Understanding Your Financial Aid Awards

The Office of Financial Aid has created your awards package by offering you the maximum available aid based on your eligibility for federal and state programs. We have applied a consistent and equitable awarding philosophy to all applicants based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the Cost of Attendance Budget (COA), and the availability of funds. We assume that all students will enroll full-time, unless we are notified otherwise in writing.

Review your aid package by logging into your Bearcat Web account. A brief description of the types of aid are available on our quick links to the left of this page under the categories Federal Programs, State Programs, Workstudy, and Loans.

Although your aid package may include student or parent loans, you should borrow only what you need. The best order for determing which award is better is usually Scholarships > Grants > Stafford Loan(s) > PLUS Loan > Alternative Loan.