Receiving Aid

Yes. Detailed information can be found under Receive Aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

Students on Probation SAP status will remain on Probation until they naturally meet SAP, graduate, or fail to meet the terms of their Probation SAP status.  To stay on Probation SAP status students must show academic progress at the end of each semester.  Specific terms of Probation will be sent in the student’s appeal approval email, but in general, to remain on Probation students must do the following each semester:

• Follow approved Academic Plan
• Raise completion ratio
• Raise GPA

Note: Failure to follow any terms of Probation will result in immediate termination of Probation status and status will revert to Not Meet.  Students in this situation have the option to re-appeal but may not use the same reason provided in initial appeal approval and must address the circumstances that caused them to be unable to meet the terms of the Probation status.

You can do this on myUCF in your Student Center, under Finances.

Students on a Warning status are not meeting the GPA and/or completion ratio component of SAP. While on a Warning SAP status, students are still eligible to receive federal funding.  If the grades earned during the student’s Warning term do not allow the student to meet all SAP components, they will be placed to Not Meet for their next semester of enrollment and lose aid eligibility for future semesters at that time.

All coursework attempted while classified as an undergraduate student will count towards a second-degree seeking student’s SAP status.  This means their cumulative GPA and Completion Ratio will include coursework taken while seeking their first undergraduate degree. The only exception is for the Maximum Time Frame component of SAP.  Second-degree seeking students are allotted up to 70 attempted credit hours not including any coursework attempted while seeking their first degree.

Outcome will be determined and sent to the student via their UCF email address within 2-3 weeks of submission of a complete appeal.

Note: Incomplete submissions should expect a longer time frame as they will be pended until requested documentation is received. Once student submits all additional required documentation, outcome will be determined within 2-3 weeks from that time.

If your questions are regarding how to use Webcourses@UCF, you may access tutorials on commonly-used features, including submitting assignments, taking tests, and posting in discussions online at: learn.ucf.edu/knights-online/using-webcourses-tutorials/

If your questions are regarding the content of the academic activity, you will need to contact your faculty member or instructor for additional assistance.

Students with approved SAP appeals will be placed on Probation SAP status. Students on Probation are eligible to receive financial aid only for coursework that is required for completion of their degree program. Please allow 7-10 business days from the date of approval for your aid eligibility to be reviewed and placed on your account.

Students with a denial outcome will receive the specified reason for the decision in their denial outcome email.  Students have the option to re-appeal a denied outcome with a maximum of three appeal submissions per semester.  Please keep in mind that a re-appeal without new information or documentation from the original denial will not be accepted.

Students who do not wish to re-appeal or have their re-appeal(s) denied will need to seek alternative payment methods that do not require them to meet SAP until they either meet SAP again naturally or graduate, whichever occurs first.

Faculty members have the option of providing an academic activity for you to complete or taking attendance. Please speak with each of your faculty members to confirm the option they have chosen.

Log onto myUCF, select View Financial Aid Eligible Courses for a list of academic activities that have been completed.

You can review whether your appeal has been received on your myUCF Student Self Service Center by selecting the “View Financial Aid Status” link. The SAP appeal is listed as “Petition for Reinstatement” on this screen and will show as Pending once received.

Pay out of pocket:

• The Office of Student Accounts can be contacted for information on payment plans studentaccounts.ucf.edu.

Private aid that does not require SAP:

• Private Scholarships
• Private Loans

Completion awards:

• Students who are nearing graduation may be eligible for additional funding through the Registrar’s Office registrar.ucf.edu/completion-grant/kggi/. Please note:  To qualify for these awards students must go through the SAP appeal process first and receive a denial outcome.

Please provide the year specific item(s) for Verification of Tax Information listed below.

• IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter
• 1040 Tax Return Transcript
• 1040A Tax Return Transcript
• 1040EZ Tax Return Transcript

Students must meet all financial aid eligibility criteria and funding must be available at the time of awarding.

The deadline has been extended for payment to allow time for disbursement of your financial aid. You are liable for tuition and fees whether you attend classes or not. This creates a commitment for payment. If for any reason, you do not receive aid, you remain obligated to pay your tuition.

