Funding Your Education

You will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Office of Financial Aid generally receives your FAFSA within seven business days from the time you complete the application.

The Office of Financial Aid generally takes 10 to 14 business days to process all documents from the time received. However, keep in mind that the time frame to process documents can be extended during peak processing time.

Yes. To apply for a PLUS loan, visit studentloans.gov. Make sure to log in with the appropriate FSA ID.

The only application needed for federal direct loans is the FAFSA.

The FAFSA is valid for one academic year, so you need to apply for the FAFSA every year by the university priority deadline.

If you are an incoming student, you should file the FAFSA before December 1. If you are a continuing student, you should file before January 15. Applying after these deadlines might make you ineligible for certain federal and institutional funds.

There is no specific cutoff, as every situation is different.

To maximize your financial aid eligibility, we recommend that you apply for financial aid before you know your admission status. However, you must be admitted to a regular degree program at Rutgers University to receive any form of financial aid.

If your income has changed from last year, please file a Change in Family Circumstances Form (CIFC).

Yes. However, you must be enrolled at least half-time in your program to be considered for federal direct loans. The New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) and some scholarships require you to be enrolled full-time.

Yes. However, it is contingent on your academic year eligibility and limited university funding. The Summer Aid Application generally becomes available on April 1.

Please contact the Rutgers Center for Global Education to learn more about financial aid available for study abroad students.

If your tuition is adjusted because you drop a course, it may be necessary to reduce your financial aid. If you completely withdraw from the university during the first 60 percent of the term, your financial aid eligibility must be recalculated. Dropping courses and withdrawing are academic actions that might have serious financial implications, and they may affect your future aid eligibility because of failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Contact your regional office to speak with a financial aid representative for more information.

The registrar of your respective school processes deferment forms.