Learn more about the Financial Aid Process.

APPLYING FOR AID

DEPENDENT VS. INDEPENDENT STUDENT STATUS

The federal government has established criteria for classifying financial aid recipients as Dependent or Independent. If you are dependent (not self-supporting according to Federal criteria), your parent’s income and assets well as your own are considered when determining your financial need. If you are independent, your financial need is evaluated solely on you and or your spouse’s income and assets. If you think you have extenuating circumstances that would exempt you from including parental information, contact a Financial Aid Office. Note that the Federal Government does not consider:

• Parents do not financially support you

• Parents do not claim you as a tax exemption

• You do not live with your parents

• You live with other family or friends who pay for your needs

These items alone do not make you an independent student for financial aid purposes. If you have questions, contact the Financial Aid Office.

REVIEWING YOUR FEDERAL AID ELIGIBILITY STATUS

Notification of Aid

Upon receiving your notification of aid, please review your aid status and award offers by logging into the student portal. Here you can view aid and accept or decline the aid offered, or reduce the amounts of loans offered.

HOW FEDERAL AID ELIGIBILITY IS DETERMINED Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA), sometimes referred to as the budget is used to determine how much aid you may need to cover your cost each year. The COA includes your direct cost (tuition/fees, books, and room/board) and indirect cost (personal, miscellaneous, and transportation) to attend the University.

Expected Family Contribution

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC), is the amount the federal government says you and your family should pay toward your education and living expenses based on your FAFSA information. If you are a dependent student, the EFC is based on you and your parent’s income. If you are an independent student, the EFC is based on your household income. Your financial need is calculated using the difference between your COA and your EFC. (COA - EFC = Financial Need)

The following are issues that can cause delay or termination of your financial aid:

• Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements

• Failure to maintain at least half-time enrollment status

• Complete withdrawal from the University

• Drug conviction(s) occurred during a period of enrollment while the student received Title IV financial aid.

SUMMER FINANCIAL AID

Langston University recognizes the summer term as the end of the academic award year. To apply for summer assistance, you must complete the Summer Aid Request form along with the current year FAFSA. For federal financial aid eligibility purposes, for undergraduates full-time is 12 hours or more, three-quarter time is 9-11 hours, and half-time is 6-8 hours. For graduate students, full-time is 9 or more hours, and halftime is 5-8 hours. You should be aware that in order to receive consideration for the Federal Direct Student Loan programs, you must be enrolled at least halftime. If you have already borrowed the maximum annual loan limit for your grade level during the fall and spring, whether, at LU or another school, your loan eligibility may be limited to a credit-based alternative loan, or a Parent PLUS loan if eligibility remains. Summer aid requests for students who were issued a Financial Aid Warning status for spring will not be reviewed until spring grades have been posted and reviewed.

Summer Aid Request

Students who are Pell-eligible and have received full-time Pell for both the Fall and Spring terms may be eligible for Summer Pell if enrolling in at least 6 credit hours. For more information, please contact the financial aid office at 405-466-3000.