Graduate Catalog 2010-2011
UDM Academic PoliciesCourse DescriptionsList of All ProgramsFaculty

Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance

A limited number of fellowships, assistantships and tuition scholarships are available each year in various program areas. Fellowships usually involve remission of tuition and academic fees for two academic terms or, in some circumstances, for the entire year. Some may include stipends.

Upon admission, students should apply for graduate fellowships and assistantships available through the graduate program to which they have been accepted. Designated recipients will be required to respond to the offer within 30 days. After that period, the University reserves the right to rescind its offer and notify a designated alternative that the award is available.

Graduate Awards

Recipients of graduate fellowships and assistantships must remain full-time students, in good standing in their major, during the period of the award. Duties and responsibilities of award recipients are defined by the dean and are limited to teaching, research and/or other activities related to scholarship and must remain enrolled as full-time students in their major program. Failure to fulfill the obligations of an assistantship or fellowship may result in immediate termination of the award. Approximately 20 hours per week should be devoted to these duties. For further information on the availability of and guidelines for these awards, contact the dean of the college to which the application will be made.

Financial Aid

Financial assistance based upon need is available to students enrolled at least half-time (4.5 credits per term) in programs leading to a graduate degree. This assistance includes Federal Work Study. In addition, Federal Direct Stafford Loans may be available. Graduate students who demonstrate financial need may borrow a Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford loan of up to $8,500 per academic year. (Subsidized means the interest is paid by the government while the student is enrolled at least half-time.) The Unsubsidized Stafford provides additional funds, not based on financial need, of up to $12,000 per academic year. (The student is responsible for the interest on the unsubsidized amount while in school; however, principal and interest payments can be postponed.) The combination of the subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans cannot exceed $20,500 per academic year. The interest rate is fixed at 6.8% for Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford loans. Repayment terms of up to 10 years are available. Repayment begins six months after a student graduates, drops to less than half-time enrollment or leaves school.

The Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan is available to graduate and professional students who are enrolled at least half-time. The maximum that may be borrowed may not exceed the cost of attendance minus any financial aid the student is eligible for. The interest rate is fixed at 7.9 percent. Students may qualify to defer their loan payments while they attend school on at least a half-time basis. Interest continues to accumulate on Grad PLUS loans during this deferment period.

Private loans, based on cost of your education, less other financial aid, are available to graduate students. Eligibility for these loans is based on individual credit worthiness. Borrowing limits and interest rates vary, depending upon the type of loan.

Additional information can be found on the financial aid web page .


A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is required for each academic year the student wants to be considered for grants, work-study or loans. The FAFSA can be completed on-line.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to receive financial aid funds from federal, state and institutional sources, all students must make satisfactory academic progress toward a degree. All graduate students (Not Dental/Law school students) must earn a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 during at least one of two semesters of each academic year and must maintain a 3.0 G.P.A.

  • Full-time students (those who register for at least nine credit hours per semester) must complete a 36 hour degree program by the end of the third academic year. Students enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 36 credit hours must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in each year beyond the third year. The only exception to this policy will be made for students requiring fewer than 12 hours to graduate.
  • Less than full-time students (those who register for less than nine credit hours per semester) must complete a 36 hour degree program in a maximum of four academic years.

Students enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 36 credit hours must complete a minimum of nine credit hours in each year beyond the fourth year. The only exception to this policy is made for students requiring less than nine hours to graduate.

For financial aid purposes, grades of A, B, C, D and S are considered passing grades. Classes elected for audit (AUD) are not considered when determining eligibility. Grades of I, NR, F, and XF will be considered non-passing grades. A grade of I, if changed to a passing grade, will be taken into consideration. A grade of W or NR (no record) will not be counted in the calculation of the quality point average and the course in which the grade is received will not be considered a course completed toward the incremental requirement.

Probation

Students who repeat a course during a semester must meet the grade point and increment standard for the year for continued eligibility for financial aid.

Students receiving financial aid who fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards will be placed on probation for one semester. While on probation, students will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress. First time financial aid applicants who do not meet SAP requirements will also be placed on probation.

