Summer Financial Aid

Summer grants may be available to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s degree that display exceptional need as determined by the FAFSA, including those classified as P.5 in the professional pharmacy program. At this time, we anticipate the following grants will be available for the 2025 summer semester:

1. Federal Pell Grant
   • Eligible students may receive 6 years (12 full-time semesters) of Pell. This limit is referred to as 600% Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU). One full-time semester of Pell is 50%. Log in to StudentAid.gov with your username and password, then navigate to “My Aid” to view your LEU.
   • Year-round Pell Grant allows up to 150% of a scheduled grant award over the course of the full academic year so that, if eligible, you can continue taking classes in the summer and finish your degree faster.
   • Starting with the 2024-2025 year, schools calculate payments based on enrollment intensity rather than enrollment status (e.g., full time, half time, etc.). Therefore, enrollment in 6 or more credit hours is no longer required to receive Year-round Pell. The chart showing enrollment intensity relative to the previous enrollment status is below.

2. North Dakota State Grant
   • Must have graduated from a North Dakota high school, received the ND State Grant during the 2024 fall and/or 2025 spring semester, be enrolled for at least 3 credits at 11:59 p.m. on June 19, 2025, and meet all program eligibility requirements as determined by the North Dakota University System Office in Bismarck.
   • Awards range from $343 to $1,375 and funding is limited.
3. Federal TEACH Grant
   • The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program is for students who intend to teach full time in an elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families for at least four of the eight years after their degree completion.
   • Must submit the TEACH Grant application to NDSU One Stop.

Federal and private student loans are available to students who qualify. The following loan programs will be available for the 2025 summer semester:

Federal Direct Loans

A Federal Direct Loan may be subsidized, unsubsidized, or a combination of both. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education, there is no credit check or co-signer required, and the interest rate is typically lower than private student loans. Eligibility requirements include:

• Half-time enrollment (6+ credits for undergraduate students and 5+ credits for graduate and professional pharmacy students); and
• Have remaining annual eligibility from the 2024-2025 academic year based on grade level as shown below; and
• Have not reached the aggregate/lifetime Federal Direct Loan borrowing maximums as shown below; and
• Be in an eligible, degree-seeking program

ANNUAL LOAN LIMITS FOR FEDERAL DIRECT LOANS:

AGGREGATE LIMITS FOR FEDERAL DIRECT LOANS:

Dependent Undergraduate Students — $31,000
Independent Undergraduate Students — $57,500
Graduate Students — $138,500
Professional Pharmacy Students — $224,000

Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

Parents interested in borrowing a loan on the student’s behalf may apply for the Federal Direct PLUS Loan.

Private Student Loans

Private student loans are non-federal, interest-bearing loans through a bank or credit union, typically requiring a co-signer with good credit. A credit check is performed by the lender and if pre-approved, the application is forwarded to NDSU to certify eligibility for the amount requested. Private student loans generally have a higher interest rate than federal student loans. Please refer to the chart here for a summary of the main differences between Federal Direct, Federal PLUS, and private student loans.

• If you are a new private student loan applicant, we encourage you to use the FASTChoice loan comparison tool to help choose the loan program that best suits the needs of you and your co-signer. If you previously borrowed a private student loan, use the same lender to avoid repayment to multiple lenders.
• The maximum loan amount cannot exceed your educational cost of attendance for the summer semester less other financial aid received.
• Approved private student loans have a mandatory holding period of up to 8 business days before loan funds can be released to NDSU. During this time, you may exercise the right to cancel the loan. The approximate time from application to disbursement of a private student loan is 3-4 weeks.
• Some lenders allow students who are not degree-seeking, meeting the required standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) or enrolled at least half time to borrow a private student loan. Lenders and loan programs who permit these criteria can be identified on FASTChoice by using the filter option.
   

Federal Work-Study will not be available for the 2025 summer semester. Non-Work-Study job openings can be found on the Career and Advising Center website by logging in to Handshake.
 

