FAQs

You should begin by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA can be filed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. In order to access the website, you will need to register for an FSA (Federal Student Aid) ID upon entering the site.  The FSA ID will serve as your username and electronic signature when completing your FASFA.

As stated on the Federal Student Aid website, an FSA (Federal Student Aid) ID is a username and password that students, parents, and borrowers must use to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education websites beginning May 10, 2015. Your FSA ID will replace your PIN as the way to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information through certain U.S. Department of Education websites. When logging in to these websites, you will be required to enter only your FSA ID username and password.

From the Federal Student Aid website, effective May 10, 2015, you will be able to create an FSA ID when visiting certain U.S. Department of Education websites.
The FSA ID process consists of three main steps:
1. Enter your log-in information.

Provide your e-mail, a unique username, and password and verify you are at least 13 years old. 

2. Enter your personal information.

Provide your Social Security number, name, and date of birth.

Include your mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, and language preference.

Provide answers to five challenge questions. 

3. Submit your FSA ID information.

Agree to the terms and conditions.

Verify your e-mail address. (Note:  By verifying your e-mail address, you can use your e-mail address as your username when logging into certain U.S. Department of Education websites.)

*To print directions or for a visual click here.  

February 15 – Priority deadline for first-year students sending in your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, but applications are accepted throughout the year. March 15 – Priority deadline for current students sending in your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, but applications are accepted throughout the year. August 1 – Payment is due for tuition and fees for the fall term. December 15 – Payment is due for tuition and fees for the spring term.

Yes, the FAFSA allows you to use estimated tax information on the form. It is recommended that you use a previous year’s tax return to help you estimate your answers to the FAFSA questions. If you do use the estimated information, please update your FAFSA once your taxes have been completed.

The parent with whom the student lived most in the past 12 months should complete the financial aid forms. If, for example, this parent is the mother, then the mother should complete the FAFSA using only her financial information, even if a joint return was filed. If a parent has remarried, then the stepparent’s information is also required on the FAFSA.

Yes. Transfer students follow the same procedures as first year student would. A transfer student is eligible for transfer scholarships.

It is not automatically renewed. However, if family circumstances do not change significantly, the award will be similar each year. You must, however, resubmit the FAFSA each year and maintain satisfactory academic progress. Students who do not receive aid in one year may apply in subsequent years.

An early decision award estimate is made with information collected on the Meredith College Early Decision Aid Application. This evaluation is done prior to December 1 to allow prospective students to have the information to make a decision. Later on in the process, the early decision students will complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and receive a finalized award.

You must be officially accepted by Meredith before any financial aid package can be offered. New students whose FAFSA is received by February 15 will be given priority for awards and will be notified of aid eligibility by early April. Returning students typically receive their award packages in June.

No. Meredith reviews each student’s financial aid file before sending an award letter and makes the best offer up front. If a family’s financial situation should change, we will review the aid awarded. Please contact your financial aid counselor in writing via email.

Alternative loans are offered by a number of lenders to assist students in this situation. In general, these alternative loans require borrowers to have an established credit history and to demonstrate credit worthiness. In addition to alternative loans, students are encouraged to research outside scholarship opportunities.

No. If your award letter included Federal Work-Study, this represents the amount you are eligible to earn during the academic year. It is not a guarantee of a job. If you are looking for a job on campus or would like more information can be found on Work Study

Federal regulations require that institutions that participate in Federal student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended must have a process whereby the State in which the institution is located can review and appropriately act on complaints arising under State law. The complaint process available through the N.C. Department of Justice has been deemed by Deputy Assistant Secretary Bergeron (July, 2011) to satisfy the provisions of 34 CFR 600.9(a)(1) requirement. More information on this requirement or instructions on how to file a complaint can be found here: http://ncdoj.gov/Consumer.aspx. Letters can be mailed to the Consumer Affairs Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice: North Carolina Department of Justice Consumer Protection Division 9001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-9001 The phone number is: 1-877-566-7226 An online complaint form is available at: http://www.ncdoj.gov/complaint

Your financial assistance offer is based on living on campus. First and second-year students are required to live on campus. Requests to commute must be received by the Office of Admissions and approved by the Dean of Students. If approved, a new offer will be issued.