Undergraduate Catalog 2010-2011 - SNHU Academic Archive ...

Financial Aid
will be unable to utilize Penpal registration and will require
advising assistance to continue in their program.
Students absent from a program for more than four years are
required to re-apply for their program and provide all relevant
admission documentation. Student will be assessed on
the current catalog year and will complete all new or additional
program requirements as assessed by the Admission
Office.
Financial Aid
Southern New Hampshire University provides several types
of financial assistance to help students and their families
meet the cost of a university education. More than $60 million
was awarded to our students in amounts ranging from
$500 to the full amount of educational costs during the 2009-
2010 academic year.
Financial aid programs administered by Southern New
Hampshire University come from federal, state, institutional
and private sources. A coordinated scholarship and assistance
program includes three basic types of aid: gift, loan and work.
The different types of assistance can be awarded singly, but it
is the university’s usual practice to award these types in various
combinations called financial aid packages. All scholarship
and assistance programs are subject to federal and state
regulations. Compliance with these regulations is the responsibility
of the student and the aid administrators and is a condition
of the student’s eligibility to receive assistance.
Students are encouraged to seek assistance from sources outside
the university in addition to applying for aid through the
Office of Financial Aid. Students should consider such local
programs as Dollars for Scholars and service clubs. Guidance
counselors may be able to provide information concerning
available reference material.
Outside assistance must be reported to the Office of
Financial Aid and may necessitate a revision to an existing
financial aid award to avoid exceeding the allowable cost of
attendance for the student’s program of study.
The Financial Aid Application Process
All students are strongly encouraged to complete the Free
Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA information
is used for students who wish to apply for any type of needbased
assistance, including loans, grants and work-study. It
is also used by many outside scholarship programs. The
Southern New Hampshire University code is 002580. The
FAFSA can be completed electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov
by using a PIN issued by the Department of Education. The
PIN permits you to sign your FASFA online. The student and
a parent must have a PIN in order to have a valid electronic
signature on the FAFSA. A PIN may be obtained at
www.pin.ed.gov. Awards are made for one academic year,
which includes terms starting on or after July 1. Students
must reapply for financial aid each year.
A paper FAFSA can be obtained in the Office of Financial Aid
on the main campus, at any of the SNHU locations, at public
libraries and at high schools.
New students’ financial aid applications are considered for
aid eligibility following admission into the university.
Priority will be given to a FAFSA received by March 15.
Students who submit a FAFSA after this date will receive all
federal and state funds that they are eligible to receive, and
will receive institutional aid as funds permit.
Normal processing time for the FAFSA is approximately seven
days if submitted electronically with a PIN; two to three
weeks for mailed submissions. Students striving to meet the
priority filing date are advised to keep the processing time in
mind. Mid-year transfer students must ensure that loans
processed at other institutions are adjusted by their previous
schools to reflect their actual enrollment end dates at those
schools. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid of your
previous school to have them update this information with
your lender.
All required paperwork must be completed before or during
the student’s annual enrollment period. If a student withdraws
from school prior to completing any required financial
aid processes, pending financial aid funds will be
canceled and any charges will become immediately due to
the university.
At Southern New Hampshire University we strive to
acknowledge the academic achievement, community service
and leadership experience of our students through a variety
of merit based grants and scholarships.
Merit Based Aid for New Students
New applicants are automatically considered for merit
based, renewable grants and scholarships during the admission
process. Grants and scholarships are awarded on a firstcome,
first-served basis so students are encouraged to apply
for admission early. While submission of SAT/ACT scores is
optional to be considered for admission, additional scholarship
money may be available to students based on their
cumulative GPA combined with their SAT/ACT scores.
Academic Scholarship
A limited number of Academic Scholarships are awarded to
full-time undergraduate day students based on their academic
records in high school or college. To be eligible, firstyear
students must be admitted prior to the financial aid
priority filing date of March 15 and transfer students by May
15. Students selected for an Academic Scholarship will be
notified at the time of admission and may receive additional
types of financial assistance based on financial need.
Individual scholarship amounts vary and are awarded based
on a cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
These scholarships are renewable each year based on the
maintenance of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average (GPA).
Failure to maintain the required GPA will result in the permanent
loss of scholarship funds.
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