NJCU's Office of Financial Aid

Office Of Financial Aid

Important Web Sites and Phone Numbers This is where you will login to the GothicNet to view your financial aid, as well as any other resources you may need at NJCU.

Gothicnet.njcu.edu

FAFSA .gov

1-800-433-3243

One stop shop for any information regarding your Federal Direct Stafford and PLUS Loans (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students).

StudentLoans.gov

HESA A .org

IRS.gov

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Anyone who wants financial aid must complete the FAFSA.

1-800-792-8670

HESAA is the New Jersey State Higher Education website. You can view the status of your state aid, submit state required document requests, and apply for a NJ CLASS loan.

1-800-908-9946

IRS website for requesting a Federal Tax Return Transcript.

Office of Financial Aid Contact Information Phone: 201-200-3173 Fax: 201-200-3181 Email: financialaid@njcu.edu Web: njcu.edu/financialaid

Office Hours Monday & Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Financial Aid Officer Appointments LAST NAME INITIAL

FINANCIAL AID OFFICER NAME

PHONE

EMAIL ADDRESS

A — Ca

Judith Laput

201-200-2053

jlaput@njcu.edu

Ce — Ga

Sharon Lu

201-200-3244

slu@njcu.edu

Ge — H

Nancy Bookbinder

201-200-3269

nbookbinder@njcu.edu

I — Ma

Katrina Smith-Younger

201-200-2054

ksmith@njcu.edu

Mc — Pe

Jonathan Ng

201-200-2238

jng@njcu.edu

Ph — Sa

Jennifer Macri

201-200-3294

jmacri@njcu.edu

Sc — T

Feliz Gutierrez-Caufield

201-200-2354

fgutierrez@njcu.edu

U—Z

Patricia Albers

201-200-2055

palbers@njcu.edu

8 STEPS

TO APPLY FOR FEDER AL & STATE STUDENT AID Step 1

Get free information and help from your school counselor or the Office of Financial Aid at NJCU. Your NJCU counselor’s contact information is listed above. Free help is available any time during the application process. You should never have to pay for help.

Step 2

Create an FSA ID. The FSA ID lets you apply, “sign” your FAFSA and make corrections online.

Step 3

New Jersey State Deadlines First-time NJ State Grant Applicants Fall/Spring Applicants - October 1st Spring Only - March 1st Renewal Tuition Aid Grant Recipients June 1st Federal Deadlines Complete the FAFSA between Jan 1st and June 30th (no exceptions to either date) BUT apply as soon as possible.

To meet deadlines apply online at www.FAFSA.gov.

Step 5

To submit additional required information for New Jersey State grants and scholarships, New Jersey residents should click the link on the FAFSA confirmation page titled “Optional Feature – Start your state application...”

Once completed you will be notified of the status of your State grant application by the HESAA. Step 6

The U.S. Department of Education will send you your Student Aid Report (SAR) – the result of processing your FAFSA. Review your SAR, and if necessary, make changes or corrections and submit your SAR for reprocessing.

You can submit corrections online at www.FAFSA.gov.

Your complete, corrected SAR will contain your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which determines your federal student aid eligibility.

HOW TO CREATE AN FSA ID

VIEWING AID ON GOTHICNET PORTAL

Your FSA ID confirms your identity when you access your financial aid information and electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents. You can create one by logging into FAFSA.gov, the National Student Loan Data System at NSLDS.ed.gov, StudentLoans.gov, StudentAid.gov, and Agreement to Serve (ATS) at www.Teach-ats.ed.gov.

New students must submit their admissions deposit to access the GothicNet website. Following the steps below students can view, accept, and/or decline aid on Gothicnet.njcu.edu.

Step 1 Create an FSA ID via a site listed above.

My Menu > Students > Student Center > Accept/Decline Awards

Step 2 Enter e-mail address and create a username

and password.

Step 7

If you are selected for federal verification, your school’s financial aid office will ask you to submit tax return transcripts and other documents, as appropriate.

Be sure to meet the school’s deadlines. To request an IRS tax return transcript go to www.IRS.gov.

Step 8

All Students: Contact the financial aid office if you have any questions about the aid being offered.

First-Time Applicants: Review award letters from schools to compare amounts and types of aid being offered. Decide which school to attend based on a combination of (a) how well the school fits your needs and (b) its affordability after all aid is taken into account.

Step 3 Enter your name, date of birth, Social Security

number, contact information, and security questions.

Step 4 If you have a FSA PIN, you will be able to enter

it and link it to your FSA ID. You can still create an FSA ID if you have forgotten or do not have a PIN. Step 5 Review your information, read and

accept the terms and conditions.

