Frequently Asked Questions

When we receive your FAFSA information, a Student Financial Services representative will review your application to determine your eligibility for federal, state, and institutional assistance. To determine your financial eligibility, your Student Aid Index as computed using the formula established by the Department of Education (DOE), is deducted from your educational expense budget. The difference is your “calculated need” for financial assistance. A portion of “calculated need” is covered by financial assistance (grants, loans, etc.).

Based on the information you provided on the FAFSA, and calculated in accordance with federal guidelines, the “student aid index” (SAI) is the minimum amount that parents and students are expected to contribute toward the cost of education. Learn how the SAI is calculated.

In addition to family savings that you have earmarked for this educational investment, students and parents may apply for various loans or financing options as outlined in the following pages. Home equity loans or lines of credit may also provide an advantageous source of funding. Parents need to consult with their employers, unions, fraternal lodges and religious organizations to inquire if their sons or daughters are eligible for a private scholarship. Use our links to other useful sites for access to additional, reputable, free private scholarship search engines.

All applicants must first file a FAFSA, and must submit all requested documentation before financial aid and student loan eligibility can be determined. New borrowers must complete an electronic master promissory note (MPN) and an entrance counseling session at studentaid.gov to have the loan funds credited to their account.

Graduate PLUS applications are scheduled to be available in May at studentloans.gov. Please check back on our website for any updates.

All applicants must complete a Direct Graduate PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN). In addition, all new borrowers must complete a graduate PLUS Entrance Counseling. You will need your Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) to complete both at studentloans.gov.

Parent PLUS loan applications are scheduled to be available in May at studentloans.gov. Please check back on our website for any updates.

All applicants must complete a Direct PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN). The parent will need their FSA ID to complete the MPN at studentloans.gov.

Visit studentaid.gov/h/manage-loans to get information about your loan repayment.

Upon your acceptance to Adelphi and receipt of the processed FAFSA information, the University will determine your eligibility to participate in the various financial assistance programs. A College Financing Plan will be mailed to you approximately 4–6 weeks after you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR). Further instructions and requests for additional documentation (such as tax return transcripts) may be requested. Your College Financing Plan is also available online. If you are an enrolled student, you can log in to eCampus to access this information on the CLASS system.

Yes. To be eligible for federal, state, and university need-based awards, you must reapply every year. Recipients of academic scholarships are also encouraged to file every year to maximize your eligibility for all sources of financial aid.

Students now report earlier income information. Beginning with the 2017-2018 FAFSA, students are required to report income information from an earlier tax year — referenced as Prior Prior Year (PPY). For example, on the 2024-2025 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) must report their 2022 income information.

No. You must report 2022 tax and income information, as the FAFSA requires. If your family’s financial situation has changed dramatically since then, you should complete the FAFSA questions as required, submit the FAFSA, then contact the Office of Student Financial Services to discuss your situation.

See Special Condition Circumstances and Appeals for more information.

You and your parents may wish to consider the various loan and/or other financing options outlined in this section.

The annual academic budget includes an allowance for living expenses that is meant to supplement other sources of income or savings.

We understand the needs of families when a parent’s employment status has changed or when a family may not be receiving the same benefits as they did in the prior year. You should contact our office to determine if you qualify for an adjustment to your original application for financial aid. This process requires families to submit in writing a specific explanation of their situation and to provide documentation of the reduction to their income.

See Special Condition Circumstances and Appeals for more information.

If your family circumstances remain relatively constant while at Adelphi, and as long as you file your FAFSA, you can expect that your financial aid should be approximately the same amount. However, your Federal Direct loan limits will change depending on your grade level and your dependency status.

Federal regulations require that students meet specific standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP), to be eligible to receive federal financial assistance. The assessment of satisfactory academic progress is made once a year for federal aid eligibility.

View information about standards for satisfactory academic progress (PDF)

If you are selected for verification, you will receive a letter detailing the documentation required to complete the process. If you have made a reporting error in income and assets, your awards may either increase or decrease when verification is completed. Continuing students who have been previous financial aid filers will be sent requests for verification documents prior to the packaging process. Until verification is completed, federal awards will not be credited to the student’s account.

View the document for Request an IRS Tax Return Transcript, Wage and Income Transcript and/or IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter (PDF)

“Parent” and “Parent Partner or Spouse” are two separate contributors listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. If your (the student’s) parents are married, remarried, or unmarried and living together, you must invite at least one parent as a contributor with the option to invite the other parent as well.

If you only invite one parent, that person will be the parent contributor on your FAFSA form. If you invite both, then the parent that accepts the invitation first will be considered the parent contributor.

For example, if you only invite your mother to contribute to your FAFSA form, they will be considered the “Parent.” If you invite both of your parents and your father accepts the invitation to contribute first, then they will be considered the “Parent.”

If your parents are separated, divorced, or have joint custody, you will need to determine who counts as a parent for the FAFSA form.

Contributors that you invite to the FAFSA form will be asked to provide information and sign the form.

No. Federal Work Study is an opportunity for you to earn money to pay for ongoing expenses throughout the year and also to gain work experience. You may choose not to accept the Federal Work Study offer, especially if you already have a part-time job.

