Forms and FAQs

Financial aid is any source of funds available to assist students to pay for the cost of a college education. Sources of aid usually take the form of a loan, grant or scholarship. It can also be a resource like employer tuition benefits. Any student who may need assistance in meeting college costs should make an application for financial aid.

One of the guiding principles of financial aid administration is that all student aid applications be treated in a fair and equitable manner. If you have special circumstances that impacts family income, you should review our Special Circumstances section to determine if an appeal would be appropriate.

Most financial aid assistance is based on demonstrated financial need; however, some scholarships and some types of loans do not require financial need. Most scholarships are based on special abilities and merit.

Reasonable estimate of attending the university for an academic year. Components include an average of tuition and fees and allowances for books, supplies and equipment, transportation, miscellaneous expenses and even room and board. For students who live with parents or family, they will have an at home budget.  For students who rent an apartment or live at the Union, they will have an off-campus budget. You may view all of the academic year's budgets based on status, residency for both graduate and undergraduate categories Detailed Cost of Attendance page.

Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is a formula-based index number ranging from –1500 to 999999. Where your SAI falls within the SAI range helps your school determine how much financial support you may need.

A negative SAI indicates you have a higher financial need. For example, if you have an SAI of –1500, you’ll qualify for a maximum Pell Grant award, assuming you have not exhausted your lifetime amounts and meet all student eligibility requirements. Learn how the SAI is calculated.

Your SAI is not

• a dollar amount of aid you’ll receive
• what your family is expected to provide, or
• your final financial aid offer

For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid SAI.

Financial aid programs are based on the premise that the primary responsibility for paying for college lies with the student and his family. Need-based financial aid is available to those students whose family resources are inadequate to meet their college costs. The simple calculation used is:

Cost of Attendance - Student Aid Index (SAI) - Scholarships and Resources (e.g., employer tuition benefits) = Need for Aid (Demonstrated Need)

While there are legitimate organizations that sell their information to students, many of these businesses take advantage of a student's fears about the cost of education. There are many free websites available to you to locate scholarships in addition to completing a FAFSA. You shouldn't pay for this information. If you have questions about an organization, you can check with the Federal Trade Commission.

Each financial aid program has special criteria, but the following requirements are fundamental to federal, state and university need-based programs. To be eligible for financial aid, you must:

• Demonstrate financial need (except for some loan programs).
• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent or have a certificate of completion for a home-study program recognized by the student's home state. You may file for financial aid prior to receiving your diploma, but must be awarded it as a condition of admission to the university.
• Be enrolled or admitted to an eligible program of study. You may file for financial aid before you have been admitted to your program of study, but you will not be awarded before you have been admitted.
• Be a U.S. Citizen, national or an eligible non-citizen.
• Have a valid Social Security Number.
• Be making satisfactory academic progress as defined by the Office of Financial Aid (see Consumer Information for more detail).
• Use federal student aid for only educational purposes.
• Not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on any federal educational loan.

Your dependency status determines whose information you must report when you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.

If you’re a dependent student, you will report both your and your parents’ information.

If you’re an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s).

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you will be considered independent for the 2026-27 academic year:

• Were you born before Jan. 1, 2003?
• As of today, are you married? (Answer “No” if you are separated but not divorced.)
• At the beginning of the 2026–27 school year, will you be enrolled in a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?*
• Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care?
• Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
• Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2025, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?**

Consider speaking to a member of the Office of Financial Aid so that we can guide you on the next steps. Generally speaking, examples of acceptable circumstances include an environment that threatens your health and safety or documented abandonment or estrangement by parents.

Circumstances that do not qualify for a dependency override include:

• The student is no longer living at home.
• The student is living at home (or with relatives) but is paying rent.
• The student has chosen to put themselves through college.
• The parents have decided not to provide financial information for the FAFSA or any financial assistance for the student’s college expenses.
• The student lives with a step-parent or a parent who refuses to provide support.

You should review the Special Circumstances section for the most common types of appeal. 

Yes. If you officially withdraw or stop attending classes (unofficial withdrawal), you may be required to repay some of all of your aid for the term. Students are subject to a formula called Return to Title IV (Federal) Aid to determine how much federal and university need-based aid will be reduced. The State of Michigan has a separate formula to determine the amount of Michigan Competitive Scholarship the student can retain.

Dropping a class for certain federal aid can result in the reduction or loss of a grant or loan (Federal Pell Grant and Federal SEOG) unless confirmation of academic activity is provided by the professor of the class.  If confirmed in a timely manner, the aid can be reinstated.  

All financial aid recipients are required to meet the same or higher standards of academic performance (measured by cumulative grade point average, course completion and completion of degree within a maximum time frame) as other students at the university. Students who fail to meet the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress will be first placed on warning but can still receive aid. Students who do not meet the terms of their probation will be suspended from financial aid eligibility.  They must regain eligibility by performance or submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal.

There are consequences in financial aid (as well has academically--or both) for dropping or not attending classes and the academic progress guidelines are reviewed in Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Some students non-degree programs, such as Prospective Degree and consortium students have eligibility at the University of Michigan-Dearborn filing the FAFSA and may be eligible for federal financial aid. Guest students do not qualify for federal aid, but may qualify for some state programs and alternative loans. You should visit the special enrollments section of our website for details.

The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships will process your application even if you file after the recommended filing date. Your application, however, must be received and completed while you are still enrolled on at least a half-time basis (6 credits for undergraduates and 4 credits for graduate students.) Your aid may be processed after the start of the academic year. You are also less likely to receive grant assistance from the university because funds may be expended. Undergraduate and graduate students who enroll in a degree program AND have at least half-time status student loans. Eligible undergraduates may also be considered for Federal Pell Grant.

Yes. Students (and their families) are required to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to be considered for financial aid. Even if the circumstances have not changed, the new application will confirm your situation.

You apply for the FSA ID  at the Department of Education website  with additional instructions. If you are considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes, at least one of your parents should also obtain the FSA ID to use as an electronic signature. You do not use the FSA ID to access university records. The university assigns you an identification number and a login. 

Before you start this process, watch a helpful (and short) video called How to Create An FSA ID

For the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle, 2023 income information is used. For the 2026-27 cycle, 2024 income information is used.

If you filed a FAFSA for the academic year in which you plan to attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn, you do not need to refile a FAFSA. The information that you've already submitted can be released to the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Add UM-Dearborn to the list of colleges you want to receive your information online. The UM-Dearborn Federal School Code number is 002326.

If you need more assistance than is available at the FAFSA website (lots of support by email, text, and the explanation panels along the online application), call the  Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243.  

There are community events to help students and their parents complete the FAFSA.  While College Goal Sunday has worked to this goal for years, more high schools are sponsoring FAFSA Blasts to help their students complete the FAFSA. There are many resources in your community.