Financial Aid Eligibility
The U.S. Department of Education drives eligibility for the majority of financial aid programs in the United States. All of the federal programs and most of the SNHU funds require that the student be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. Students studying in the U.S. on a visa are typically not eligible for financial assistance.
Matriculation: all financial aid programs require that the student be accepted into a degree or approved certificate program. In the case of a Continuing Education or SNHU Online student, this means that a high school diploma or equivalency must be on file with the student's home SNHU location before financial aid can be awarded.
Appeals
The Office of Financial Aid awards its ‘best offer’ based on the information received from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students and parents may request an appeal of the student’s financial aid award if there has been extenuating circumstances resulting in a significant change (10% or more) to the total family income since the previous year’s income as reported on the FAFSA. Students/families must meet one of the criteria for extenuating circumstances as outlined below in order to be considered for a review. Home repairs, car repairs, credit card debt, weddings, and/or other life expenses will not be considered as unusual expenses for an appeal.
· Unusual medical or dental expenses, not covered by insurance. (Prescription and doctor’s office co-pays, routine eye and dental exams will not be considered as unusual expenses for appeals).
· A parent, student or student’s spouse has had a significant loss of income in 2008 or 2009 due to a period of unemployment, change of jobs, death in the family, non-reoccurring income (i.e., loss of IRA or other pension distributions), divorce or separation, or going from full-time to part-time employment).
Our Financial Aid counselors are very sympathetic to the challenges of paying for college. The Office of Financial Aid at Southern New Hampshire University takes pride in partnering with families to identify the best resources available to invest in your student’s education. There are loan options such as the federal PLUS (parent) loan as well as alternative loans available to assist with any additional funding. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss these options with one of the counselors.