When you accept the offer of financial aid in your award notice, you agree to accept and fulfill all the responsibilities associated with the awards. This page summarizes the terms and conditions established by federal regulations for financial aid.

If you receive additional funds not listed on your award notice (scholarships, departmental awards, Michigan Education Trust, veterans' benefits, etc.), report them immediately to the Office of Financial Aid (OFA), even if you think that the office making the award will also advise us of them.

From Wolverine Access select Student Business > login > Student Center > Financial Aid > Aid Year > Awards > View/Report Additional Aid. If there is any change to your financial aid eligibility because of the additional assistance, you will receive email notification that you have a revised award notice available. Please note that whenever you receive additional assistance, your aid awards may be adjusted or reduced, even if your financial aid has already been disbursed to you. 

You must not be in default on any federal educational loans or owe any refunds on federal grants you have received at any post-secondary institutions.

 You may use funds listed on your award notice only for educationally related expenses incurred at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor for the respective academic year.

 Some scholarships, such as the Michigan Competitive Scholarship and the Detroit Compact Scholarship, have tuition-only stipulations (they cannot be used for expenses other than tuition).

 The university applies your financial aid awards directly to charges on your university student account (including tuition, fees, housing, and other charges). Funds in excess of these charges will be released to you (this is called a "refund"). If subsequent charges are made to your university account, it is your responsibility to pay them. See Disbursement of Your Aid Funds.

 Financial aid does not cover certain charges. Check your account balance at least once a month to be sure you do not have unpaid charges.

 Financial aid awarded for a specific term can only be used to pay for charges for that term and the aid can only be disbursed to you/your account during that same term.

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Because we assume that you will enroll full-time, your financial aid cost of attendance budget includes an allowance for tuition at a full-time rate. You may enroll at less than full-time, but you must be enrolled at least half-time in for-credit classes to be eligible for any financial aid. Non-credit classes are not eligible for financial aid. 

If you decide to reduce your enrollment level, keep in mind:

• If you enroll less than full-time but at least half-time (6 credit hours for undergraduates and 4 credit hours for graduate students), all of your aid except Direct Loans will be reduced based on your level of enrollment.
• Less than full-time enrollment not only reduces the amount of aid you are eligible to receive, it also may affect your future aid eligibility and your satisfactory academic progress. 
• Some scholarships require full-time enrollment before disbursement, so you could lose your scholarship entirely if you reduce your enrollment level.
• If you drop courses and fall below the minimum credit hour requirements, you may be required to repay all or part of the aid you received.
• Courses for which you are wait-listed and classes that you are auditing are not included in your level of enrollment. 

• DROPPING CLASSES AND WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY

The Office of Financial Aid monitors enrollment levels (number of credit hours taken) each term. If you are considering dropping a class, it is important to discuss your situation fully with a financial aid officer prior to doing so.  Adjustments to your financial aid are not made until after the drop/add date for each term.

If you withdraw or are asked to withdraw from the university, you must inform the Office of Financial Aid immediately. If you have received a federal student loan, you will be sent information on completing loan repayment exit counseling. Depending on when you withdraw, you might be required to repay all or part of the aid you received. See Withdrawing and Your Financial Aid.

• WAIT LISTED CLASSES

Wait Listed courses are not included in your credit hour total until you are actually admitted to the class. So while you may intend to enroll full-time, your course load may be considered part-time while you are on the waiting list. 

The 3 credits for this Wait Listed class will not count in the student’s credit hour total. The student is registered for 8 hours – more than half-time but less than full-time.

 What you can do:

• Carefully track your enrollment level if you are on a waiting list.
• If you have not been admitted to your Wait Listed class and have not received all of your aid funds by the time your bill is due, you will need to pay your bill to avoid a late fee.
• Once you are admitted to the Wait Listed class and/or your enrollment level is full-time, your remaining aid funds will be credited to your student account. If you have already paid your bill and you would like a check for the credited amount, you must request a credit release from Student Financial Services.
• Remember that whenever you are admitted to the class, you will also be billed for the additional credit hours.

• REQUIRED ATTENDANCE

Please remember that enrolling in courses is not enough to secure your financial aid.  You must also attend the courses in which you enroll.  The Office of Financial Aid is required to verify that students who receive a non-passing grade (any grade other than A, B, C, D, or I) in any class actually began attending the class. For example, if you receive an E or an NR in a course, we will follow up to determine whether or not you attended the class. 

Failure to attend can be expensive: your aid could be reduced retro­actively and you could be required to repay aid you have received.  If you have any questions about your enrollment and eligibility for financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid for assistance.

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To remain eligible for financial aid, students must make "satisfactory academic progress" toward completion of a  degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor the progress of each student toward their degree completion. Students who fall behind in their coursework or who fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state, and university aid. See Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Depending upon the cost of the study abroad program in which you enroll, we may or may not be able to meet your full demonstrated financial need to attend the program.  See Students Studying Abroad. For more information about your specific program, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Undergraduate students who have received one bachelor's degree and are pursuing a second degree in another program will only be eligible for loans. However, a student enrolled in an approved dual-degree program or who is a double major may qualify for aid.

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