The recent downturn in the U.S. economy has likely presented you with unanticipated questions and possibly with unexpected financial challenges. If you have concerns about financial assistance for the balance of the current academic year or for 2010-11, you may be assured that the University’s Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (OSFAS) has worked diligently to avoid any interruption to the availability and flow of financial aid. We will continue to do our best to provide excellent information, assistance, and service. Please do review and consider the following:

- No matter what your current economic position, consider filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early in 2010 for the 2010-11 academic year. Having this information available in the OSFAS will allow our staff to best serve your needs, whether they are expected at the time of filing or come about at a later date.

- It is not too late to apply for financial aid for the current academic year. See “Applying for Financial Aid” in the left hand margin. Although application deadlines have passed and available resources are limited, funding is still available through some programs.

- Families whose financial situations have changed dramatically since filing their FAFSA earlier this year may now be eligible for resources for which they didn’t qualify based on earlier application information. Contact the OSFAS about these dramatic changes.

-Despite concerns being noted in the media, the OSFAS has positioned the University with lenders who project that there should be no concerns in Federal Family Educational Loan Program funding access for our students in the upcoming year. These programs, Federal Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans for students and PLUS Loans for the parents of undergraduates and for graduate students, are the primary educational loan resources currently available.

- Be sure to familiarize yourself with all of the information available to you on this webpage and don’t hesitate to contact the OSFAS staff for any assistance that we can provide.