Financial Aid Notifications
Financial aid notifications or award letters provide valuable information for funding an education. With an award letter, you can estimate costs, view offered aid, and accept aid*.
Financial aid notifications include:
- A summary of what your school knows (from FAFSA)
- Your estimated charges for school, often called Cost of Attendance (COA)
- A summary of financial aid offered to you or "award summary"
*Some institutions do not have an "accept" component of their notifications. You just enroll and get the aid. However, at all universities in the University of Illinois System, you must log in and accept the aid through your financial aid notification.
Adjustments
Adjustments to how much is accepted can be made through student self-service or the UIC portal depending on which university you are enrolled as a student.
For example, if you don't want to accept all of an unsubsidized student loan that is offered, you can reduce the amount you accept, thereby reducing the amount of origination fees and interest accrued on the loan while in school.
Applied to Accounts Later
Financial aid won't be posted to student accounts until the beginning of the semester, but if you have questions, you can contact your university's financial aid office.
Compare Financial Aid Offers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) created a tool to help students create a financial plan for college using information from your financial aid offer. You can also use the Your Financial Path to Graduation tool to compare financial aid offers.
Make sure you have the following available to make the best use of the tool:
- Your financial aid offers
- An idea of how much money you and your family can put towards school
- Any private loan offers if you have any
- Contact info for financial aid offices of schools you plan to attend
Reminders!
Cost of Attendance (COA) is estimated. You can pay significantly more or less depending on your individual choices. For example, it is more expensive to live alone than to share housing costs with a roommate.
You have to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for every year you plan to enroll. Typically, the FAFSA is made available October 1st for the next academic year. For example, the FAFSA for academic year 2025-2026 should be available October 1, 2024.
If you are not eligible to complete the FAFSA, there is an Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.
Apply early to receive aid you're eligible for that is only available on a first come, first serve basis. Every year, there are more students eligible for the Illinois MAP grant than there are funds available, so those that applied first will receive aid.