Step 6 Verify your e-mail address using the secure

code, which will be sent to the e-mail address you entered when you created your FSA ID. Once verified, your email can be used to log into the websites.

Step 1 Sign into www.Gothicnet.njcu.edu.

Step 2 Accept your loans.

Step 3 Award Package. Check off boxes next to

awards you wish to accept or decline. Loan amounts can be fully or partially accepted. Submit.

Step 4 Confirmation Page. This will show

if your submission was successful.

Step 5 First-Time Loan Borrowers at NJCU must

complete an Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory note at www.StudentLoans.gov.

TYPES OF AID AND PROCEDURES

Loans:

Federal:

Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized):

Federal Pell Grant: The actual amount of the grant is

This loan is made to students by the U.S. Department of Education. These are guaranteed loans and do not require a credit check. The amount listed on the Financial Aid Award Notice is the anticipated amount of the student’s eligibility. The loans funds are sent electronically each semester to the University based on the disbursement dates on the loan certification.

based on the official Institutional Student Information Report (ISIR) sent electronically to the school by the Federal Student Aid, academic program and your enrollment status. Credit on your account will not occur unless the information on the ISIR is correct and verified.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG): A federal grant for undergraduates with

exceptional financial need, as determined by the school. The amount per year varies depending on need and availability of funds awarded to the school by the federal government.

Federal Work Study (FWS): A federally funded work

program. This award would be earned by the student after they obtain a work assignment. FWS is not deferrable against the semester bill.

State: New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA):

The actual amount of this grant is based on the official Student Eligibility Notice sent to students

by HESAA. If the TAG award Notice from HESAA indicates NJCU, HESAA will notify NJCU directly of a student’s approved award. However, if it does not indicate NJCU, it is the student’s responsibility to make the change with HESAA. This grant requires students to be full-time (12+ credits).

Institutional: The University has merit based scholarships available from various groups and foundations, in addition to the institution. All merit scholarships require students to be Full-time and to have a FAFSA application on file.

Funds from this loan program may not be credited to the student’s account until the student has completed Student Loan Entrance Counseling, a Federal Master Promissory Note and the Financial Aid Office has confirmed that the student is enrolled at least half-time.

The Federal Government pays the interest on the Direct Subsidized Loan for undergraduate students only while the student is enrolled at least half-time.

A credit check will be performed as part of the application process. A borrower must not have adverse credit history to be approved for the loan.

The Graduate PLUS loan will be applied directly to the student’s account.

The student is responsible for the interest on the Direct Unsubsidized loan while in school and during the six month grace period.

The interest rate on both the Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans is fixed at 4.29% for Undergraduate students and 5.84% for Graduate Students. The repayment of these loans begin 6 months after the student ceases to be enrolled in the university at least half-time or completes their program of study.

A student must receive the full amount of the Unsubsidized Stafford loan prior to receiving a Graduate PLUS loan. Please go to the following website for further information and the application procedure for Federal Loans: www.StudentLoans.gov.

Federal Perkins Loan: This loan is a low interest (5%)

for both undergraduate and graduate students with financial need. NJCU is the lender; the loan is made with government funds, and your school contributes a share.

You must repay this loan to NJCU.

Federal PLUS Loan: This loan whose interest rate

is currently at 6.84% fixed is for parents of undergraduate dependent students only. The PLUS loan is made to the parent by the U.S. Department of Education. The parent and student must complete the PLUS Loan Application online and submit it to the Department of Education for processing.

The parent may apply for a PLUS loan for the total cost of education minus any financial assistance received. This loan must be fully approved before the funds can be sent to the university. A credit check will be performed as part of the application process.

A borrower must not have adverse credit history to be approved for the PLUS loan. The PLUS loan will be applied directly to the student’s account.

Federal Graduate PLUS Loan: This loan whose interest

rate is currently at 6.41% fixed is for Graduate and Professional students enrolled at least half-time in a degree granting program. This loan must be fully approved before funds can be sent.

ALTERNATIVE LOAN FUNDING: These loans are non-need-based for students and require good credit. If you intend to apply for these loans, it is encouraged that you apply with a cosigner who has good credit.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

All first-time Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowers at NJCU must complete Student Loan Entrance Counseling and a Federal Master Promissory Note (MPN) before student loans are certified and disbursed by the University.

Please go to the following website for further information on application procedures: www.studentloans.gov. Federal regulations require student loan borrowers to be enrolled at least half-time, 6 credits per semester. Federal regulations permit the deduction of origination and guarantee fees from the Federal Stafford Loan prior to disbursement.

Office of Financial Aid CONTACT INFORMATION

OFFICE HOURS

Phone: 201-200-3173 Fax: 201-200-3181 Email: financialaid@njcu.edu Web: njcu.edu/financialaid

Monday & Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.