Students who do not meet SAP requirements will be notified by letter after Term II grades are posted. If you, as a student, receive a "Financial Aid Probation Notice and Satisfactory Academic Progress Contract," you should follow the steps below:

  • 1. Examine the notice carefully. If you have questions about the notice or if you believe you have met the SAP requirements, contact your financial aid counselor.
  • 2. Once you have examined the notice and contract, make an appointment to meet with your academic advisor or dean to discuss your academic progress, schedule your classes for the upcoming term and complete the SAP contract. Your advisor will try to assist in making class choices which will fulfill both the requirement of the SAP policy and the requirements of the college. (Please remember that the requirements of the college may be more stringent than those of the SAP policy.) It is very important that you select your classes wisely so that you will not be overburdened, yet will meet the minimum SAP requirements.
  • 3. Return the completed contract to the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office by the end of the first week of classes. No financial aid will be disbursed until the signed contract is returned to the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office.
  • 4. Do your best to meet the requirements of the contract during your probationary semester. If the contract specifies that you must complete a minimum number of credit hours, be aware that dropping classes may result in the loss of financial aid for future semesters. If the contract specifies both a credit hour and a QPA requirement, you must meet both requirements during your probationary semester.
  • 5. At the end of your probationary semester, your academic progress will be reviewed. If the SAP requirements have been met, your probation will end. If you failed to meet the minimum SAP requirements, no further financial aid will be disbursed to you until those requirements are met. If you did not meet the SAP requirements during your probationary semester because of mitigating circumstances, you may make a written appeal to continue your probation for one additional semester.

Appeals and Mitigating Circumstances
A student denied financial aid because of failure to make SAP may appeal the denial in writing to the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office if there are mitigating circumstances. The appeal must describe in detail all circumstances which the student believes are relative to his or her inability to meet the SAP requirements. Students must submit letters of appeal, plus any supporting documents, by the end of the first week of classes (late registration week).

Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility
If a student becomes ineligible for financial aid because of unsatisfactory academic progress, he or she may regain eligibility by meeting the SAP policy without the benefit of financial aid from the University of Detroit Mercy. To do this, the student must enroll and complete courses which are applicable to a degree at the University of Detroit Mercy. The student must also achieve the number of credit hours and/or quality point average sufficient to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

To find out more about regaining financial aid eligibility, the student should contact both the academic advisor and a financial aid counselor for assistance.

Return of Title IV Funds/Institutional Refund Policy

This policy applies to students who withdraw or are expelled, and refunds for these students are determined according to the following policy:

The term "Title IV Funds" refers to the Federal financial aid programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended) and includes the following programs: Unsubsidized Stafford loans, Subsidized Stafford loans, Federal Perkins loans, Federal PLUS loans, Federal Pell Grants, ACG/National SMART Grant, Federal SEOG and other federal sources of aid.

A student’s withdrawal date is: the date the student began the institution’s withdrawal process or officially notified the institution of intent to withdraw; or the midpoint of the period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution; or the student’s last date of attendance at a documented academically-related activity.

Refunds on all charges including tuition, room and board, and fees will be prorated based on the University policy.

Title IV aid and all other aid is earned in a prorated manner on a per diem basis up to the 60% point in the semester. Title IV aid and all other aid is viewed as 100% earned after that point in time. A copy of the worksheet used for this calculation can be requested from the Financial Aid Office.

In accordance with federal regulations, when financial aid is involved, refunds are allocated in the following order: Unsubsidized Stafford loans, Subsidized Stafford loans, Federal Perkins loans, Federal Parent PLUS/Grad PLUS loans, Federal Pell Grants, ACG/National SMART Grants, Federal SEOG, other Title IV assistance, other Federal sources of aid, other state, private and institutional aid, and finally the student.

The student’s responsibilities in regard to the return of Title IV funds include returning to the Title IV programs any funds that were disbursed directly to the student and which the student was determined to be ineligible for (via the Return of Title IV Funds calculation), within 45 days after notice from the University of an overpayment of a grant.

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