The Catholic University of America

Apply for Aid - Graduate Students

Graduate students should file their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as accurate income and tax information is available.

Graduate students seeking federal loans should file their FAFSA by March 15 for the fall and spring terms or by November 1 if starting in the spring semester to ensure timely processing and the earliest possible notification.

We strongly suggest that students submit the application electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The Catholic University of America's Federal Title IV School Code is 001437. You can add Catholic University's Title IV code to your current FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

If you have not previously done so, we also urge you to obtain a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov. If you are a dependent student, one of your parents will also need to obtain a PIN in order to submit the FAFSA. Beyond using it to complete the FAFSA, the PIN can be used to make any needed FAFSA corrections and to monitor your status with federal aid programs. If you do not have a PIN, make sure you print out and submit the signature page.

Graduate students are admitted on a rolling basis. Therefore, Financial Aid Notification (FAN) letters for admitted students with valid FAFSA will be made on a rolling basis starting April 15 for fall admits and continuing graduate students and November 15 for graduate students starting in the spring semester.

Merit-Based Awards

All graduate university scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships are awarded by the respective academic departments. These awards are not administered by the Office of Financial Aid or the Office of Admissions. Therefore, graduate students should contact their respective academic departments concerning deadlines and application procedures. The Office of Financial Aid only processes graduate students for their federal loan eligibility, therefore graduate students are processed on a rolling basis, as FAFSA applications are received up until our Federal Loan FAFSA Processing Deadline. All departmental awards must be coordinated with any federal or commercial loans; reduction of loan amounts may result if departmental awards are received after loan eligibility is determined.

Graduate Stipends

Graduate stipends are available to a limited number of graduate students. Students must have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet the federal need requirements for the award. In addition, students must be accepted to the university, interviewed, and selected by a hiring department with an approved work-study position on file with Career Services in order to be eligible to receive this stipend.

Federal Loans

Graduate students may be eligible to participate in the Federal Direct Loan Programs. For additional information please review the Loans section of this Web site.

Commercial Loans

Graduate students may apply for commercial education loans from various private lenders. Graduate students are urged to explore and exhaust their federal loan eligibility before considering commercial educational loans, which generally carry higher interest rates and origination fees. For additional information please review the Loan Types and Applying for a Loan sections of this Web site.