Graduate Student Financial Aid

The University of Houston-Downtown offers a variety of financial aid programs to assist undergraduate and graduate students in meeting educational costs. The programs include scholarships, grants, loans and part-time employment, which may be awarded in various combinations and amounts to meet individual student needs. Because funds are limited in many programs, it is important to begin the application process early and complete the necessary applications properly and on time. To receive priority consideration for the Graduate Tuition Grant all necessary applications must be on file in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by April 1 of each year. Most federal and state aid is awarded on the basis of proven financial need rather than academic achievement. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, talents and special skills rather than proven financial need.

Direct Costs	Resident	Non-Resident
Tuition & Fees (8 hours/semester)	$9,184	$14,912
Books and Supplies	$1,296	$1,296

 

Grants

Texas Public Educational Grant. This grant is funded by tuition revenues and is available to both Texas residents and non-residents. Students must demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this grant. Students must be enrolled at least half-time.

Graduate Tuition Grant. This need-based grant is made available through state tuition deregulation. Graduate Tuition Grant is offered to students based on financial need and availability of funds. This grant is available to both FAFSA and TASFA students. Students must be enrolled at least half-time.

Work-Study Programs

Texas Work-Study and Federal College-Work Study. These programs are designed for students who enroll at least half-time who demonstrate financial need. Awards are earned as wages in on- and off-campus positions. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident for federal work-study or be classified as a Texas resident for Texas work-study. Students who have relatives working at UHD must get clearance from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to show they are in compliance with the university’s nepotism policy.

Student Loans

Direct Unsubsidized Loan. A low-interest loan not based on financial need. Students may defer interest payments while enrolled at least half-time. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident and be enrolled at least half-time to participate. Maximum loan amounts vary with grade level in college. Additional application and loan counseling required.

 

Application Procedures

At a minimum, students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Other forms or documentation may be required to determine eligibility for state and/or federal programs. When completing the FAFSA, students should list UHD’s school code (003612) in Step Six. Once a student has begun the application process, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will notify the student of missing forms and/or documentation by e-mail. Students will also be e-mailed an award letter to their gator mail account when their eligibility for aid has been finalized. Students may also access their financial aid information online at myUHD.

Certain categories of foreign-born and immigrant students in the state of Texas can meet state requirements for residency. Such students are able to pay the resident tuition rate while attending public institutions of higher education in Texas. If a student falls into this category he/she will need to complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). The form is available on the forms web page.

Direct Lending Procedures

Getting Started:

1. Important: You will need your Department of Education FSA ID (the same ID used for the FAFSA) in order to complete and electronically sign your electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) under the Direct Loan Program. If you have forgotten your ID or do not yet have one, please visit the federal student aid website to have your ID reset.
2. Have your social security number, date of birth, and driver’s license number accessible.
3. You will also be required to provide two personal references (full name, address, and telephone number) whom you have known for at least three years. Each reference provided must reside at a different U.S. address as well as different from the student’s address.

Complete an Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN)

To complete your eMPN, you will need to go to federal student aid website and click on “Complete Loan Agreement for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan (MPN)”. Remember that you will need your Department of Education FSA ID to begin the process.

An eMPN can be completed in 9 steps. We estimate that it will take 30 minutes to complete the eMPN process. Make sure you allow enough time to complete the entire process in a single session. If you exit the web site before submitting your signed MPN in Step 8 and return later, you’ll have to start over beginning with Step 1.

Step 1 FSA ID Registration

Step 2 Disclosure and Consent

Step 3 Provide Name and School

Step 4 Complete MPN

Step 5 Review/Read Draft MPN

Step 6 Sign Your MPN

Step 7 Review signed MPN/Enter Confirmation Code

strong>Step 8 Confirm Acceptance of MPN Terms and Submit MPN

Step 9 Success! Now Print Your MPN

Once you complete the eMPN process correctly, UHD will receive notification electronically that you have completed your MPN. This will allow the UHD Financial Aid Office to continue working on your loan disbursement authorization process.

Complete a Loan Entrance Counseling (LEC)

To complete your LEC, you will need to go to federal student aid website and Complete Entrance Counseling. Remember that you will need your Department of Education FSA ID to begin the process.

Your LEC includes information about all of your past student loans as well as helps you to see the amount you will owe based on that previous total. This is required every academic year that you borrow loans.

Once you complete the LEC process correctly, UHD will receive notification electronically that you have completed your LEC. This will allow the UHD Financial Aid Office to continue working on your loan disbursement authorization process.

Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement

Effective for the 2021-22 award year, all Direct Loan borrowers (subsidized, unsubsidized, graduate PLUS, and parent PLUS) will be required to complete the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgment (ASLA) before receiving the first disbursement on the first Direct Loan that the student or parent borrows for each new award year. The ASLA, which was previously known as the Informed Borrower Tool (IBT), requires student and parent borrowers to view how much they currently owe in federal student loans, and to acknowledge that they have seen these amounts, before borrowing new loans each award year.

Other Eligibility Requirements

UHD Degree-Seeking Student Requirement

In order to receive financial aid, students must make progress toward their degree as defined by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

There are three components to academic progress:

Grade Point Requirement

Graduate students must achieve and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Completion Requirement

Students must complete at least 73% of all course work attempted.