Failure to complete the application process will result in a forfeiture of aid eligibility.

An individual who was required to file an IRS income tax return and was granted a filing extension by the IRS must provide all the items below:

• A copy of IRS Form 4868, ‘‘Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return,’’ that was filed with the IRS for the tax year;
• A copy of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension;
• Verification of Non-filing Letter (confirmation that the tax return has not yet been filed) from the IRS or other relevant tax authority dated on or after October 1;
• A copy of IRS Form W–2 for each source of employment income received for the tax year.
• If self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of the individual’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and the U.S. income tax paid for the tax year.

Students and/or parent(s) can submit a completed and signed Dependent Verification Worksheet to certify that s/he has not filed and is not required to file a income tax return. Only parents are also required, by the Department of Education, to provide an IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.

There are two ways to request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter from the IRS.

1. Your parent(s) can request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter be mailed to them by using Form 4506-T or by going to IRS.gov and clicking the “Get Transcript by Mail” option. Make sure to request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter. Please allow 5 to 10 calendar days for delivery of letter at the address the IRS has on file for you, from the date the IRS received your request.
2. By telephone at 1-800-908-9946. Please allow 5 to 10 calendar days for delivery.

A more comprehensive guide on how to request and receive a IRS Non-Filing Letter can be found at How to Request IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.
If your parent(s) were unable to obtain the Verification of Non-filing letter from the IRS, they must complete the Parent Tax Filing Statement form to certify that an attempt was made to request the Verification of Non-filing Letter but was unsuccessful.

If income from work was earned and the W-2’s are not available, request a “Wage and Income Transcript” from the IRS. You will need to request it online, complete the Form 4506-T or contact your employer or previous employer and request a new copy of W-2 form(s).

Victims of Identity Theft must submit a Tax Return Database View Form (TRDBV) by contacting the IRS Specialized Identity Theft Assistance line at 1-800-908-4490. Along with the TRDBV form, we will require a signed and dated statement from the tax filer indicating that he or she was a victim of identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware of the issue.

An individual who was required to file an IRS income tax return and was granted a filing extension by the IRS, must provide all the items below:

• A copy of IRS Form 4868, ‘‘Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return,’’ that was filed with the IRS for the tax year;
• A copy of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension;
• Verification of Non-filing Letter (confirmation that the tax return has not yet been filed) from the IRS or other relevant tax authority dated on or after October 1;
• A copy of IRS Form W–2 for each source of employment income received for the tax year and,
• If self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of the individual’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and the U.S. income tax paid for the tax year.

Students and/or spouses can submit a completed and signed Independent Verification Worksheet to certify that s/he has not filed and is not required to file a income tax return, along with an IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.

There are two ways to request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter from the IRS.

1. By Mail: You and or your spouse can request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter be mailed to you by using Form 4506-T or by going to IRS.gov and clicking the “Get Transcript by Mail” option. Make sure to request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter. Please allow 5 to 10 calendar days for delivery of letter at the address the IRS has on file for you, from the date the IRS received your request.
2. By telephone at 1-800-908-9946. Please allow 5 to 10 calendar days for delivery.

A more comprehensive guide on how to request and receive an IRS Non-Filing Letter can be found at How to Request IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.

If income from work was earned and the W-2’s are not available, request a “Wage and Income Transcript” from the IRS. You will need to request it online. Complete the Form 4506-T or contact your employer or previous employer and request a new copy of W-2 form(s).

Individuals who are unable to obtain an IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter (VNLF) may submit a Tax Filing statement form to certify that an attempt was made to obtain the VNFL from the IRS.

Victims of Identity Theft must submit a Tax Return Database View Form (TRDBV) by contacting the IRS Specialized Identity Theft Assistance line at 1-800-908-4490. Along with the TRDBV form we will require a signed and dated statement from the tax filer indicating that he or she was a victim of identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware of the issue.

You must officially drop your UCF classes to avoid being charged for classes that you do not attend, as well as, notify us in writing that you are not attending UCF.

