The first step in getting any financial aid is filling out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA contains questions that ask about you, your financial information, your school plans, and more. These questions help to determine what types of aid and how much aid you are eligible for. Visit studentaid.gov to apply. Visit studentaid.gov to apply for a Federal Student Aid ID which is necessary to complete your FAFSA.

The Union Colleges 6-digit federal school code is 002563.

This straight-forward question can be a little complicated with FAFSA. Even if you are not living with your parents, you may need to include their financial information. Check out this graph for clarity.

Yes! Even if you do not qualify for free aid, you may be eligible for loans or institutional aid. By filing a FAFSA, you will be sure to be considered for every kind of aid you may be eligible for. Remember to complete your online Financial Questionnaire in the Union College Portal and your FAFSA by May 15 to keep your full financial awards. 

No. You can apply for financial aid any time after October 1 for the upcoming academic year. However, to receive financial aid funds you must be accepted and enrolled at Union College.

Yes. You need to apply for financial aid every year by visiting studentaid.gov because your financial circumstances may change, causing you to receive more or less aid. After your first year applying for aid, you can complete a renewal FAFSA which contains information from the previous year.

Within 3-4 days the Student Financial Services office will receive your application from the Department of Education. About a week after we receive your application, we will send you an award letter that details financial aid you are eligible for.

Students can review the activity on their accounts at any time online, and students are sent an email monthly with the payment due amount. In addition, students are sent semesterly statements detailing the charges and credits on a student’s account, along with the current account balance. If you have any questions regarding statement activity, please contact our office at 402.486.2505.

FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This law protects the privacy of student education records and applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. How does it affect you in regards to your student account? Basically, it means you have the right to inspect and review your financial records maintained by the school. Because of our commitment to student privacy, our office must have written permission from you before information about your account can be released to someone else.

Transcripts and diplomas are held until your student accounts is paid in full. If paying a final balance by check, you will have to wait ten business days for the check to clear before we can send the transcript or diploma. 

Union College expects your student account to be paid in full at the end of each year. Excess meal charges, failure to check out of your room, or other miscellaneous expenses may lead to an unexpected account balance at the end of the year. These charges may be posted to your account after you have left, so be sure to check back with Student Financial Services regarding your balance. Financial statements will be mailed to you until your account is paid in full, so it is important to update your address with the Records office (402.486.2529) before you leave. Past due accounts are assigned to a collection agency and may be reported to credit bureaus. 

• Fall 2022
  Graduate refund checks will be ready by 9/15/22.
  Undergraduate refund checks will be ready by 9/29/22.
• Spring 2023
  Graduate refund checks will be ready by 2/2/23.
  Undergraduate refund checks will be ready by 2/9/23.
• Summer 2023
  Graduate refund checks will be ready by 5/19/2023.

Direct deposits can take up to 5 business day to process.

After you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment, you have a period of time before you have to begin repayment. This “grace period” will be

•       Six months for a Federal (FFEL) or Direct Stafford Loan. 
•       Nine months for Federal Perkins Loans

The repayment period for all PLUS loans begins on the date the loan is fully disbursed, and the first payment is due within 60 days of the final disbursement. However, a graduate student PLUS loan borrower (as well as a parent PLUS borrower who is also a student) can defer repayment while the borrower is enrolled at least half time, and, for PLUS loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2008, for an additional six months after the borrower is no longer enrolled at least half-time. Interest that accrues during these periods will be capitalized if not paid by the borrower.

Parent PLUS loan borrowers whose loans were first disbursed on or after July 1, 2008, may choose to have repayment deferred while the student for whom the parent borrowed is enrolled at least half-time and for an additional six months after that student is no longer enrolled at least half-time. Interest that accrues during these periods will be capitalized if not paid by the borrower.

(Information obtained from https://studentaid.gov/)

If you default on your student loan, you will be reported to credit card bureaus. This means your credit rating and future borrowing ability will be negatively impacted.

• Log onto Portal
• Select "Self-Service" 
• Click on the "Finances" tab
• Review the information under "Balance"

This view will show all of your account charges and credits to this point in the year. It is important to pay the listed "Monthly Amount" even if the amount is different than the "Anticipated Balance" or the "Balance Due." 

Note: Federal regulations require that a college student's financial information be kept confidential unless there is written permission by the student for parental access. If you have permission, follow the instructions below. If you do not, you can encourage your student to give you access (see "How do I give a parent access to my financial information?" below).

• Log onto Portal
• Select "Self-Service"
• From the Home tab choose "View Student Information"
• Review the information under "Balance"

This view will show all of your student's account charges and credits to this point in the year. It is important to pay the listed "Monthly Amount" even if the amount is different than the "Anticipated Balance" or the "Balance Due." 

• Log into Portal
• Choose "Self-Service" on upper right corner of screen
• Click on "My Profile"
• Select "Shared Access"
• Pick "Invite a User" and enter parent information including email
• Choose which things to give access to (including grades). For the happiest parents, check "View Balance" and "View Financial Aid."
• Click on "Send Invitation"

An email will be sent to your parent (or whoever you else you give access to), giving them a password to log onto Portal and see selected options.

• The student needs to delete the parent from "Shared Access" and then re-invite the parent.
• Log into Portal
• Choose "Self-Service" on upper right corner of screen
• Click on "My Profile"
• Select "Shared Access"
• Choose "Manage User Access"
• Pick "Delete User" and "Save Changes"
• Go to "Invite a User" and enter parent information including email
• Choose which things to give access to (including grades). For the happiest parents, check "View Balance" and "View Financial Aid."
• Click on "Send Invitation"

An email will be sent to your parent (or whoever else you give access to), giving them a password to log onto Portal and see selected options.

Your monthly payment amount is the difference between all of your projected costs and all of your anticipated financial aid, divided by the number of months in the payment cycle (typically 10 months).
Union College summarizes all of this information and publishes it on the Financial Plan (seen on the home page after you log into Portal).

Costs are largely determined by the answers the student provided on the Online Financial Aid Questionnaire (which food plan was chosen, how much money the student budgeted for buying books in the Campus Store, etc.).

Financial aid is largely calculated by the information received from the FAFSA and the academic performance of the student prior to enrolling at Union College (i.e. federal loans/grants and Union College scholarships).

Because Union College prepares yearly payment plans (and not per semester payment plans) some costs and credits may be averaged over two semesters. However, payments should not deviate from the plan until the last month of the academic year (typically May). In the last month the required payment may be greater or smaller than the plan payment depending on the actual charges on the account.

Fall 2023

• Graduate refund checks will be ready by 9/14/23.
• Undergraduate refund checks will be ready by 9/26/23.

Spring 2024

• Graduate refund checks will be ready by 2/1/2024. 
• Undergraduate refund checks will be ready by 2/7/2024.

Summer 2024

• Graduate refund checks will be ready by 5/16/2024. 

Direct deposits can take up to 5 business day to process.