Every year the University compiles an educational expense budget for students based on the student’s housing status and level of enrollment. The following chart outlines the components of the various full-time budgets for the 2024-2025 academic year. Students enrolled for fewer than 12 credits per semester will have budgets based on lower tuition costs.

Review the 2024-2025 estimated Undergraduate student budget here.

Educational budgets are developed based on several factors, such as level of enrollment (full-time, half-time, etc.) and type of housing (such as on-campus or with parents). Changes in these factors may require a change in financial aid awards. In addition, the receipt of additional sources of aid, such as outside scholarships or employer tuition benefits, may also require a change in your financial aid package. All changes in packaging will result in the receipt of a revised College Financing Plan.

In general, financial aid can only be used to help pay for coursework that is used to meet degree requirements (this includes major, electives and general education requirements). Students should meet with their academic advisor to ensure all courses are going towards their degree. Students should always consult with the One-Stop Student Services Center about possible financial ramifications due to academic actions such as add/drops, withdrawals and other enrollment status considerations.

For example, students take classes that are not applicable to their degree in order to maintain a full-time enrollment status. A financial aid representative can advise whether in certain cases it may actually cost less to enroll for fewer than 12 credits.

Since financial aid rules can be complex and can vary by the particular type(s) of financial aid it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of this information.

Yes, changes in enrollment and the timing of these changes can affect both your aid eligibility and your tuition charges. Please view our refund policies for detailed information.

You should contact the One-Stop Student Services to reflect actual enrollment in the current semester. Discrepancies in enrollment may delay loan proceeds from being applied to your account and, due to strict federal regulations, may necessitate the return of funds to the lender. Please email us from your AU email to onestop@adelphi.edu to notify us.

Eligibility for the PLUS loan is determined by completing the Direct Loan Parent PLUS application, which is available at studentloans.gov.

During the application process a credit check will be performed to determine if your parent(s) meet the credit requirements for a PLUS loan. If the university is notified that your parent(s) have been denied for the PLUS loan, you will be awarded additional unsubsidized federal direct loan funds up to the maximum for which you are eligible. If your parent(s) have an adverse credit history, you may still receive a Direct PLUS Loan through one of these two options:

Your parent(s) may obtain an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the Direct PLUS Loan if the borrower does not repay it. If you are a parent borrower, the endorser cannot be the child on whose behalf you are borrowing.

Your parent(s) are able to document to the satisfaction of the U.S. Department of Education that there are extenuating circumstances relating to their adverse credit history.

With either option 1 or 2, your parent(s) must also complete credit counseling for PLUS loan borrowers on studentloans.gov.

For renewal of the Adelphi University Grant, AU Panther Grant, Athletic Grants, Residential, and certain endowed/restricted awards, you must maintain full-time status and a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade-point average. Eligibility is traditionally reviewed at the end of each academic year. Specific renewal criteria for your scholarship(s) will be sent by the Office of University Admissions with your original scholarship letter. View individual scholarship terms and conditions for more information.

If your loan eligibility increases mid-year due to a change in class status (i.e., Freshman to Sophomore, Sophomore to Junior, etc.) you must contact us if you wish to be repackaged for additional loan funds for the spring semester. You will receive an email indicating the amount posted to your account and your option to cancel the loan.

No. Adelphi students who remain in the U.S. and take a portion of their program via online courses offered by a foreign institution would not be eligible for financial aid for those online courses without a fully executed consortium agreement.

Students must first apply for permission to study at another institution in the Office of Academic Services and Retention. After this application is approved it is brought to the Office of Student Financial Services where you will obtain the Consortium Agreement. This form is completed by the student and the financial aid office of the host school and returned to Student Financial Services for processing.

A federal or state drug conviction can disqualify a student for federal student aid funds. The student self-certifies in applying for aid that he is eligible; you’re not required to confirm this unless you have conflicting information.

Convictions only count if they were for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV aid—they do not count if the offense was not during such a period. Also, a conviction that was reversed, set aside or removed from the student’s record does not count, nor does one received when she was a juvenile, unless she was tried as an adult.

The chart below illustrates the period of ineligibility for FSA funds, depending on whether the conviction was for sale or possession and whether the student had previous offenses. (A conviction for sale of drugs includes convictions for conspiring to sell drugs.)

Period of Ineligibility for FSA funds

1st offense: 1 year from date of possession conviction, 2 years from date of sale conviction

2nd offense: 2 years from date of possession conviction, infinite period from sale conviction

3rd offense: infinite period from possession conviction, infinite period from sale conviction

If the student was convicted of both possessing and selling illegal drugs, and the periods of ineligibility are different, the student will be ineligible for the longer period.

Period of Ineligibility for FSA funds

If the student was convicted of both possessing and selling illegal drugs, and the periods of ineligibility are different, the student will be ineligible for the longer period.

No. Adelphi University only requires the FAFSA for financial aid consideration.

See details at our 1098-T page.

Total tuition charges, less confirmed financial assistance, are payable in full to the University on the following dates: July 21 for the fall semester, January 6 for the spring semester. For alternative financing options, please see Payment Plans.