Financial Aid

Applying for Aid

You must apply annually for financial aid from federal, institutional (CUA Need-Based Grant) and most state and D.C. programs. As soon as possible after January 1 each year, complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at the U.S. Department of Education's FAFSA Web site, www.fafsa.ed.gov. (If you prefer to complete a paper FAFSA, you can request one by calling 1-800-4FED-AID.) List The Catholic University of America's Federal Title IV School Code (001437) in Step Six of the FAFSA so that the federal processor can transmit your FAFSA results electronically to Catholic University.

If you have not previously done so, we urge you to obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at www.pin.edu.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, you will have to print out and mail the FAFSA signature page to the federal processor.

Important: Students selected for verification, either by the Department of Education (DOE) or by Catholic University (CUA) will not be packaged until we receive all requested required documentation and have completed the verification review process. Based on the time of year, the verification review process can take up to 20 business days from the time the Office of Financial Aid receives all requested required documents. The process can take longer if additional nonstandard documentation is required. Individuals who have filed extensions or are self-employed and file their taxes later in the year are not excused from the verification process. It is recommended that you file your federal income tax return as soon as possible if you are selected for verification, since no aid or estimates of aid will be offered until the verification process is completed. For additional information please review the Verification page under the Policy and Procedures section.

For additional information, please visit the specific link that applies to your student status in the submenu under Applying for Aid.

Priority Processing FAFSA Deadline

The priority deadline is the date by which you should have filed your FAFSA. This date gives a reasonable amount of time for the student/parent to correct any errors, resolve federal database mismatches and provide any additional documentation requests from the Department of Education and Catholic University. This date also gives Catholic University the time required to review and complete any federal or institutional verification.

The priority deadline is most important for prospective undergraduate students since these students need their complete financial aid package to make a final decision on what school they will be attending. Filing your FAFSA by the priority deadline and promptly responding to any requests for additional documentation will result in the student receiving their Financial Aid Notification letter on the earliest date.

Late Processing FAFSA Deadline

Applications received after the late deadline are processed on a rolling basis. Because we work with limited funds in the campus-based federal and university need-based programs, aid from these programs are awarded on a funds available basis. Aid offers made after the late deadline may contain only direct aid, such as Pell Grants (for exceptionally needy students who qualify) and loans from the Federal Direct Loan programs.

GRADUATE STUDENTS: 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 federal loan eligibility, therefore graduate students are processed on a rolling basis as FAFSA applications are received, 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.

Federal Loan FAFSA Processing Deadline

In order for the Office of Financial Aid to process you for your federal loan eligibility for the fall term, we must receive your completed, valid FAFSA results from the U.S. Department of Education by November 10 of that term. If you are applying for federal loans for the full academic year (fall and spring) or for the spring term only, we must receive your completed valid FAFSA results from the U.S. Department of Education by April 10 of the spring term.

SUMMER LOANS: In order for the Office of Financial Aid to process you for your federal loan eligibility for the summer term, we must receive your completed valid FAFSA results from the U.S. Department of Education three weeks before the end of the last summer session for which you are registered.

Financial Aid Notification Letters Mailing Dates (Estimated)

Financial Aid Notification letters go out on a rolling basis (usually twice a week) after the mailing dates listed above.