Financial Aid Policy

Financial need is the difference between your Cost of Attendance (COA) and your Student Aid Index (SAI) as determined by the FAFSA or CASFA applications minus any other need-based aid you are offered such as grants, need-based work-study, or other financial assistance. Other financial assistance is any other aid you have been awarded, which includes but is not limited to, scholarships, stipends, or prizes that you will receive based on your enrollment at MSU Denver. For students who receive a negative SAI, when calculating your financial need the numeric value is 0.

The COA is an estimated cost of your educational expenses that includes tuition, fees, books, university health insurance, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses. To view your COA, visit the Bursar’s Tuition and Fees page.

A combination of need-based and “self-help” aid, which includes unsubsidized student loans, private loans, or PLUS loans cannot exceed your COA.

Your initial financial aid package will assume full-time enrollment. If you enroll less than full-time, your aid will be prorated based on your enrollment status. The aid you will receive is based on several factors including your calculated EFC or SAI, your financial need, your Cost of Attendance, receipt of other financial assistance and the availability of funds. Most funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend you submit your FAFSA as early as possible but typically by March 1 of each year to be considered for most types of aid. Aid is awarded in the following order:

• Financial assistance from other departments or outside sources including tuition assistance or waivers, stipends
• Scholarships from the university or outside agencies
• Grants (federal, state and institutional)
• Work-study
• Federal Direct Loans

Nonresident students are not eligible for state grants but may be eligible for institutional grants, some scholarships and loans.

Most aid requires a student to be enrolled at least half-time. Half-time enrollment is a minimum of 6 hours for an undergraduate student and 3 credit hours for a graduate student. Some undergraduate students may be eligible for a prorated Pell grant amount at less than half-time enrollment.

We will lock your enrollment hours at the semester census date and adjust any aid as necessary. If you have a reduced hours of enrollment at census date, this may cause a reduction to your aid which may result in a balance on your student account that you will be responsible for.

New students who have a completed financial aid file will be mailed an estimated financial aid offer letter typically by mid-March for the upcoming award year. The estimated offer letter will help students plan for their educational expenses. The estimated award letter will be updated once tuition and fee amounts are set by the University for the upcoming academic year. The estimated offer may be subject to changes due to updates to the tuition and fee amounts or other reasons listed in the Financial Aid Award Adjustments section.

An official financial aid offer letter will be sent to your MSU Denver email account after tuition and fees for the upcoming academic year have been finalized. You can expect your official offer letter sometime in June or July for the upcoming academic year.

Continuing students who have a completed financial aid file will be emailed an official offer letter to their MSU Denver University email account typically in June or July for the upcoming year after tuition and fees have been finalized for the upcoming academic year.

Throughout the year it may be necessary to adjust your financial aid award. If so, you will receive a revised offer letter with your updated aid offer. If your financial aid is reduced after disbursement, you may owe a balance that you are responsible for. Some of the reasons we may adjust your award is as follows:

• A change to your enrollment status.
• Receiving other financial assistance after your initial aid offer. This would include the receipt of additional scholarships or stipends. We are required to reevaluate your financial aid package after the receipt of any additional financial assistance and may have to adjust your already offered or received aid as you cannot receive aid that exceeds your calculated need or, typically, your Cost of Attendance. If you know you will be receiving additional financial assistance from any source, it is important to contact us to discuss.
• Corrections to your FAFSA which may impact your EFC or SAI and impact your financial aid.
• The Department of Education notification of changes to your eligibility.
• Attending only one semester. Your financial aid package will typically be offered for the academic year, which includes the fall and spring. If you only attend one semester, your aid may be reduced and in certain circumstances, may cause a balance on your student account.
• A change to your residency status

Financial aid funds will be disbursed no sooner than 10 days before each semester start date if all requirements are met and you have a complete financial aid file and you are enrolled at least half-time. You can view any outstanding requirements on your MSU Denver Student Hub that may be preventing us from offering you a financial aid package. Your financial aid funds will pay your tuition and fees and if you have authorized to do so, other educationally related costs on your bill.

If aid exceeds your charges, you will be issued the remaining credit balance or “refund” through direct deposit if you have signed up for this or a check in the mail if you do not have direct deposit on your account. Direct deposit is the safest and fastest option to receive your refund, and we recommend signing up for direct deposit on your Student Hub.

A Pell grant eligible student who has a disbursement 10 days prior to the start of the semester and receives a refund may purchase their books and supplies with the refund amount.

If your file was not complete or you were not enrolled 10 days prior to the semester start, aid will disburse nightly afterwards.

The deadlines to submit verification documents are as follows:

• The deadline to submit complete verification documents for Direct Loans and Campus-based aid is 3 weeks prior to the end of your enrolled term
• The deadline to submit complete verification documents for Pell Grant is the earlier of 120 days prior to the end of your enrolled term or the federally published Pell Grant deadline date

If selected for verification, all documents you will be required to submit will be listed on your Student Hub.

Please review the requested documents carefully. Submitting an incomplete document will delay processing time.

If selected for verification, most students will typically be required to submit:

• MSU Denver’s Verification Form
• Verification of Household Size Form
• Tax and income information depending on your family’s circumstances.

Tax Filers

• A copy of your, your spouse’s (if applicable), and your parents’ (if considered to be a dependent student) Tax Return Transcripts OR A signed copy of your federal income tax returns and all filed schedules

How To Obtain A Tax Return Transcript From The IRS

Go to the IRS website.

Click “Get Your Tax Record”

Click “Get Transcript Online”

Individuals Filing An Extension

• A copy of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension for tax year
• Verification of non-filing from the IRS
• Copies of all your W-2 forms (or equivalent) for employment income
• If self-employed, a signed statement with the amounts of their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and U.S. income tax paid

Joint Filers Who Are No Longer Married

• When a dependent student’s parents filed a joint return and have separated, divorced, married someone else, or been widowed, the student must submit a copy of your IRS Tax Return Transcript (this can be requested at irs.gov) OR a signed federal tax return form with filed schedules
• A copy of each W-2 form for the parent whose tax information is on the FAFSA form
• An independent student must submit an IRS Tax Transcript (this can be requested at irs.gov) OR a signed federal tax return form AND the student’s W-2 forms if he or she filed a joint return and is separated, divorced, or a widow

Non-Tax Filers

• A W-2 form for each source of employment income
• Except for dependent students, a verification of non-filing (VNF letter) obtained from the IRS
  • The non-filer can get the VNF letter by sending IRS form 4506-T and checking box 7. Please keep a copy of the 4506-T for your records
• Other acceptable documentation in lieu of the VNF letter would be IRS documentation that states the IRS does not have a tax record for the requested year with a message that says “No record of return filed” or “No transcript on file”

Residents of The Freely Associated States (Republic of Marshall Islands, The Republic of Palau, or The Federated States of Micronesia)

• A copy of the wage and tax statement from each employer (substitute for W-2s)
• You must submit (except dependent students) a Verification of Nonfiling (VNF) letter from the IRS, attesting that you did not file a tax return
• Other acceptable documentation in lieu of the VNF letter would be IRS documentation that states the IRS does not have a tax record for the requested year with a message that says “No record of return filed” or “No transcript on file”

Individuals Who Can’t Get A Verified Nonfiling Letter (VNF) From The IRS or Other Tax Authority

• A copy of the IRS Form 4506-T that you sent to the IRS to request a verification of nonfiling letter. Most requests are processed within 10 business days so at least that amount of time must have elapsed before submitting a copy of your 4506-T to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
• A signed statement asserting the nonfiler attempted but was unable to get the VNF. The statement must also confirm that the nonfiler has not filed and is not required to file a tax return for the relevant year
• For extension filers, the statement must also confirm that they have not yet filed a return for the tax year and must list the sources and amounts of income; if they are self-employed, it must include the amount of AGI and U.S. income tax paid
• *Note that in both cases, for non-tax filers and extension filers, the other required documentation (for example, W-2 forms) must still be provided

Filers of Non-IRS Tax Returns

• A transcript from a government of a foreign nation or a U.S. territory or commonwealth that has all the filer’s income and tax data to be verified
• A copy of the tax return, which must be signed by the filer or one of the filers of a joint return
• If the accuracy of the information on the signed copy of the return is questioned, the filer must provide a copy of the tax account information issued by the tax authority

Filers of Amended Returns

• A signed copy of the 1040X form that was filed
• You may import original tax information by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) on your FAFSA. If you’ve already done this, no action is needed. To use the DRT, log back in to your FAFSA at studentaid.gov OR
• Any IRS transcript that includes all the income and tax information required to be verified or a signed copy of the federal tax return and all filed schedules

Victims of Identity Theft

• A signed and dated statement indicating that you or a family member was a victim of tax related identity theft and the IRS is aware of it
• A tax return database view (TRDBV) transcript. You can obtain this by calling the IRS identity protection specialized unit (IPSU) at 800-908-4490
• Students who cannot obtain a TRDBV transcript may submit a copy of the tax return or another official IRS transcript or equivalent IRS document if it includes all the income and tax information required to be verified
• *Note that filers must first attempt to get a TRDBV before they can use a copy of the tax return or another transcript

Failure to submit verification documents by the deadlines may result in certain aid not being offered or a cancellation in some aid you have already received. This may cause a balance on your student account in which you would be liable to pay.

The U.S. Department of Education has established regulations to prevent fraud and abuse in the Federal Student Aid program by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories. Some students who have an unusual enrollment history have legitimate reasons for their enrollment at multiple institutions. However, such an enrollment history requires our office to review your file in order to determine future federal financial aid eligibility. If selected by the Department of Education, this must be resolved before you will receive financial aid.

At times, students are selected for unusual enrollment history after their financial aid has already been awarded. In these cases future financial aid disbursements will be held until your file is reviewed and resolved. If it is determined that you are ineligible for financial aid based on unusual enrollment history, any previous awarded and disbursed financial aid for the academic year will be returned to the appropriate sources and future disbursements will be cancelled. You will be provided with the opportunity to complete a semester of 6+ hours out of pocket to demonstrate your ability to earn academic credit successfully, at which point your unusual enrollment history can be re-appealed.

Definition of Unusual Enrollment History

The specific pattern the Department of Education uses to select students includes those students who have received a Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Loans at multiple institutions during the past four academic years. Once the Department of Education has indicated that a student has an unusual enrollment history, the Financial Aid Office must take action and review the academic history prior to determining federal financial aid eligibility for that student.

Appeal Process and What Will be Required of You

If selected to complete an Unusual Enrollment History Appeal (UEHAP), our office will notify you of what is required via a Missing Information Email sent to your record-room.com student email account. You are required to have received academic credit at any institution you received the Federal Pell grant or Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan while attending in those relevant academic years. If you are uncertain which schools will be relevant to your appeal you may review your Federal financial aid history at studentaid.gov.

Regaining Federal Student Aid Eligibility

Students that have been denied federal student aid based on an Unusual Enrollment History Appeal have the ability to regain financial aid eligibility by successfully completing one semester of at least 6 credits with at least a 2.0 semester GPA (2.25 GPA for students who do not have a good SAP status). Students can also obtain at least half time credit receiving at least a 2.0 GPA at another institution, at which point you may submit another UEHAP. If credit was obtained at a college other than MSU Denver, you must submit a transcript for review.

Bankruptcy cannot include student loans, however our system still notifies us & students currently. If this is the case, we will update this as DEFAULT to confirm that your student loans are in good standing.

Default occurs when a student who is required to repay their student loans fails to do so for several months and becomes delinquent. If the loan delinquency exceeds 270 days the student is considered to be in default. Default makes the loan due in full immediately. Default appears on the student’s NSLDS record and prevents the student from receiving any federal aid until the default is cleared. Clearing default requires communication between the company holding the loans and the student. It typically requires a nine (9) month consecutive payment plan.

Note: Default is damaging to a student’s credit and it can lead to the garnishment of wages, withholding of tax refunds and possible legal action.

SAP status is calculated at the end of each term. All credit hours (including transfer credit hours) are used in this calculation.

“GOOD STANDING”

You are in Good Standing if you meet the following:

• a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
• a cumulative completion rate of 67% or higher.
• By Completing your degree within 150% of the credits needed to graduate (most undergraduate students need 120 credits to graduate, therefore, 180 credits is the maximum allowed).

“WARNING”

You will be placed on warning status which will not affect your financial aid for your next term of enrollment if:

• During any term, your cumulative GPA drops below a 2.0 and/or your cumulative completion rate drops below 67% and you were not on SAP.
• Note: You have one term of warning to get back into Good Standing.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION (FORMERLY SAP)

You will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible to receive financial aid at MSU Denver if you do not meet the following terms for two consecutive semesters:

• Cumulative GPA below 2.0
• Completion of less than 67% of all credit hours attempted
• Exceeding 150% of the credits needed to complete your degree. This includes transfer credits (see Teacher Licensure and Post Baccalaureate Sections for possible exceptions).

MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME

You will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible to receive financial aid at MSU Denver if:

• You exceeded the Maximum Timeframe for completing your degree. Federal regulations and MSU Denver’s SAP Policy require students to complete their Undergraduate Degree within 150% of the total credits needed to graduate.  At MSU Denver, most undergrads can attempt a maximum of 180 credits*. 
• It is mathematically impossible for you to graduate within the 180 attempted credit hour limit.
• If you have attempted but not completed 60 or more credits, it is mathematically impossible for you to graduate with the required 120 completed credits without reaching the 180 attempted credit limit.  You will not have the option to appeal to receive any Title IV financial aid at MSU Denver.

Note: Your entire academic record, including all transfer credits, are counted toward the 180 credit hour maximum. undergraduate degree.

“PROBATION”

You will be placed in a probation status for one term (which makes you eligible for financial aid) if:

• Your SAP appeal is approved.

While on Probation, you have one semester to achieve Good Standing, or you must complete and meet all terms of an Academic Plan until you are back in Good Standing. 

View the Graduate SAP Policy page here.

If you are in a SAP or Maximum Timeframe status, you have the right to submit a written appeal to our office.

• Appeals must be based on extenuating circumstances that prevented you from meeting the requirements of this policy. Extenuating circumstances can be defined as medical problems, a death in the immediate family, and/or other personal issues that interfered with your education.
• Documentation of these circumstances must be submitted with the appeal. The appeal must also explain why the circumstances no longer exist and what you will do to ensure meeting SAP standards are met in the future.
• A plan for future academic success should also be included.

If you are a Freshman or Sophomore, you will be required to submit an Academic Plan (APLAN) along with your Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal (SAPAP). An academic plan must be completed with your advisor. You can schedule an appointment with your advisor in Navigate Student. The SAP Appeal will not be reviewed without the academic plan and vice versa.

If you are a Junior or Senior, we will run a calculation upon receipt of your appeal to insure that you can achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA prior to graduation, and that you can graduate within 150% of your program length (usually 180 credit hours total).  If you meet these standards and your appeal is successful, you must meet the academic standards listed in your Appeal Approval each semester until you once again meet the 2.0 GPA and 67% completion requirements to be in “Good Standing”.

Once you have an Approved Appeal, you must exactly follow the terms of your APLAN or Appeal Approval. To change the APLAN or terms of Appeal Approval, you must submit an appeal with an explanation of why the change is necessary. Failure to follow the plan or submit an appropriate appeal for change places you back on SAP the following semester.  Any future appeals after failure to follow your plan will be reviewed more thoroughly by the committee and requires new circumstances that prevented you from meeting terms of your original appeal / plan.

Financial aid eligibility will be restored once you are back in Good Standing – 2.0 cumulative GPA and a 67% completion rate. There are options to help you pay for school on your own until you are back in Good Standing for financial aid. 

