Student Life

Financial Aid

6 McMahon Hall
Phone: 202-319-5307

Fax: 202-319-5573
Web: http://financialaid.cua.edu

E-mail: cua-finaid@cua.edu

Director, Donald Bosse

Undergraduate students receiving any type of need-based aid from the university must reapply each year. Need-based aid includes Federal Direct Subsidized Loans, Federal Work-Study, Pell Grants, SEOG, and the CUA Undergraduate Grant. These awards and also the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan for dependent students require that a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) be on file in the Financial Aid Office. The priority deadline date for filing the FAFSA is May 1. Students whose completed applications reach the financial aid office after that time will be packaged on a federal and CUA need-based funds-available basis. A student's level of need-based funding each year is based on the data that are contained in the FAFSA. See the financial aid Web page or the Financial Aid Guide for more comprehensive information. The office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Additional information relating to satisfactory academic progress for financial aid, scholarship requirements and the verification process is located on the financial aid Web page (http://financialaid.cua.edu) under Policies.

Graduate financial aid refers to scholarships, assistantships, loans and work opportunities that assist graduate students in meeting their college expenses. Scholarship applicants must be accepted to both the university and their schools by Feb. 1.

Assistantships require recipients to perform a service for the university in exchange for a salary or stipend and, in many cases, tuition. There are three types of assistantships: teaching, research and administrative. There are also a limited number of assistantships that are funded by the Federal Work-Study Program. Several loans are also available to qualified students: the Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Direct Grad PLUS Loan. To be considered for all loans, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Although there is no deadline for filing these applications, we suggest you file both forms as soon as possible so that you will have your award information early to assist in financial planning for the school year.  Students should apply for federal loans before considering Commercial Loans.

General Information

Please note: All federal aid and CUA Need-Based Grant must be coordinated with any/all other sources of aid, such as scholarships and assistantships, third-party payments and veteran's benefits. The amount of money you receive from these sources affects your federal aid eligibility. CUA grant and scholarship assistance is limited to tuition. For further information, you may access the Office of Financial Aid Web page, send an e-mail to cua-finaid@cua.edu or call 1-888-635-7788.

Federal Return to Title IV Programs policy: If a student with federal aid completely withdraws from the university prior to the end of a semester, he or she will be subject to a Federal Title IV Refund calculation. In the case of a student withdrawal, federal aid is prorated for the number of days the student was enrolled. In many cases, a student who withdraws from CUA prior to the end of the semester will owe the university money because a portion of his or her federal aid will be returned to the federal programs. CUA grants and scholarships are prorated at the same percentage as CUA charges. More information about this federal refund policy is available on the Financial Aid Web page.