Graduate Summer Session

Many graduate students take advantage of the opportunity to attend Summer School.  Some use it to shorten the length of their program, to catch up on missed classes or to actually begin a new program.  When a graduate student attends summer school, many changes can occur to their financial aid eligibility. 

Graduate students can either have two different “years”—a Standard Academic Year (SAY) consisting of the fall and spring semesters with a trailing summer term, or a Borrower Based Academic Year (BBAY) consisting of at least two semesters.

For Standard Academic Year (SAY), a student may have attended the fall and spring semesters, and then decided to go to summer school.  Most likely, the summer term will be a continuation of the “year” if the student has remaining eligibility for Federal financial aid. 

For Borrower Based Academic Year (BBAY), a student may begin in the summer and complete the year in the fall. A new “year” will begin with the spring semester. The student will receive new loan eligibility with the new “year.”

Once the student completes the FAFSA and the University Financial Aid application, Student Financial Services will determine if the student should be awarded using SAY or BBAY year.  This determination will establish the student’s financial aid eligibility.  A graduate student is considered at least half time by taking at least 3 credit or non-topical research hours in the summer. 

How to Apply

1. Apply for a U.S. Department of Education personal identification number (PIN) if you don't already have one. Your PIN will allow you to electronically "sign" financial aid applications and federal loan promissory notes. Apply for a PIN online at pin.ed.gov.
   
   
2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

   Priority Filing Date: March 31
   Applications are accepted after the priority filing date but, due to the limited funds available, Federal Perkins Loan and employment through the Federal Work-Study programs are not guaranteed.

   For the quickest and most accurate processing, students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA online.

   The University of Virginia's school code for the FAFSA is 003745.
   
   

3. Submit a University of Virginia Financial Aid Application by our priority filing date of March 31st. 
   
   This application is available on-line in the Student Center of the Student Information System (SIS).   Students are encouraged to print out and complete the Graduate Financial Aid Application Worksheet to assist the student in completing the on-line application.  You must use 2008 estimated tax information when completing your worksheet, if completing prior to submitting your 2008 tax returns.
   
   Access to the system is available through the Student Portal.    
   Click on the SIS Login button.  You will be taken to the Netbadge Web Login page. Enter your U.Va. Computing ID and password.   This will take you to the Student Center, where you will find the University Financial Aid Application under the Finances section. Click the link to Apply Financial Aid for 2009-2010 to complete your application electronically.