How to Apply for Financial Aid

You must either be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to qualify for federal financial aid. Aid is awarded according to two principles: need and merit. Financial aid is distributed on an academic-year basis, and students must reapply for aid each year. All forms of financial aid will be credited one-half per semester to your University billing account. Funds that exceed your semester charges will be refunded directly to you by the Student Accounts Office.
You must file a FAFSA form if you are requesting need-based financial aid from federal or institutional sources. The FAFSA should be submitted directly to the federal processor online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. All admitted students seeking financial aid must complete the University Application for Financial Aid (UFAA). Please Note: Regardless of the FAFSA instructions, unmarried applicants and admitted students who are age 26 and under must submit parental financial information to be considered for scholarship aid with a need component. The requirement to provide parental data may be waived for extenuating circumstances if providing it presents extreme hardship. You must petition the Law School Financial Aid Office for such a waiver. Currently enrolled students, regardless of age or marital status, are not required to provide parental information.
On the FAFSA form, our college name should be listed only as: University of Virginia, Title IV Code: 003745
If estimated figures are used when completing the FAFSA, you must use your Student Aid Report (SAR), sent to you by the Federal Student Aid Center, to provide the correct information. The SAR is to be used whenever changes need to be reported.
Please note that, although provision of a social security number is optional in the admissions process, an applicant for financial aid must provide a social security number for FAFSA matching purposes.
The Federal Central Processor may select some financial aid applications for verification. If your application is selected for audit, you will be asked to provide signed copies of your (and your spouse’s, if appropriate) federal tax forms, W-2 forms, or other financial documents to compare with information on the financial aid application. Title IV funds will not be available until the verification process is complete and any discrepancies are resolved. Our office may also elect to verify students’ files not selected for federal verification.