Each semester, student enrollment is locked on a specific date for the purposes of determining aid eligibility. This is referred to as the “financial aid census date”. The census date for summer is June 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. You must be registered for ALL summer courses at census, regardless of the start date, in order for those credits to be considered for financial aid. The census date for anyone who’s initial summer registration occurs after 6/21/2025 will be the date their financial aid offer is posted to Campus Connection.

• Credits added after the financial aid census date cannot be considered in the Federal Pell Grant or North Dakota State Grant amount. No exceptions.
• Federal Direct Loans require undergraduate students to be enrolled for 6+ credits and graduate and professional students to be enrolled for 5+ credits when the loan is disbursed. If adding credits after the census date results in reaching half-time enrollment intensity, contact NDSU One Stop to request that the Federal Direct Loan be added to your financial aid offer.
   

Summer aid will automatically disburse (apply to the summer charges on your NDSU student account) on June 24, 2025, or when you meet the enrollment requirements specified below.

• Federal Pell Grant — after 1 credit of coursework begins
• Federal TEACH Grant — after 1 credit of coursework begins
• North Dakota State Grant — after 3 credits of coursework begins
• Federal Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) — after 1 credit of coursework begins a long as you’re enrolled in 6+ credits (if undergraduate) or 5+ credits (if graduate or professional pharmacy). If it is your first Direct Loan, it will not disburse if you have not completed the Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling on fafsa.ed.gov.
• Private Student Loans — varies, contact the lender for enrollment requirements
• Scholarships — varies, contact the department or donor for enrollment requirements

If your financial aid exceeds your charges, you will be refunded the difference. If you still have a balance due after your financial aid has disbursed, you need to pay it by June 25, 2025.

• You have not completed the Master Promissory Note (MPN) at StudentAid.gov
• You have not completed Loan Entrance Counseling at StudentAid.gov 
• The Verification process has not been completed
• You are not meeting the standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
• You have not met the minimum enrollment requirements (see Financial Aid Disbursement section above for details)
• Your final high school transcript has not been received (contact Office of Admission)
   

We begin emailing financial aid offers for eligible, enrolled students with a 2024-25 FAFSA on file: April 21, 2025.

NDSU Bookstore allows summer book charges: mid-April, 2025.

Financial Aid Census: June 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Financial Aid Disbursement: Begins June 24, 2025 based on enrollment requirements and the start date of your classes. For details, refer to the Financial Aid Disbursement section above.

2024-25 FAFSA Submission Deadline: June 30, 2025
 

1. For consideration of maximum financial aid eligibility, register for ALL of your summer courses on the same day and no later than June 19, 2025. Partial registration followed by adding classes later will not allow us to increase any grant aid you were originally offered.
2. Official notifications from Financial Aid and Scholarships will be sent via your NDSU email address, so be sure to check it often.
3. Dropping classes, even before they have begun, may result in eligibility changes. Contact One Stop at 701-231-6200 to discuss possible implications prior to dropping any classes.
4. If you receive a Federal Pell Grant and class attendance cannot be established, you may have to repay all or a portion of your grant.
5. If you register for summer classes and decide not to attend, you must notify NDSU One Stop immediately to begin the official withdrawal process.
6. If you withdraw to zero credits prior to the 60% point of the summer session(s), you may owe a repayment of financial aid funds to the programs from which they were awarded. Failure to officially withdraw may result in the receipt of failing grades and immediate repayment of financial aid funds thereby owing a debt to NDSU and resulting in disqualification from future financial aid.
7. Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards apply to all semesters, including summer. You are responsible for reading and understanding the academic requirements that must be met in order to receive financial aid. The cost of housing, food, and miscellaneous expenses cannot be included in the cost of attendance if you are enrolled less than half time during the summer semester.
8. Students who received the maximum annual Direct Loan award during the 2024-2025 academic year will be notified if eligible for a summer loan as a result of advancing a grade level after completion of the 2025 spring semester. This applies only to students enrolled for 6 or more credits who advance from a freshman to sophomore, or from a sophomore to junior grade level.