Financial Aid FAQs

Applying for Financial Aid

How do I apply for financial aid?

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at. NUNM’s 2025-2026 Priority filing deadlines are listed below. If you are a continuing applicant, you will be able to access and complete a renewal FAFSA on the web if you know your FAFSA user name and password. If you are unable to access the renewal application you can complete a new FAFSA on the web.  Paper applications are no longer available.

What is the deadline to apply for financial aid?

Applications for the upcoming academic year become available on December 1st and applicants should file by the priority deadline of February 15. Applications submitted after this date will be considered late and limit your eligibility to federal aid (Pell Grant, Federal Stafford and Parent Loans) only.

Do I have to apply for financial aid every year?

Yes. Your financial situation must be reassessed each year.

I am expecting to receive outside assistance (scholarships, fellowships, loans, etc.) How will these affect my financial aid?

Because NUNM meets 100 percent of your demonstrated need with a combination of grant, scholarship, work-study, and subsidized/unsubsidized student and Parent loan sources, the receipt of aid from outside sources does make an adjustment to your aid necessary. In order that these awards can help a student as much as possible, it is our policy to replace a student’s self-help (loan and work awards) first. If the amount of outside aid received exceeds the amount of loan and work in your package, grants are then reduced.

Any delay in reporting this information to the Financial Aid and Scholarships office may result in you receiving financial aid in excess of your eligibility, which will necessitate that you be billed for funds already received.

I received a better financial aid award from another university, will NUNM match the other school’s award?

NUNM does not “negotiate” their financial aid awards in response to offers from other universities. If the other school has information about your family’s financial situation that you did not share with us, or if you have reason to believe we have made an error in our evaluation, please contact us to discuss a possible reevaluation.

Filling Out the FAFSA

I want to apply for financial aid, but I or my parents haven’t completed their Federal Tax Returns yet. Should I wait to file my FAFSA?

In order for you to be considered for all types of financial aid you must submit your FAFSA before the priority filing deadline of February 15th. You can provide estimated financial information on your application. Once you and/or your parents file the federal tax returns you will need to access your FAFSA data and update it with information from the tax returns.

My parents are divorced. Whose information do I provide on the FAFSA?

Provide information for the parent you lived with more during the past twelve months. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, give answers about the parent who provided more financial support during the last twelve months, or during the most recent year that you actually received from a parent. If this parent is remarried as of today, answer the questions about that parent and the person whom your parent married (your step-parent).

My parents live in another country. Do I need to report their information on the FAFSA?

Yes. Report their financial data in U.S. dollars. Use the exchange rate at the time you complete the FAFSA form.

My parents don’t provide me with financial support. Can I apply as an “Independent” student?

In order to be considered independent for financial aid purposes you must meet one of the following criteria:

  • You must turn 24 before January 1 of the academic year that you are applying for.
  • Be a Graduate, Professional student.
  • Be married.
  • Have children who receive more than half of their support from you.
  • Have dependents (other than your children or spouse) that live with you and receive more than half of their support from you.
  • Be an orphan or ward/dependent of the court.
  • Be a veteran of the United States Armed Forces.
  • You are or were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence.
  • You are or were in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence.
  • If your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless in the year before you apply for financial aid.
  • If a director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless in the year before you apply for financial aid.
  • If a director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless in the year before you apply for financial aid.

If you do not meet any of the criteria listed above, but can document extreme family circumstances that prevent you from obtaining your parents information and support, you may file an Independent Appeal Form with the Financial Aid Office for a possible reevaluation of your status.

How can I make corrections to my FAFSA?

If you filed electronically you can use your FSA ID to correct your application at FAFSA on the web. If you filed a paper application you must use the Student Aid Report (SAR) to make corrections. If you need to request a copy of your SAR, call 1-800-4FEDAID.

How do I get a copy of my Student Aid Report (SAR)?

If you filed electronically you may print a copy of your SAR off the web, using your FSA ID. If you completed a paper application you need to call 1-800-4FEDAID to obtain a free copy of your SAR.

Receiving Financial Aid at NUNM

How do I receive my financial aid?

The Department of Education sends loan funds to NUNM in equal installments at the beginning of each term. Once funds are received they are routed to the Business Office and applied to each eligible student’s account. If the funds received exceed the student’s tuition and institutional charges it creates a credit balance, which is issued to the student in the form of a refund check. Students who do not wish to accept all or a part of a credit balance refund have 14 days to return the money to the Financial Aid Office; we will return it to the Department of Education who will reverse any interest accrued or origination fee charged on the returned funds.

Will I receive the same financial aid package each year I attend NUNM?

Your eligibility for financial aid is evaluated annually based on the current year FAFSA information. If your family circumstances remain relatively unchanged, you can expect to receive a similar financial aid package from one year to the next.

