How will you pay for college?

If you're a dependent student, federal and state aid requires you and your parents to contribute as much as you can toward your college expenses. If your family does not have the funds to meet your expenses, you may qualify for need-based financial aid. Nearly all students receive some kind of financial aid including scholarships, grants, loans, GA tuition/stipends, athletic grants-in-aid, part-time employment and fellowships. Financial aid comes from federal, state, EMU and private sources.

All types of financial aid may only be used to defray your expenses while you are actively enrolled at the University. After you review the information on this website, please contact us with any questions.

Grants

Grants are funds that do not need to be repaid. They may be based purely on need or on need and academic achievement. Read more about grants available.

Scholarships

Scholarships are funds you also do not need to repay. They are usually based on scholastic merit, but are sometimes on other criteria, such as need, selected major or demographic factors. Find a scholarship.

Loans

Loans are funds you need to be repay with interest at a later date. Interest rates are generally lower and and repayment periods longer than commercial loans. Find out more about loans.

Applying for Financial Aid

How to apply

If you would like to be considered for financial aid at EMU, you'll need to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA may be filed online. The FSA ID―a username and password―has replaced the Federal Student Aid PIN to confirm your identity and to sign electronically and must be used to log into certain U.S. Department of Education websites. If you don't have an FSA ID, create one by visiting the studentaid.gov.

We recommend you submit your FAFSA online in October each year. Some types of aid are available regardless of when you apply, but certain types are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis due to limited funding.

What happens next?

You'll receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) or FAFSA Submission Summary starting in the 24/25 aid year, by email 3–5 days after your FAFSA has been processed, if you provided an email address when you applied. This email will contain a secure link so you can access your SAR or Submission Summary online.

Your SAR will usually contain your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) while the FAFSA Submission Summary will contain a Student Aid Index (SAI), these numbers are used in determining your eligibility for federal student aid. If you need to make corrections to your SAR or FAFSA Submission Summary, you can make them online using your FSA ID on the FAFSA site and selecting "Make Corrections to a Processed FAFSA."

EMU will receive your data and determine your aid eligibility. Once processed, you'll receive an award letter. The award letter will tell you the type of financial aid you are eligible to receive from federal, state and institutional sources and how much you may receive.

New first-year student award letters will be mailed starting in April. New transfer students as well as returning students will receive their award letter in early May.

Skip Section Navigation