The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (SFAS) is committed to assisting students and their families in managing the cost of attending UIC. Comprehensive information about the financial aid process—including eligibility requirements, application procedures, and the various types of aid available—can be found on the SFAS website. 

To be considered for financial aid, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (RISE) every year. UIC offers different types of financial aid to students from various sources. Students may receive gift assistance (like grants, scholarships, and waivers) as well as self-help (like loans and Federal Work Study Employment) from federal, state, institutional, and private sources.

Grants and Scholarships

Grants are a type of financial aid awarded to students who demonstrate financial need and do not need to be repaid. They may be provided by federal, state, institutional, or private sources.

Scholarships are another form of gift aid that also does not require repayment. These awards are typically based on academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, or other specific eligibility criteria.

For more information about available grants and state or institutional scholarships, please visit the SFAS website.

Loans and Student Employment

Students eligible to complete a FAFSA will be considered for Federal Direct Stafford Loans. These loans and Parent PLUS loans (undergraduates only) enable students and parents to borrow money from the federal government. To be eligible for loans during the school year, undergraduate and professional students must be enrolled for at least six hours, while graduate students must be registered for at least five hours. For students who have demonstrated financial need, the Federal Work-Study Program provides funding for on-campus part-time jobs. This allows them to earn money to help pay for education expenses. The maximum awards available vary from year to year based on funding. Students can find more details about loans and student employment on the SFAS website.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP) for Financial Aid

Federal and state regulations mandate that students receiving financial aid must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a recognized degree or certificate. This requirement applies to all undergraduate and graduate students who receive most types of federal, state, and institutional financial aid the university administers. The SFAS website lists all the necessary SAP requirements. 

Withdrawal Policy

There are two types of withdrawals: official withdrawals and unofficial withdrawals.

• The Office of Registrar determines the official withdrawal date based on when students drop all their classes or notify a university official of their intent to withdraw. In the case of module courses, if a student drops all future or current modules after completing a module, the withdrawal date is the last date of academic participation.
• Unofficial withdrawals are students who failed all of their classes per the grades reported at the end of each semester. UIC’s F or U grade policy requires that all F and U grades be reported by the professor with the last date of attendance.

Return to Title IV 

The “Return to Title IV” calculation has several steps. Below is the pertinent information involved in the calculation.

• Financial aid is disbursed at the beginning of the semester under the assumption that the student will complete the entire term. When a student withdraws, the school determines the amount of Title IV financial aid the student is eligible to keep based on their withdrawal date. If the student’s aid has not yet been disbursed at the time of withdrawal, they may be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement.
• The school reviews the number of days a student attended versus the total days of the semester. Breaks of five or more days during the semester are removed from the total days of the semester. The calculation is represented as a percentage of aid the student has earned.
• The school multiplies the percentage of aid earned by the total amount of disbursed aid and aid that could have disbursed. This is the amount of aid the student has earned.
• The school takes the amount of aid the student has earned and subtracts it from the total aid disbursed to the student. This is the amount of aid the student has not earned.
• The school determines the amount of institutional charges that have been applied to the student's account. This amount is multiplied by the percentage of aid earned. This is the amount of unearned institutional charges.
• The school reviews the amount of unearned aid versus the amount of unearned institutional charges within 30 days from the date the school determined the student withdrew (officially and unofficially). The lesser of the numbers is the amount of aid that is returned. The school has 45 days from the date the school determined the student withdrew (officially and unofficially) to return this amount. The least desirable aid is returned first, in ascending order of desirability, as follows:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
2. Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
3. Federal Direct PLUS Loan
4. Federal Pell Grant
5. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
6. Federal TEACH Grant
7. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
8. Other Federal, State, Private, or Institutional Aid

If the R2T4 calculation results in a credit balance on the student’s account, it will be disbursed as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the calculation of the R2T4.

If a student did not receive all of the Title IV funds they earned before withdrawing, they may be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement.

If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, the school is required to obtain the student’s permission before disbursing those funds. The school must offer the loan funds within 30 days of determining the student’s withdrawal and allow the student at least 14 days to respond. Once permission is received, the school must make the loan disbursement within 180 days of the withdrawal determination. Students may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds to avoid incurring additional debt.

The school may use all or part of a post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds to cover outstanding charges for tuition, fees, and room and board. For any other school charges, the school must obtain the student’s permission to apply those grant funds. If the student does not grant permission, the school must offer the funds directly to the student. Post-withdrawal disbursements of grant funds must be made within 45 days of the school’s determination that the student withdrew.

Please note that some Title IV funds may not be eligible for disbursement after withdrawal due to other federal eligibility requirements.

If a student needs to withdraw from all of their classes, they are encouraged to speak to a financial aid advisor before doing so to determine how it may affect their financial aid and their Satisfactory Academic Progress