Matriculated graduate students who are either a US citizen or permanent resident and are enrolled at least half-time are eligible to apply for Federal Student Aid. We require graduate students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the University of Rochester Verification Statement for Graduate Students, and to provide prior year Federal Income Tax Returns and W-2 earning statements to be considered for Federal Aid. In order to have your student loan funds available at the start of the fall semester/quarter you should submit all of the required paperwork to the Office of Student Financial Assistance by June 1.

We recommend that you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year as soon after January 1 as possible and before June 1. If you are a returning graduate student, you will not receive a Renewal FAFSA from our office. Instead, you should complete the FAFSA Online using your U.S. Department of Education PIN number. The PIN serves as an electronic signature and allows you to complete the FAFSA on the web. When the PIN is used it is not necessary to mail a separate signature page for the student. We recommend students complete the FAFSA on the web in order to expedite the processing of the FAFSA. However, if you prefer to file a paper FAFSA, please contact our office and we will mail you a paper FAFSA. 

Be sure to use the University of Rochester federal school code of 002894 when filing the FAFSA.

                            FAFSA on the Web www.fafsa.ed.gov            

                            PIN registration/request www.pin.ed.gov

The University of Rochester Verification Statement must also be submitted by June 1. We will mail this form to returning graduate students in January. If you do not receive a Verification Statement by the end of January, please contact our office and we will provide you with one.

Graduate Students are required to provide a signed copy of their 2004 Federal Income Tax Return and all W-2 earnings statements by June 1. Students who are MARRIED must also provide a signed copy of their SPOUSE’S 2004 Federal Income Tax Return and all W-2 earnings statements by June 1.

Be sure to sign all forms and report the student name and student identification number or social security number on all paper work. Please be sure to keep copies of all documents you submit to our office for your records.