Undergraduate Students

Visit the Federal Student Aid site to apply for a Federal Student Aid ID for both the student and the parent(s) who provide the majority of the student’s financial support.

Beginning OCTOBER 1 and prior to MARCH 1 (PSU’s priority filing deadline), complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at FAFSA.gov.

The FAFSA is the only application required by PSU and must be completed annually. Once the data is submitted, the Department of Education will forward your FAFSA information electronically to all schools you authorize to receive your data. PSU draws in FAFSA data weekly. The FAFSA ensures fair and equitable determination of family resources for each applicant by using Federal Methodology in computing a family’s financial need. The Department of Education Central Processing System (CPS) provides the needs analysis calculation to PSU where trained personnel review and verify the information to determine student aid eligibility. Student Financial Services assumes that a student and family will contribute toward the cost of education according to their means.

Only students admitted to a degree-seeking program (i.e. Bachelor’s degree) will receive financial aid. Aid received from federal resources can only be used to pay for classes which meet a student’s degree requirements.

PSU’s Priority filing deadline for the FAFSA is March 1 for the following school year. All applicants should adhere to the March 1 deadline or they may be considered LATE and will only receive financial aid pending availability of funds. Normally only Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Federal Direct Loans, and State Scholarships/Grants (if applicable) are available for late applicants.

Note: The March 1 deadline refers to the initial filing of the FAFSA only. Subsequent paperwork may be submitted or changes made to the FAFSA after May 1 without penalty of being considered late.

The federal government or PSU may select your FAFSA application for Verification. Verification is a process to confirm that the information provided on the FAFSA is accurate. 

Each year, the federal government randomly selects students submitting the FAFSA for Verification, based upon a criteria established by the Department of Education. PSU reserves the right to select students for Verification, as well, if discrepant information is identified.   Verification ensures that the information students and parents report is accurate. Verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid by reporting false information and ensures that eligible students receive all of the aid for which they are qualified.

   If selected for Verification, you will receive an email from the PSU Student Financial Services office indicating the need for additional documentation. Please do not send any unsolicited documentation as this may require additional clarification from PSU and slow the financial aid process when identifying eligible aid programs.

Verification must be completed four (4) weeks prior to the end of the term for which aid is requested (April 2023 for the 2023-2024 Academic Year, April 2024 for the 2024-2025 Academic Year). Only after the Verification process has been completed will PSU be able to complete your financial aid. Be sure you immediately return any requested forms to avoid delays.

Note:
1) Please allow adequate time for staff to review your documents. We may need to ask for additional documentation if further clarification is needed.
2) While Verification may be completed at any time during the semester, you are still responsible for paying your bill on-time. Please be sure to make other arrangements if financial aid is not in place by the due date.

PSU’s financial aid notification process starts in January for NEW incoming accepted students and mid-spring for returning students. Once all requirements requested by Student Financial Services have been satisfied, your application will be considered complete.

PSU is committed to utilizing a paperless process for notifying all returning students of their financial aid eligibility. Through the use of the online myPlymouth portal, students have 24/7 access to all their financial aid information. Returning students will want to check their myPlymouth account and campus email accounts regularly for any notifications.

For assistance with your username, password, or setting up your myPlymouth account, please contact the ITS Help Desk at (603) 535-2929 or submit a ticket.

1. Log on to my.usnh.edu
2. Scroll towards the bottom of the left sidebar where it says “Tools”
3. Select “Student Services” and then “Self-Service”
4. Click the “Financial Aid” button and then “My Overall Status” for Financial Aid information
   • Note, be sure to scroll through the full page to see all information
5. Click the “Student Account Services” button for online billing information

All financial aid will be considered accepted unless the student notifies Student Financial Services in writing of their wish to decline the entire offer or a portion of the offer.

How you receive your aid will depend on the type of aid—grants, student loans, work-study, or parent loans.

Student Loans (Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized)

Two (2) Steps Are Required:  For Federal Direct Loan borrowers, students are required to complete:

1. ENTRANCE COUNSELING SESSION
2. Master Promissory Note (MPN)

For more information about Federal Direct Loans and loan limits, please see our Federal Direct Loan webpage.

Requests to decline or reinstate student loans must be submitted in writing from the student. Email requests are acceptable if sent using the students campus email address, personal address listed on the FAFSA, or active personal addresses that have been provided to PSU (added to your student account).

Parent Loans (Federal PLUS)

If your parents wish to use this funding option, they must complete a PLUS Loan Application at studentaid.gov; it is NOT automatic.

1. A FAFSA form must be submitted.
2. The PLUS loan application will be submitted for a credit review and approval of the loan will be based upon Department of Education PLUS loan criteria.
3. To apply, please sign into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID and password, click the tab for “Apply for Aid,” and then choose “Apply for a Parent PLUS Loan.”

NOTE: If you intend to either reduce or decline your Federal Work Study so that your parent may apply for a higher Federal Direct PLUS loan amount, please submit your request at least a day prior to applying for the loan.

