work-Study Program. All jobs are listed on
online.ciu.edu. Students are encouraged to apply
early.
Federal Direct Loan Program
The Federal Direct Loan is a long-term education-
al loan. The student borrows from the U.S.
Department of Education. Graduate students may
qualify for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
The unsubsidized loan accrues interest while you
are in school, but repayment is deferred for a
one-time, six-month grace period after graduation
or dropping below half-time enrollment. The bor-
rower can either pay the interest or allow the
interest to be capitalized (added to the principal).
Graduate students have an annual loan limit of
$20,500.
Summer Students
Although CIU does not offer regular scholarships
during summer terms, students can be consid-
ered for federal loans if they are enrolled at least
half time in a degree-seeking program and have
not already taken their full loans for the academic
year.
STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES