Financial Aid Offer

   

Eligibility

Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer

SFAS electronically receives the processed FAFSA (if NJIT is listed as a college choice on the FAFSA). SFAS designs an estimated Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer that details the various types of aid for which you are eligible (based on the information you provided on your FAFSA) and informs you of the details in the Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer. The Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer and all subsequent notifications are sent to your UCID email account. Similarly, if any changes to your financial aid awards occur, or if SFAS requires additional information, you will be notified through your UCID email account. To ensure that your financial aid disburses as scheduled at the start of the semester, you must submit any requested documentation needed to confirm your financial aid eligibility to SFAS by April 15 prior to the start of the academic year. Once you review your Financial Aid Offer, you can accept or decline any part of your aid package by logging on to the Highlander Pipeline and accessing your NJIT financial aid records as instructed. (you must create your UCID before you can log on to the Highlander Pipeline.) Accepting your awards online is an easy process; students should follow the steps below:

  • Set up your UCID (If not already done so).
  • Go to Highlander Pipline
  • Enter UCID & password.
  • Click on Discover More.
  • In the Financial Aid Account Card, click on "Financial Aid Dashboard".
  • Select applicable Aid Year from the drop-down.
  • Go to Award Offer tab.
  • Under 'Loans' section, review and accept or decline your awards.
  • Click 'Submit'.

Student Aid Index (SAI): SAI is an eligibility index number that the financial aid office uses to determine how much federal aid student is eligible to receive. This number results from the information that students provide on the FAFSA® form. The SAI is not the amount of money a family will have to pay for college or the amount of federal student aid the student will receive. A negative SAI indicates the student has a higher financial need. Learn how the SAI is calculated. NJIT will determine your financial need by subtracting your SAI from the cost of attendance.

Financial Need: Refers to the Cost of Attendance (COA) minus the Student Aid Index (SAI). Demonstrated Financial Need (COA - SAI = Need) determines your eligibility for need-based financial assistance.

How Is Aid Calculated

The Financial Aid Financing Plan Offers aid according to financial need, merit or both. If you are eligible for financial assistance based on your financial need, you may receive a combination of gift aid (grants or scholarships that need not be repaid) and self-help aid (loans, which must be repaid) or part-time employment either on or off campus). Any combination of awards is referred to as your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer. Once your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer has been generated, you can access it via a secured link provided in the email you will receive. Eligibility for many of NJIT scholarships is not based on financial need; you are automatically considered for merit based (NJIT) scholarships at the time of admission. Your admission application, test scores and high school grade point average (GPA) are the main factors used to determine your eligibility for NJIT scholarships. However, there are some scholarships that also require that you demonstrate financial need. Note: Upperclassmen are also considered for NJIT scholarships but must have a FAFSA on file for the academic year to be considered. Eligibility for federal and state grants, as well as some NJIT scholarships, is based on the information on your FAFSA and the general eligibility requirements of each program. Gift aid is always awarded before self-help aid. If you have remaining eligibility after gift aid has been awarded, your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer may also include work study and student loans. Please note that when a combination of tuition-based grants and scholarships exceeds student bill charges or the charges the award is intended to pay for, the university may reduce the scholarship amount.

Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer Revisions

Your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer may require revisions, often due to additional information, changes in enrollment status, failure to maintain academic progress, withdrawal from classes or outside aid received. Any revised offer overrides all previous aid offers. This sometimes means that you may have to repay funds already received.

Income Adjustment Appeal

Although the formula to determine financial aid eligibility is standard for all applicants, there is some flexibility in recalculating eligibility in light of special circumstances. For example, if you or your family has experienced an income reduction due to unemployment, disability, divorce or death, you can have your financial aid eligibility recalculated using updated information. Other special circumstances include loss of non-taxable income (e.g., child support, social security benefits, etc.). In all cases, special circumstances must be fully documented with a detailed, signed and dated statement, federal tax returns, death certificates, court documentation or letters from appropriate agencies, individuals or employers. If there are other circumstances that affect the amount you and your family are expected to contribute toward your education, please contact SFAS; however, keep in mind that the reasons must be sound and that you will have to provide adequate proof to support any adjustments.