Applying for Financial Aid

Students will have the ability to accept financial aid awards after June 1 for the fall semester. Financial Aid awards can be found in the student's UCONNECT account.

The purpose of the FAFSA is to determine the family's ability to pay for college according to a federal calculation. The result is called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This figure is used by the Financial Aid office to determine how much and what types of aid you may be eligible to receive. Apply now through FAFSA. 

Apply Annually

The laws governing the Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs require that a person apply annually for aid with a form provided by the U.S. Department of Education and that no fee be charged for processing it. The form is the FAFSA and its online version is  FAFSA on the Web (FOTW). The earliest date a student may apply for Early FAFSA each award year is Oct. 1.

UCO School Code

UCO School Code:  003152

The Federal UCO School Code, 003152 must be added to the FAFSA, Step Six in order for UCO to receive the results of your FAFSA information for financial aid processing and awarding.   You may add several federal school codes.  For federal student aid purposes, it does not matter in what order you list your selected schools.

FSA ID

Making Corrections

Corrections and updates can be submitted by the student on the Web or by the school via FAA Access to CPS Online.  Students who are selected for verification by the Department of Education (DOE) will be required to turn in tax return transcripts and a verification form to be verified by UCO and any corrections will be submitted to DOE by UCO.   The correction process can take approximately one week from when originally submitted to DOE. 

Generally, students should not make corrections to any income data elements once disbursement has been made from a federal account.   Instead, the student should contact UCO financial aid office of any changes to income during the award year due to unusual circumstances affecting the income.

General Eligibility Requirements

To receive funding from any of the federal or state student aid programs, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen;
• Demonstrate financial need, except for some loan programs;
• Have a high school diploma or GED certificate;
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working on a degree or an eligible certificate program;
• Must not be in default or owe a repayment to any federal program;
• Meet UCO Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements;
• Certify funds will be used for educational purposes; and,
• Comply with the Selective Service Registration requirements.

Students Convicted of Possession or Sale of Drugs

A federal or state drug conviction can disqualify a student for FSA funds.  The student self-certifies in applying for aid on the FAFSA that he is eligible.  Convictions only count if an offense occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student received Title IV financial aid and do not count if received when the student was a juvenile unless tried as an adult.

 The chart below illustrates the period of ineligibility for FSA funds:

Transfer Student Requirements

All students transferring to UCO should meet all of the following requirements:

• Make certain the UCO school code, 003152, is listed on their FAFSA;
• Submit official copies of academic transcripts from each school attended to the Broncho OneStop;
• Contact their previous school and request cancellation of any pending disbursements;
• Meet all general eligibility requirements; and,
• Meet UCO’s Satisfactory Academic Policy Requirements for Financial Aid Recipients.