How do I estimate tuition increases in order to plan my finances over a certain number of years?

The Board approves tuition increases annually in spring. Plan for a 4% increase as the actual percentage is hard to predict.

How do I get my financial aid refund check?

Generally, you will receive your refund the first week of the term. For your convenience we have direct deposit or you will have a check mailed to you.  The term disbursement dates for the 2024-2025 academic year are:

Summer Quarter    7.8.2024
Fall Quarter           9.16.2024
Winter Quarter      1.6.2025
Spring Quarter      4.7.2025

How do I request a loan adjustment (i.e., increase, decrease, cancellation)?

All requests to adjust an existing loan or apply for a new loan must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office in writing, using one of the following forms:

  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Request Form — to change your existing Unsubsidized Loan; or request a new Unsubsidized Loan.
  • Federal Graduate PLUS Loan Request Form — to change your existing Graduate PLUS Loan; or request a new Graduate PLUS Loan.

The due dates for loan request forms are listed below, along with the corresponding disbursement dates. You have several due dates per term to choose from, so if you miss check for another one in the future. Please note the LAST day to request a change is in June.

  Loan Request Form Due Dates *Disbursement Dates
 Summer Term 07/05/2024 07/15/2024
  08/02/2024 08/12/2024
  09/06/2024 09/16/2024
Fall Term 10/04/2024 10/14/2024
11/01/2024 11/11/2024
  11/29/2024 12/09/2024
  01/03/2025 01/13/2025
Winter Term 02/07/2025 02/17/2025
  03/07/2025 03/17/2025
 Spring Term 04/04/2025 04/14/2025
  05/02/2025 05/12/2025
  06/06/2025 06/16/2025

Withdrawing from NUNM

What happens if I withdraw from school after I receive my financial aid?

Should a withdrawal be necessary, it is important to know that you are responsible for tuition and educational costs incurred, as well as for returning the unearned portion of your financial aid award. The return of financial aid funds to the Department of Education is calculated according to federal regulations and is completely independent of NUNM’s tuition refund policies. Under federal regulation, you are allowed to keep only the financial aid you have earned for the time you are actually enrolled and attending classes. Thus, when a student withdraws prior to completing 60 percent of the term they have not “earned” all of their federal financial aid, and the Return of Title IV Funds calculation must be performed. If the return of the funds creates a balance due on the student account, the student will be responsible to pay NUNM the balance on that account. Additionally, students who leave school are required to complete exit counseling which may be done at the student loans website.

Other impacts of withdrawing:

  • Could begin your grace period for federal student loans, put you in repayment if you exhausted your grace period or have Graduate PLUS Loan.
  • Impacts your Satisfactory Academic Progress and could make you ineligible to receive aid in future terms.
  • A leave of absence which exceeds 180 days must be reported to lenders & loan servicers as a withdraw for purposes of financial aid.
  • You are no longer eligible to earn Federal Work-Study, which may affect your SNAP eligibility.

General Questions

What is an FSA ID?

An FSA ID is a username and password that you must use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education (ED) websites. Your FSA ID identifies you as someone who has the right to access your own personal information on ED websites such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Your FSA ID is used to sign legally binding documents electronically. It has the same legal status as a written signature. Don’t give your FSA ID to anyone—not even to someone helping you fill out the FAFSA. Sharing your FSA ID could put you at risk of identity theft.

If you are a parent of a dependent student, you will need your own FSA ID if you want to sign your child’s FAFSA electronically. If you have more than one child attending college, you can use the same FSA ID to sign all applications. Please note: Each FSA ID user must have a unique e-mail address.
Your FSA ID is used to sign legally binding documents electronically. It has the same legal status as a written signature. Don’t give your FSA ID to anyone—not even to someone helping you fill out the FAFSA. Sharing your FSA ID could put you at risk of identity theft.
What Happened to the Federal Student Aid Pin?

The FSA ID replaces the Federal Student Aid PIN. If you already have a PIN, you can link your information to your new FSA ID by entering your PIN while registering for your FSA ID. (This will save you time when registering for your FSA ID.) However, a PIN is not required to create an FSA ID.

How do I apply for food stamps?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal nutrition program. In Oregon, the program is administered by the Department of Human Services — Children, Adults and Families Division (DHS).  The eligibility determination and issuance of benefits are provided through DHS offices across the state, and you must work directly with them to apply for, and obtain, SNAP.  You may download an application and review contact information on the DHS website.

We encourage you to contact them directly to make an appointment.  Your case worker may ask to see a copy of your Financial Aid documents. To request a copy of these Financial Aid documents you must complete a “Message Request Form” and submit it to our office – there is a 72 hour turn-around time.