Student Financial Aid Types of Financial Aid Federal Grants (Do not need to be repaid.) Federal Pell Grant: Need-based grants for low-income undergraduate students to provide access to postsecondary education. Grant amounts are dependent on the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) results, cost of attendance, and enrollment status. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG): This grant is for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. Pell Grant recipients with a zero expected family contribution will be given priority consideration for FSEOG funds.
Federal Work-Study George Mason University offers Federal Work-Study (FWS) for eligible students to help pay for college expenses. This program allows students to work in a variety of part-time positions while building their resumes, time management skills, and job abilities.
Loans Various types of loans are available to assist in financing a student’s education. After a student completes and submits a FAFSA, based on the student’s eligibility, the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) can offer Direct Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and Direct PLUS Loans.
State Grants (Do not need to be repaid.) Mason Out-of-State Grant: The purpose of this grant is to provide assistance to financially needy out-of-state students. Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP): The purpose of the grant is to provide an incentive to attend college to financially needy students who graduated from a Virginia high school. Virginia Commonwealth Award: This grant provides assistance to financially needy undergraduate Virginia residents.
Scholarships (Do not need to be repaid.) There are many different resources for students to use when searching for scholarship opportunities. Mason’s Office of Student Financial Aid posts a list of scholarships offered to students by George Mason University (referred to as “internal” scholarships) and a list of Outside or External Scholarships offered by a variety of external sources (agencies, companies, private donors, etc.) for undergraduate and graduate students as the scholarships become available.
28
Important Dates To Remember... January 1—FAFSA application becomes available online at www.fafsa.gov March 1—Financial Aid/FAFSA Filing Priority Deadline for George Mason University May 15—Deadline for students to submit any and all requested documentation from the OSFA in order to determine the student’s eligibility for state and institutional grant aid.