Applying for Aid

File the FAFSA

We recommend you complete the form online at www.studentaid.gov. You and one parent should first apply for an FSA ID. Students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents. Submit this form as soon as possible after October 1 each year. Seton Hall recommends that you complete the FAFSA by January 15th to receive maximum consideration for aid. Our school code is 002632.

Results Received

Approximately 2 to 3 days after you file the FAFSA electronically (2 to 3 weeks if paper form filed), you can expect to hear back from the federal government. The federal government will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR). At the same time this report is sent to you, it will also be sent electronically to Seton Hall and any other institutions you indicated on the form. The SAR will indicate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). In other words, the federal government will tell you how much money they feel your family can contribute to the total cost of your education, which does not just include the direct costs, such as tuition, fees, room and board, but indirect costs, such as books, transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses.

Review Your Student Aid Report (SAR) and Make Any Corrections

It is extremely important that you review your SAR very carefully. Often, the federal government will notify you of missing or inaccurate information that is needed to fully process your FAFSA. Please read through the SAR completely to ensure that no additional information is being requested and that the information on it is the same as what you filed. If it is inaccurate, you can correct it online if you filed electronically or using the paper correction form you receive in the mail, if you filed on paper.

Watch for your Financial Aid Offer

Seton Hall will take the results of your processed FAFSA and put together a financial aid package for you. Financial aid packages are sent to new students starting in February and returning students will receive an e-mail when available. Please note that notification of many merit-based scholarships may occur prior to this time for new students; usually these notifications are sent out a few days after notification of admission.

The financial aid package will include all forms of aid (institution grants and scholarships, state or federal grants, work study and student loans) known at that time. If your information changes or you become eligible for other aid, such as an outside scholarship from an agency or foundation it is your responsibility to notify our office. The additional aid may affect your award package.