Know This!
Things to Keep in Mind
Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer
Review this page to understand how to read your financial aid award offer. Use the aid offer sent to your USF email and our Cost Calculator to make sure you will have enough aid to pay your educational expenses.
Award Terms and Conditions
Financial aid terms & conditions must be accepted in Student Self-Service before you review your financial aid offers. Some scholarships may have separate terms & conditions to view; however, you can accept all terms & conditions at the same time by clicking on the 鈥淎ccept鈥� button under the terms & conditions tab in Student Self-Service.
Financial Aid and Your Enrollment
Enrollment statuses are the same for every semester: fall, spring, and summer. Enrollment requires that you are an active degree seeking student. Most financial aid awards require at least half-time attendance and many programs require full-time attendance.
Financial Aid and Your Bill
Your bill is due the fifth day of classes each term. A tuition deferment prevents cancellation of registration for non-payment of fees, and temporarily prevents assessment of the late payment fee. Financial aid is paid on the sixth day of classes after enrollment is confirmed.
Summer Aid Eligibility
The amount of aid you can receive for summer will depend on the length of the summer session(s) in which you enroll. Your aid will be initially based on enrollment in summer C session (10 weeks), but your aid amount may be reduced if you end up enrolling in summer A only or summer B only. For example, if you are in summer A only, your cost of attendance will reflect 6 weeks of expenses.
What If I Drop Some Classes or Withdraw?
The decision about whether or not to drop a class or withdraw is an academic issue; however, it is your responsibility to understand the financial implications of this decision. Dropping classes may jeopardize future student aid eligibility, including scholarships & student loans. Click the links for more information.
Special Or Unusual Circumstances
The U.S. Department of Education uses a formula to determine your eligibility based on tax data from two years ago, which you provided on the FAFSA. If major changes occurred during 2023, 2024 and/or 2025 that are not reflected on your FAFSA, you may be able to receive a financial aid adjustment.
Bachelor鈥檚/Master鈥檚 Pathways
Pathways Programs allow academically qualified students to complete a bachelor鈥檚 degree and a master鈥檚 degree on an accelerated timeline. Typically, students will complete a portion of the required graduate coursework while classified as undergraduate students and have it count toward both degrees.