Applying for Aid

Complete a FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be completed every year for students interested in receiving federal, state and/or institutional aid. A FAFSA can be submitted as early as October 1st of the year preceding the academic year you are planning to attend. The student, student’s spouse, and parents (if the student is dependent) may each need a Studentaid.gov account to access their portion of the form.

Please include the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Federal school code, 001611, on your application so that your information will be sent to our institution. Students should receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) which is a summary of the information you provided on the FAFSA and confirms your application has been processed. Your FAFSA information is usually received by the UH Hilo Financial Aid Office within 3-5 business days.

Submit Requirements/Respond to Requests

Once the UH Hilo Financial Aid Office receives your FAFSA, we will notify you via email if additional requirements are needed to generate your financial aid offer. Once you create a UH username, your hawaii.edu email account will be our main form of communication with you. If not, we will communicate with you through any alternative email listed on your student account. It's important to respond promptly to requests from our office, so that we can move forward with your financial aid application in a timely manner.

You will also need to be admitted to the unversity as a classified, degree-seeking student before your financial aid application will be considered complete. For information on how to apply, please refer to our Admissions Office webpage.

Review Your Financial Aid Offer

You will receive an email notification from our office once a financial aid offer is available to you. The email will include instructions on how to review and respond to your aid offer online through MyUH Services. Please note that grants and scholarships may have already been accepted on your behalf. Refer to our How-To page for further instructions on how to complete this step.

If you are accepting a Federal Student Loan, please be sure to complete any loan requirements online at Studentaid.gov.

• Log in to Studentaid.gov .
• Under 'Grants and Loans', follow the steps to 'Loan Entrance Counseling' and 'Master Promissory Note (MPN)'.

Financial Aid Disbursement

Your financial aid will be disbursed no sooner than 10 days before your first day of class per term, provided all requirements are complete and eligibility is met. Funds are applied to any balance owed to UH Hilo for that term (tuition, fees, meals, housing, etc) then any remaining funds are issued to you in the form of a refund. It is recommended that you sign up for eRefund (PDF ) online at MyUH Services. If you do not elect to use 'eRefunds', your refund is processed as a paper check and sent to the current mailing address on file with the university.

Maintain Financial Aid Eligibility

To maintain your eligibility for financial aid, you must:

• Enroll in and attend CPoS eligible courses.
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Notify the Financial Aid Office of any changes in status (enrollment, living situation, etc).
• Notify the Financial Aid Office if you will be receiving any outside resources (scholarships, grants, stipends, etc). Additional stipends and resources may affect your eligibility for financial aid and your aid may need to be revised due to these resources.
• Familiarize yourself with other Financial Aid Terms and Conditions.