Time Frame Requirement

Graduates must complete their program of study with no more than 54 hours to include all hours that have been attempted as a graduate at all schools attended. A complete copy of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is available upon request. Please read this policy to see how progress will be monitored. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is required to review students’ entire academic records (regardless of the age of the record or whether or not aid was received) to determine compliance. Students found not to be in compliance will be notified in writing of any denial/suspension and the appropriate appeal procedure.

Dropping Classes

For students who register and then totally withdraw from all classes, eligibility for aid will be RECALCULATED based on the number of days they attended class. If they totally withdraw from all classes prior to the first class day, they must repay any and all financial aid received. If they withdraw on or after the first class day, they may have to repay a portion of any cash financial aid received. Students who have failed to earn a passing grade in any of their classes are considered to have totally withdrawn from school and may have to repay a portion of any financial aid received. See Return of Title IV Funds below. Students who totally withdraw should consult the definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress to determine if their withdrawal will affect their eligibility for future aid.

Administrative Drops

For students who have been administratively dropped from classes for non-attendance, eligibility for aid will be RECALCULATED based on the number of hours for which enrollment remains. If student is dropped from all courses, ALL aid will be removed from student’s account resulting in a balance to the university.

Return of Title IV Funds

The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 changed the for­mula for calculating the amount of aid a student and school can retain when the student totally withdraws from all classes or fails to earn a passing grade in any of the current semester’s classes. Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing 60% of the semester will have their eligibility for aid recalculated based on the percent of the semester completed. For example, a student who withdraws completing only 30% of the term will have “earned” only 30% of any Title IV aid received. The remaining 70% must be returned by the school and/or the stu­dent.  A student who fails to earn a passing grade in any of his/her courses will have their eligibility recalculated based on the last date of participation in an academically related activity as noted by the instructor. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid encourages you to obtain a complete copy of this policy from the office and read it carefully. If you are thinking about withdrawing from all classes PRIOR to completing 60% of the semester, you should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to see how your withdrawal will affect your financial aid. 

Academic Scholarships</p

Academic scholarships at UHD are intended to recognize and reward outstanding achievement and community involvement. Applicants for most scholarships, therefore, do not need to show evidence of financial need to apply. For more information on the available scholarships and deadlines refer to the scholarship page. Many academic departments at UHD also award scholarships. Students are encouraged to contact the department of their major to find out what departmental scholarships are available.

Tuition and Fee Exemptions

Hazlewood Act

The Hazlewood Act is a benefit that provides qualified veterans, their spouses, and dependent children with an exemption that can cover up to 150 credit hours of eligible tuition and fees at Texas public institutions. Not all university charges are covered, and it does not include indirect expenses such as living expenses, books, or miscellaneous.

 Veterans The veteran must meet the following criteria:

• At the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces:
  
  • Were Texas residents or
  • Designated Texas as Home of Record, or
  • Entered the service in Texas
• Have served at least 181 days of active military duty, as indicated on the DD214 as “net active service” (the sum of 12[c] and 12 [d])
• Have received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions
• Have no federal veteran’s education benefits, or have no federal Veterans education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 31 or 33) for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits.
• Are not in default on a student loan made or guaranteed by the State of Texas.
• Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e., a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its costs), unless the college’s governing board has ruled to let veterans receive the benefit while taking non-funded courses.
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in accordance with the university’s financial aid policy.

Dependents Children and Spouses must meet the following criteria:

• Be a child or spouse of a veteran who, at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces:
• Were Texas residents or
• Designated Texas as Home of Record, or
• Entered the service in Texas
• Have a parent or spouse who was a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, Texas National Guard, or Texas Air National Guard who died as a result of service-related injuries or illnesses, is missing in action, or became totally disabled for purposes of employability as a result of service-related injury or illness.
• Have no federal veteran’s education benefits, or have federal education benefits dedicated to the payment of tuition and fees only (such as Chapter 31 or 33) for term or semester enrolled that do not exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits.
• Are residents of Texas as of the term or semester in which they enroll
• Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in accordance with the university’s financial aid policy.

To obtain this exemption, the veteran or dependent must submit an application with attached evidence to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by the Official Day of Record of the term for which the veteran or dependent is applying for the Hazlewood benefits. Hazlewood applications must be renewed each year.

Financial Aid Disbursements

The dollar amounts listed on your award page are generally based on full-time enrollment. The amount of aid authorized for disbursement to your student account will be based on your actual credit hour enrollment. With the exception of Federal or State Work-Study, financial aid processed by the Financial Aid Office will automatically be disbursed to your student account. The Student Accounting and Cashiers Office will deduct incurred costs (tuition, fees, and other authorized charges) from the financial aid that is credited to your account.

The Financial Aid Office will authorize disbursement no earlier than 10 days prior to the start of classes for the semester.

Transfer Monitoring

The U.S Department of Education requires that students who transfer from one institution to another during the same award year undergo a Transfer Student Monitoring process. At UHD all students applying for federal financial aid are monitored for any National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) changes in their financial aid history.

Students who have a financial aid file at UHD will have a temporary seven (7) day hold to permit NSLDS to report any updates to their history and allow time for alerts to be sent to the institution. The seven (7) day count will begin the day after a financial aid award offer has been made. The hold will release automatically after seven days.

Refunds

Any remaining financial aid is refunded to you by the Student Accounting and Cashiers Office. For more information on refunds visit the Cashiers office webpage.