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool in the online FAFSA application is the fastest, easiest, most secure method of providing the required tax verification. You may log in to your FAFSA and submit a correction to use the IRS Retrieval Tool. There are certain circumstances in which your parent(s) are not eligible to use the IRS retrieval such as when your parents filed separate tax returns if married or your parent’s marital status has changed after December 31 of the tax year.

There are three ways to request a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS.

1. Online at IRS.gov. Click on “Get Your Tax Record”. Make sure to request a Tax Return Transcript not a Tax Account Transcript.
2. By telephone at 1-800-908-9946. Please allow 5 to 10 calendar days for delivery.
3. By Mail: You can request an IRS Tax Return Transcript be mailed to you by using Form 4506-T or by going to IRS.gov and clicking the “Get Transcript by Mail” option. Make sure to request a Tax Return Transcript, not a Tax Account Transcript. Transcripts will arrive in 5 to 10 calendar days at the address the IRS has on file for you, from the date the IRS received your request.

Read a more comprehensive guide on how to request and receive a IRS Tax Return Transcript.

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool in the online FAFSA application is the fastest, easiest, most secure method of providing the required tax verification. You may log in to your FAFSA and submit a correction to use the IRS Retrieval Tool. (There are certain circumstances in which you and your spouse, if married, are not eligible to use the IRS retrieval such as when you and your spouse if married, filed separate tax returns, or your marital status has changed after December 31).

There are three ways to request a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS.

1. Online. Click on “Get Your Tax Record”. Make sure to request a Tax Return Transcript not a Tax Account Transcript.
2. By telephone at 1-800-908-9946. Please allow 5 to 10 calendar days for delivery.
3. By Mail: You can request an IRS Tax Return Transcript be mailed to you by using Form 4506-T or by going to IRS.gov and clicking the “Get Transcript by Mail” option. Make sure to request a Tax Return Transcript not a Tax Account Transcript. Transcripts will arrive in 5 to 10 calendar days at the address the IRS has on file for you, from the date the IRS received your request.

Read a more comprehensive guide on how to request and receive a IRS Tax Transcript.

Acceptable supporting documentation must verify the circumstance described and correlate the circumstance with the term(s) of unsuccessful coursework. Documentation must also be provided by an official third party.

Examples of acceptable documentation include:

• Medical records
• Police records
• Signed letter on official letterhead from a therapist, counselor, member of religious organization, or other person with professional relationship to student who was aware of circumstance

Examples of unacceptable documentation include:

• Letter from family and/or friends
• Pictures

Dependency status is determined based on 13 questions on the FAFSA. You should be prepared to provide documentation to any question for which you answer “Yes.”

Questions for 2022-2023

• Were you born before Jan. 1, 1999?
• As of today, are you married? (Also answer “Yes” if you are separated but not divorced.)
• At the beginning of the 2021–22 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., M.B.A., M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?*
• Do you now have—or will you have—children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2023?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?
• Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?**
• At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

Questions for 2021-2022

• Were you born before Jan. 1, 1998?
• As of today, are you married? (Also answer “Yes” if you are separated but not divorced.)
• At the beginning of the 2020–21 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., M.B.A., M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?*
• Do you now have—or will you have—children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2022?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?
• Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2020, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?**
• At any time on or after July 1, 2020, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2020, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

For the 2023-2024 FAFSA, if you and/or your parents filed taxes in 2021, you must submit a signed copy of the 2021 income tax return or a copy of the 2021 tax return transcripts from the IRS. This is required to complete the verification process. Copies of student’s and parent’s federal income tax returns are acceptable and will satisfy financial aid verification requirements. View the Signing Tax Documents for Verification and Valid Signatures on Forms and Taxes sections for helpful tips on document submission.

For the 2023-2024 FAFSA, if you and/or your spouse filed taxes in 2021, you must submit a copy of the 2021 income tax return or a copy of the 2021 tax return transcripts from the IRS. This is required to complete the verification process. Copies of student’s and spouse’s federal income tax returns are acceptable and will satisfy financial aid verification requirements. View the Signing Tax Documents for Verification and Valid Signatures on Forms and Taxes sections for helpful tips on document submission.

A complete appeal must include signatures from both student and academic adviser in all applicable areas, a written explanation of the circumstances that caused the student to fall below Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, and official third-party documentation to support the explanation.

