FAQ

Do I need to be admitted before I can apply for financial aid?
You may complete a FAFSA at any time; however, we cannot process an award until you are officially admitted to UT Dallas. If you submit a FAFSA before being admitted, please contact the Financial Aid Office once you are admitted.

May I transfer my financial aid from my old school to UT Dallas?
Your financial aid does not transfer from one school to another. UT Dallas must receive your FAFSA information to determine what types of aid you may receive. You may be eligible for some of the same types of aid you received at your previous school.

Do you offer financial aid during the summer? Will I have to complete a new FAFSA?
Students must complete a summer financial aid request card to be awarded for summer. Summer cards are available at the Financial Aid Office in November of each academic year. If you completed a FAFSA for the fall and/or spring semester, you do not need to complete another FAFSA for the summer.

How do I apply for a Pell Grant and other types of financial aid?
You must complete a FAFSA. UT Dallas does not require any other type of application for financial aid.

My parents don’t claim me on their tax return or pay any of my expenses. Why do I have to include their income on my FAFSA?
For FAFSA purposes, a student is independent only if he/she can answer “YES” to one of these questions:

Were you born before January 1, 1985?
Will you be a graduate or professional student during the 2008-2009 year?
Were you married at the time you completed the FAFSA?
Do you have legal dependents other than a spouse?
Are you an orphan?
Are or were you a ward of the court until age 18?
Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
Are you currently serving on active duty for purposes other than training?

My parents do not file taxes, how can I fill out my FAFSA?
There is a section on the FAFSA where your parents can select the “Will Not File” option. They will then be directed to the wages/earnings question where they can indicate how much they earned. If there are no earnings, they should go to the Worksheet to see if any items apply there.

My parents work out of the country. They don’t file U.S. tax returns. How do I indicate that on my FAFSA?
If your parents filed a foreign return, they will convert all figures to U.S. dollars, using the exchange rate that is in effect today. Daily exchange rates can be viewed at the Federal Reserve Statistical Release Website.

Who can I include in my household size? May I include my significant other?
Independent students may only include their spouse and/or dependents for whom they provide more than 50% support during the year. Dependent students must include their parents and any persons for whom their parents provide more than 50% support during the year.

I completed my FAFSA over four weeks ago, but haven’t heard anything. What should I do?
First you should make sure that our school code, 009741, is on your FAFSA. If you have listed UT Dallas, please contact our office so that we can check your status.

I don’t think my parents will be approved for a PLUS loan. What other options do I have?
If your parent applies for and is denied a PLUS loan, you may be able to borrow additional unsubsidized Stafford loan funds. You may also visit our Alternative Sources of Financial Aid page for information on private educational loans.

I accepted my loans. Why don’t they show as accepted on my Galaxy account?
Loans will not show as accepted until the day they are disbursed to your Bursar’s account.

Do I have to accept my loans again for the spring?
If, at the beginning of the school year, you accepted your loans for the fall and spring semesters, you do not need to accept them again.

My lender told me they sent my loan funds to you. Why haven’t you received them?
It may take up to three business days for UT Dallas to receive electronic loan funds from lenders. If the funds are not disbursed at that point, you should contact the Financial Aid Office. Paper checks may take longer. You will be notified via your UT Dallas email account when we receive those funds.

When should I expect to receive my refund?
Please see the Bursar’s Office Refunds page for information.

Where can I get information on the loans that I have borrowed?
All of your federal loan information can be obtained by visiting the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) for Students Website.

I need to purchase books, but my financial aid has not been disbursed yet. What should I do?
If your financial aid application is complete and your funds have not disbursed by the first day of classes, you may be eligible for an on campus book voucher. Book vouchers can be obtained at the Financial Aid Office.

What is considered a special circumstance?
A special circumstance is an event that causes a loss or significant reduction in income, or extremely high medical bills not paid by insurance. Voluntary reductions in income are not considered a special circumstance. Special circumstance forms can be found on our Forms page.

What types of situations qualify for a Dependency Override?
Please see the cover page of the Dependency Override Request form on our Forms page.