Information for Current Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Welcome Back!

Below is a step-by-step tool that will continue to guide you through the financial aid process beginning with the submission of your FAFSA and concluding with the payment of your bill.  We hope you find the links helpful. Be sure to visit the rest of our Web site for more information that may meet your specific needs.

Getting Started

What's Next?

• In June, we will begin sending out financial aid notification letters advising you of all awards you have been offered.  We also encourage you to view your financial aid package on the HawkWeb at myUMES.  Documents that are still needed to complete your file will also be listed on the HawkWeb to the right under your To Do List.
• You must submit a new Authorization to Release Information form if your parent(s) or any other person will be contacting our office concerning your financial aid.  Without this form, we can not release any information to anyone besides you.
• Estimate your out-of-pocket expenses by comparing your financial aid awards to estimated tuition, fees, room and board charges located under UMES Cost of Attendance on the Office of Financial Aid homepage.

About Your Award Notification...

• If you are a continuing Stafford Direct Loan borrower at UMES, you need to complete your FAFSA to be offered your loan(s). Your loans will show on your HawkWeb Student Center (under Financial Aid) and you will be required to either "accept" them for the full/partial amount offered or "decline" them. If you do not actively accept your loan(s), the funds will not show as part of your anticipated aid.
• If you have never borrowed Stafford Direct Loan funds while at UMES, and have accepted loan(s) offered to you on your Student Center, you will need to complete your Stafford Direct Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note online. Once you have accepted the loan, we will mail/email instructions to you on how and when you need to complete both.
• Direct Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) are also listed on your award notification letter if you are a dependent student (as determined by the FAFSA and Department of Education). These loans are shown as offered only and list the maximum amount that a parent can borrow for the upcoming academic year. THIS LOAN IS NOT GUARANTEED. The parent must apply online at www.studentloans.gov OR complete the PLUS Data Application Sheet and submit it to our office and their credit must be approved by the Department of Education to receive the PLUS loan.
• Direct PLUS loans for Graduate Students are only available to students who have borrowed their maximum Graduate Stafford Loan funds and have not met their institutional cost of attendance limitations. THIS LOAN IS NOT GUARANTEED. You must complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Data Application Sheet and submit it to our office and your credit must be approved by the Department of Education to receive the Graduate PLUS loan.

Before Classes Begin...

• Register for classes via the HawkWeb during the available registration dates.
• Complete your payment confirmation to officially register for your classes.
• Pay your bill prior to the due date to avoid late fees and to prevent problems in registering for the following semester.

Remember...

• Continue to check your HawkWeb account and your campus email for additional award revisions, requested documents, financial aid disbursements, and student account balance information.