Satisfactory Academic Progress includes your entire academic history and is automatically updated at the end of each semester to include new grades. We begin the process of determining SAP status for the next term after grades post and typically complete this process within 1-2 weeks of grades posting.

This can be done by visiting the myUCF Student Center, under View Financial Aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status can be viewed on your myUCF Student Self Service Center by selecting the “View Financial Aid” link and then selecting the current aid year. Once on the award page select the link for “Satisfactory Academic Progress” to view your status for the term selected.

You must submit the verification of tax information if you were selected for verification, and on your ‘To-Do List” you have listed:

Dependent Verification Worksheet

• This form is now available to complete and sign electronically. When you are completing this form, it will require the student and/or parent to provide the tax information according to the answers provided on the FAFSA and if the IRS Retrieval Tool was used to retrieve the tax information.
• According to the tax information you reported on your FAFSA, you and/or your parent(s) will be required to upload the tax information on the electronic verification worksheet form before signing and submitting the form electronically.
• If your parents were divorced or separated on the day you filed the FAFSA, you would use the parent with whom you lived with the most in the 12 months before filing the FAFSA. If you lived with neither parent in those 12 months, you would use the parent that provided the greatest financial support in those 12 months or the most recent year in which you received support.
• If the parent you are using was remarried on the day you filed the FAFSA, you must also provide the information for the step-parent.
• If your parents (regardless of gender) are not married to each other and live together, you must provide financial information for both parents.

The Warning status allows students one term to meet all Satisfactory Academic Progress components naturally.  Students who have exceeded Maximum Time Frame will never meet all SAP components naturally, which is why they are ineligible for the Warning status. However, students who are nearing Maximum Time Frame do periodically receive courtesy notification of our SAP policy to determine whether they will graduate prior to exceeding Maximum Time Frame.

At UCF, eligibility for financial aid is based on federal and institutional estimates of your family’s ability to contribute to the cost of education. Awards may include grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans, based upon student eligibility and availability of funds.

Keep in mind that your award is likely to change each year for one or more of the following reasons:

• The cost of education goes up
• Your family’s income changes
• The number of children in college changes
• You forgot to “apply” for financial aid early and missed the priority date

A student’s calculation can differ for several reasons:

• Inclusion of test credits (AP, IB, AICE, etc)
• Change of grade
• Grade(s) posting late (transient, transfer hours if first term at UCF)
• Miscalculation

Students can request a recalculation of their completion ratio through the appeals process. Please include all resources used for self-calculation for our review.

Outcome will be determined and sent to the student via their UCF email address within 2-3 weeks of submission of a complete appeal. Note: Incomplete submissions should expect a longer time frame as they will be pended until requested documentation is received.  Once student submits all additional required documentation, outcome will be determined within 2-3 weeks from that time.

If your appeal submission is incomplete, you will be sent an email notification to your UCF email account detailing what we are missing.  We will also place a SAP Appeal Pending item on the To Do list on your myUCF Student Self Service Center.

Examples of why an appeal may be pending:

• Missing signatures
• No explanation or explanation doesn’t address term(s) in question
• No documentation provided

Note:  If pending items are not received within 45 days of initial request the appeal will be cancelled due to inactivity.

Meet SAP status:

• Do not receive notification.

Warning SAP status:

• Email notification sent to UCF email account before start of the Warning semester
• Reminder email notification sent to UCF email account towards the end of the Warning semester

Not Meet SAP status:

• Email notification sent to UCF email account before start of the Not Meet semester

Students approaching maximum time frame component of SAP:

• Courtesy reminder of our SAP policy is periodically sent to UCF email accounts of students who are approaching but have not yet met the maximum time frame
• Courtesy notification sent to students who will exceed maximum time frame once grades post for the current semester

Satisfactory Academic Progress for graduate students will only take coursework completed while classified as seeking a graduate degree into consideration. Undergraduate coursework from prior undergraduate degree(s) will not apply towards the graduate SAP status. However, any undergraduate coursework taken while classified as seeking a graduate degree will be included in the graduate SAP status.

