How to Apply for Financial Aid

If you use financial aid to help cover the cost of your education, you must apply each year.  The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available on January 1 of each year for the upcoming academic year.  At the University of Indianapolis, an academic year FAFSA will be used for aid consideration for the fall, winter, and following summer semesters. 

As a graduate student, you are no longer eligible for state grants.  Therefore, the traditional priority deadline of March 10 does not impact you in the same way it does an undergraduate student. If you anticipate that you may enroll at least half-time in the upcoming semesters, it is recommended that as you file your prior year taxes, you complete your new academic year FAFSA. 

If you are planning to apply for financial aid, use the following checklist to insure that you don't miss an important step. We encourage you to print this page and check these items off as you complete them.

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Pre-Application Worksheet using your prior year federal tax return.  As a graduate student, you are considered independent for FAFSA-filing purposes and will only be required to refer to your (and your spouse's if married) prior year tax returns. The worksheet questions will follow the same order as the as the online FAFSA.
  

• Go to the FAFSA website at www.fafsa.gov.
  

• Click on "Fill out a FAFSA" and select the appropriate aid year.
  

• Complete the FAFSA online using your completed worksheet as a guide.
  

• Sign the FAFSA using your Federal Personal Identification Number (PIN). 
  

• Complete the University of Indianapolis Financial Aid Application and send it to the Office of Financial Aid.

Helpful Tip:  Your financial aid will disburse each semester 10 days prior to the semester start date.  In order to be proactive and insure that your aid is ready to disburse, it is important that you file in advance of this date (at least two to three months) to allow sufficient time for your financial aid to be prepared.