Requests to decline, reinstate or increase Federal Parent PLUS loans must be submitted in writing from the parent who applied for the loan. Email requests are acceptable if sent using the parent email address listed on the FAFSA.

Merit Scholarships

Merit Scholarships are renewable up to four years as long as the student maintains the cumulative grade point average (GPA) specified for the scholarship. The renewal criteria is stated on your financial aid account.

Students are eligible for their merit scholarship in future years based upon the following enrollment requirements:  100% for 12 credits or more, 75% if enrolled in 9-11 credits, 50% of the scholarship if enrolled in 6-8 credits, and 25% of the scholarship if enrolled in 3-5 credits.  Overall merit scholarship is not to exceed 4 years at the original amount.  For example, if the original amount was $3,000 per academic year, the total amount the student is eligible for would be $12,000 (4 years x $3,000 per year).  Scholarships are divided evenly between the fall and spring semesters.

Federal Work Study

Federal Work Study allows you to participate actively in meeting the cost of your education while gaining valuable work experience. You receive your work study money directly; it is not applied to your bill. Work study earnings are paid every two weeks and are adjusted for federal taxes.  It is the student’s responsibility to find a job on campus. See the Student Employment website for more information.

Requests to decline, reinstate or increase Federal Work Study must be submitted in writing from the student. Email requests are acceptable if sent using the students campus email address, personal address listed on the FAFSA, or active personal addresses that have been provided to PSU (added to your student account).

Gift Aid

Federal Pell, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants (SEOG), state grants, and University Grants make up need-based gift aid. Federal and state grants are based on current year funding from state and federal governments and are subject to change. If any aid change due to funding availability, PSU will notify you after we receive official notification from the appropriate agency(ies).

State Grants will be finalized once we receive an official roster from the appropriate state agency. However, if you receive a notification from your state agency, please send us a copy of the notification. Initial state grants are usually estimated based upon information received from your state agency or based upon last years policy. If changes in state grant are necessary, it may result in an adjustment to your University Grant (plus or minus).

Federal PELL Grant Recalculation Policy

1.  Federal PELL Grant amounts will be based upon your enrollment status 30 days into the semester. At that time, if the number of credits you are enrolled in is different from the enrollment your original financial aid was based upon, your Federal PELL Grant will be adjusted. No further adjustments to your Federal PELL Grant will be made after that point.
2. Federal PELL Grants initially offered 31 or more days into the semester will be based upon the enrollment at the time your financial aid is determined. No further adjustments to your Federal PELL Grant will be made after that point.
3. Before Federal Pell Grants are able to disburse, PSU may need to receive an updated FAFSA transaction with all changes recorded and accepted.

Status Changes

Changes to residency (ie non-resident to New Hampshire resident) or to part-time or full-time status may result in adjustments to the student’s financial aid. Financial aid is based upon a student’s cost of attendance, and if that decreases, the financial aid offer may also decrease. This includes, but is not limited to, adjustments to merit scholarships.

Students are required to notify Student Financial Services of all non-PSU scholarships received.

Please be advised that outside scholarships may or may not affect your current financial aid. PSU’s policy for treatment of outside scholarships is that they will first be used to meet “unmet” need, then any adjustments will be made in the following order:

1. adjustment to Federal Work-Study eligibility,
2. adjustment to Federal Direct Unsubsidized and Subsidized Loans,
3. adjustment to any need-based institutional grants

Notice to NCAA Division III Athletes: NCAA 15.2.3.5.1

It is not permissible for a student-athlete to receive financial aid, directly or indirectly, from a source outside the institution (e.g., a foreign government, a sports association, a high school booster club) for expenses related to attendance at a member institution, if the award of such financial aid is based in any degree upon the recipient’s athletics leadership, ability, participation or performance, except as permitted in Bylaw 15.2.3.5. Receipt of financial aid from such a source renders the student-athlete ineligible for all intercollegiate athletics participation. (Revised: 8/22/06, 4/30/09.)

If families have special financial circumstances which they were unable to report on the FAFSA, they may request that PSU review these circumstances.

Once Student Financial Services completes your original financial aid AND receives notification of the changes in family finances that might effect your FAFSA, we will notify you of any needed additional documentation. All appeals require that PSU first verify all information that was reported on the original FAFSA. After all documentation is received, a review will be completed to see if additional eligibility can be identified.

Caution: Previously offered aid may be lost if inaccurate information was reported on the original FAFSA. This may occur when families have reported “estimated” income which would have been used to identify eligibility for aid and, subsequently, actual income (as reported to the IRS) changes eligibility and/or when families fail to report untaxed income (i.e. retirement funds not taxed for a current year). Changes for which we will review include situations such as: loss of job, change in employment, loss of a parent, loss or change in resources such as social security benefits or child support, or changes in number of children in college.

Please contact Student Financial Services if you need clarification.

Student Rights and Responsibilities