Students attempting multiple degrees have a higher probability of exceeding the Maximum Time Frame component of SAP.  For further information please see Maximum Time Frame and Multiple Degrees.

There are two programs, the UCF Textbook Purchase Program and the Short Term Advance, to assist with purchasing textbooks. Additional information is provided on the home page under Receiving Aid, Funds for Books.

This includes the number of hours required to receive financial aid based on the aid program including information about transient and remedial hours.

You must officially drop your UCF classes to avoid being charged for classes that you do not attend. Also, please submit a written request to the Office of Student Financial Assistance to cancel your undisbursed financial aid.

Confirmation of academic activity will be provided to the financial aid office weekly.

Students who have their academic activity confirmed by the drop/add deadline will have that information reflected with the financial aid office before financial aid disbursements begin.

Students who have their academic activity confirmed after the drop/add deadline will have that information reflected with the financial aid office after the tuition/fee and housing deadline. Any additional financial aid disbursements will occur on a weekly basis thereafter.

Completion of an academic activity should occur each semester during the first week of classes each semester.

Confirmation of an academic activity may occur later during the term but students are at risk of having a portion or all of their federal aid withheld from the disbursement process until this activity has been successfully completed.

Financial aid disbursements begin during the second week of the term for students who have met all financial aid eligibility requirements, including confirmation of academic activity.

Failure to complete an academic activity in any course does not affect the student’s financial obligation to pay charges for tuition and fees, Housing, short term advances, etc. by the university’s published deadlines.

You must submit the verification of tax information if you were selected for verification, and on your ‘To-Do List” you have listed:

Independent Verification Worksheet:

• This form is now available to complete and sign electronically. When you are completing this form, it will require the student and/or spouse, if married, to provide the tax information according to the answers provided on the FAFSA and if the IRS Retrieval Tool was used to retrieve the tax information.
• According to the tax information you reported on your FAFSA, you and/or your spouse, if married, will be required to upload the tax information on the electronic verification worksheet form before signing and submitting the form electronically.

You should submit ALL of the following:

• A copy of the IRS Tax Return Transcript or a signed copy the 1040 that was filed with the IRS.
• A signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X that was filed with the IRS.

You should submit ALL of the following:

• A copy of the IRS Tax Return Transcript that includes information from the original tax return or a signed copy of the IRS Form 1040 that was filed with the IRS.
• A signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X for the calendar year that was filed with the IRS.

These would include all items that are required to receive your financial aid. The “To Do List” will begin to show financial aid items needed,if required, after your FAFSA has been received at UCF.

If you and/or your spouse filed a tax return in a foreign country or in a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico, please submit signed copies of the tax returns with dollar amounts converted to U.S. currency.

If you and/or your parent(s) filed a tax return in a foreign country or in a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico, please submit signed copies of the foreign tax returns with dollar amounts converted to U. S. currency or the territory’s tax return.

No. The National Merit Scholarship is only available during the fall and spring terms.

Eligible students must enroll in at least 6 non-remedial undergraduate credit hours each term to receive Bright Futures funding.

Exceptions are granted for:

• Eligible students who have less than 6 credit hours of remaining eligibility (this is done automatically at UCF)
• Eligible students who need less than 6 credit hours to graduate. These students must submit a letter (on official letterhead) from their student success coach. The letter should be sent to the attention of the Bright Futures Department and should state:
  • Student’s name & UCFID/PID
  • Name of course(s) needed for graduation
  • Name of the undergraduate degree to be received

Graduate level hours may be approved by the student’s student success coach if the graduate level hours will count toward the undergraduate degree completion requirements. These students must submit a letter (on official letterhead) from their student success coach. The letter should be sent to the attention of the Bright Futures Department and should state:

• Student’s name & UCFID/PID
• Name of the graduate course(s)
• Name of the undergraduate degree these courses will count toward

The Federal Direct Loan Program has no impact on a direct deposit account that you have already established.

In order for the loans to defer tuition and fees, you must accept the offered loans on myUCF View Financial Aid, Accept/Decline Awards screen.

For information about loan disbursements, please visit our Disbursement of Financial Aid webpage.