To continue taking classes at MSU Denver, please work with your Academic Advisor to ensure you have a plan to get back into Good Standing.  You also have the following options for paying for college:

• Sign up for a payment plan with the Bursar’s Office
• Pay out of pocket – the Cashier’s Office can assist with payment methods
• Alternative Loans may be explored at www.elmselect.com
• Please filter the list to indicate that SAP policy is not required – some lenders will not provide a loan if you are not in Good Standing for SAP.

NOTE: SAP policy is for FINANCIAL AID ONLY & is independent of Academic Probation. 

If you are working on a first degree at MSU Denver and are classified as TLIC – you MAY be approved up to 195 attempted credits as long as you are completing 100% of attempted courses with a GPA of 2.20 each semester. 

• If you have posted a MSU Denver degree AND are formally admitted into TLIC (Teacher Licensure Program), you MAY BE ELIGIBLE for financial aid up to 220 credits. 
• Your appeal will be reviewed if you have at least a 75% cumulative completion rate and are continually completing 100% for each semester after the original 180 attempted credit hours. 
• There are no guarantees that your appeal will be approved. You are still coded as not meeting SAP standards and will have to appeal to be considered for further aid. 

For both appeals, students are required to submit a Degree Works report to show successful completion of courses, as well as any remaining coursework. Also, the OFAS will review course selection per term to ensure that all courses attempted are pertinent to your selected degree program. 

If you have received your first MSU Denver degree and have now come back to get a second undergraduate MSU Denver degree you MAY BE ELIGIBLE for up to 240 attempted credits. 

• Your appeal will be reviewed if you have at least a 75% cumulative completion rate and are continually completing 100% of attempted courses with a GPA of 2.20 for each semester after the original 180 attempted credit hours. 
• There are no guarantees that your appeal will be approved. 

For both appeals, students are required to submit a Degree Works report to show successful completion of courses, as well as any remaining coursework. Also, the OFAS will review course selection per semester to ensure that all courses attempted are pertinent to your selected degree program. 

Your financial aid will likely be delayed the semester following your study abroad term.  The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships cannot calculate your SAP status until your official academic transcript from the study abroad program has been received and reviewed by the University.  All financial aid will be held until this transcript has been evaluated.  You may submit an unofficial transcript to our office but that does not guarantee that we can update your status and release your financial aid. 

• • If you are not meeting SAP standards, all financial aid is suspended, including student loans. A student on SAP will not be considered for any federal, state, or institutional awards at MSU Denver. 
  • The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships does not offer financial aid or scholarship awards to students who are not meeting SAP standards. Students need to submit a SAP Appeal and have it approved before they will be awarded financial aid. 
  • You must complete credit hours with a grade of “D” or better. A grade notation of “W”, “AW”, “AP”, “CC”, “CL”, “EX”, “F”, “D#”, “F#”, “I”, “NC”, “NR”, “PL”, “PP”, “SA”, “SN”, “U”, “U#”, “SP”, and “UE” does not meet SAP requirements for credit hour completion. The credit hours you attempt but do not complete will be counted when determining the total number of credit hours you have attempted toward the 180 credit limit. Remedial courses must have a grade of “C#” or higher to count as completed. 
  • Your entire academic record is taken into consideration when an appeal is reviewed. Please note that this does include any terms in which you paid for classes without financial aid assistance. 
  • Credit hours removed from your record due to an approved Tuition and Fees Appeal will be included when calculating your overall completion rate and attempted hours. 
  • If you have completed a “best grade stands” request after retaking a course, the credits from your previous attempt will count toward your attempted hours and thus will affect your cumulative completion rate. This is the result of your previous grade being changed to an “NC” and being replaced by the most recent grade earned. If you have any questions regarding the “Best Grade Stands Policy”, please visit the Repeated Courses topic in the current student handbook. 
  • For each student who has repeated coursework, all attempted hours will be calculated within the SAP review, even if the repeated coursework was not eligible for financial aid. 
  • Withdrawals count against a student’s cumulative completion rate when calculating SAP, but are not included in the GPA component. 
  • A change in major does not affect the overall calculation of SAP. 
  • Students pursuing more than one degree must still ensure that they receive both degrees within the maximum timeframe, 180 credits, for their undergraduate degree program if they are working on them concurrently.