• Make sure you are admitted into a Degree Seeking Program (Associate of Arts/Science, Bachelor of Arts/Science or Masters Degree programs) or an eligible Certificate program.
  
  
• You must be fully admitted before your financial aid can be completely processed. Students accepting federal student loans must be unconditionally admitted to a degree program and must be registered for a minimum of six credits as an undergraduate student or a minimum of five credits as a graduate student.
  
  
• Send in your official FINAL transcripts from your high school and any college transcripts.
  
  
• Send your SAT and ACT to UAA, or take the placement tests at the Advising and Testing Center (located at the University Center). For more information go to www.uaa.alaska.edu/advising.
  
  
• Meet with the academic advisor for your program.

For more details please go to Admissions at www.uaa.alaska.edu/admissions or contact them at (907)786-1480.

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• www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Once you've completed the FAFSA, a Student Aid Report (SAR) will be sent to you by the U.S. Department of Education. If you have listed our school code (011462), we will also receive an electronic copy. A valid SAR must be on file with UAA in order to process your financial aid.
• If you are selected for Verification, you are required to complete a Verification Worksheet and other financial forms before any financial aid can be processed or disbursed. Make sure you turn in ALL the required forms, if you don't it will cause processing delays. Make sure your UAA student ID number is on all copies of all documents you submit to the Financial Aid Office. The worksheet can be found under the forms link on the Financial Aid web page!

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• Within a few weeks of UAA receiving an electronic copy of your FAFSA, you will receive a UAA Financial Aid Award Letter in the mail. This notification will be sent to your UAA e-mail address if you are a returning student. Along with your Award Letter you will find a copy of the Financial Aid Award Conditions. READ through each carefully as there is important information about your financial aid, processes and requirements.

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• Follow the instructions on how to logon to UAonline (on your Award Letter or the link below). Decide whether you will accept the full amount, partial amounts or none of Federal loans offered to you.
• This step must be completed or loan requests will not be processed. If you qualify for the Pell Grant or other scholarships or grants they will automatically be accepted for you as they are free money!
• Detailed instructions on how to accept your awards
  

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If you intend to borrow Federal Stafford Loans, first time borrowers must complete loan entrance counseling. Please be aware, if not completed this will delay your Stafford Loan disbursements.

Federal Direct Loan Entrance Counseling

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Master Promissory Note (MPN)

The MPN is a promissory note that can be used to make one or more loans for one or more academic years (up to 10 years). A separate MPN is required for Direct Stafford loans, Graduate PLUS loans, and Parent PLUS loans.

Undergraduate and Graduate Direct Stafford subsidized and unsubsidized borrowers under the Direct Loan Program will sign one promissory note which can be used for all of that program’s loans over multiple academic years.

Graduate/Professional student borrowers are also possibly eligible for a Graduate PLUS loan. Eligibility for a Graduate PLUS loan is contingent upon creditworthiness.

Parent PLUS loan borrowers can only take out this loan on a dependent undergraduate student's behalf. This loan is contingent upon creditworthiness.

All Direct Loan Master Promissory notes can be accessed and e-signed.  An electronic MPN can be completed in 9 steps. Read the information below to understand how the electronic MPN process works. We estimate that it will take 30 minutes to complete the electronic MPN process. Make sure you allow enough time to complete the entire process in a single session. If you exit the web site before submitting your signed MPN in Step 8 and return later, you'll have to start over beginning with Step 1.

Complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note

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• Complete the Financial Aid Authorization Form available on the UAA Financial Aid Forms page.
• This form also contains the Wolfcard authorization that allows you to put money received from your financial aid disbursement directly onto your Wolfcard. You may use your Wolfcard to purchase your books at the bookstore etc. For more information contact the Wolfcard office.

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• If you need additional funds and have exhausted all other options, you may want to consider an alternative loan.
• Alternative loans are credit based and usually require a credit worthy cosigner.
  
• The Alaska Supplemental Education Loan (ASEL) is an example of an alternative loan.
• Compare lender's and then follow the instructions on the lenders website for completing the application.
• Most lenders have paperless application processes.  Despite this, give yourself plenty of time.  Lenders are bound by legislation in the Truth in Lending Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act. There are minimum required waiting periods for various steps in the application process.  Though there may be some variance between lenders as to the order, there are several general steps that must occur.  Once you submit your application, the lender will send you an Application Disclosure and Self-Certification Form.  Both disclosures will require you to actively accept the terms and the Self-Certification form will need data from your UAOnline account. 
  
• If you are approved, the lender will contact us for our portion of the loan certification.  Upon submission of school certification form, you will receive the Final Disclosure from the lender.  As a final note, you have a 3 day rescission period from receipt of the Final Disclosure.  During this period, you still can opt to cancel the loan.  Although the overall processing time by lenders will vary, several weeks is a definite possibility.  Give yourself time and apply early!
  
• Remember your combined resources (including grants, scholarships, tuition waivers, etc) cannot exceed your cost of attendance/budget.
  

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• You are responsible to monitor your status.
• Check your admission and financial aid status on UAonline frequently.
• Check for notifications on your UAA student email account.

After your award letter is mailed to you, communications regarding your financial aid will come via your UAonline account and your UAA email account. Federal regulations require all student loan borrowers to participate in exit loan counseling whenever they drop below half-time enrollment status, withdraw, or graduate. If you have any further questions E-mail us at financial.aid@uaa.alaska.edu or contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance at (907)786-1480.

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