The Student Financial Aid Office (SFAO) is actively serving the UofL community through a combination of on-site and off-site operations. Financial aid counselors are available to assist you. Email us at finaid@louisville.edu or call us at 502-852-5511 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Summer 2021 Financial Aid
To be evaluated for federal aid priority processing, after you have finalized your summer enrollment, you may complete the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid. The Early Request for Summer Federal Aid is available on your ULink account. Once you have logged into ULink, your 'Student Homepage' will open. Access the 'Financial Aid' tile and choose 'Early Request Summer Fed Aid' from the left menu.
Do not complete the request until you have finalized your summer enrollment. In order to request an early review of your summer federal financial aid eligibility, you must have an official 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with our office, not be waitlisted in any summer course, and currently be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). If required, all verification forms and requested documents must also be completed.
Refer to the Summer Financial Aid Information Page and Summer Financial Aid FAQ for detailed information.
Spring Aid Disbursement and Residual Funds
Once the SFAO completes a review of your accepted and eligible aid, we will electronically disburse the available funds to the Bursar's Office. After your aid is disbursed and your UofL account balance is paid in full, the Bursar's Office will transmit any excess funds, if applicable, to Nelnet. You will receive your funds based on the refund method you select. If you have not already selected a refund preference and/or for additional information on student choice refunds, please visit the Bursar's Office website.
Student accounts will be evaluated for excess funds on a Monday through Thursday schedule beginning on January 5, 2020. If you have chosen your refund method through Nelnet, excess funds eligible for refund are typically available within 3-5 business days. Monitor your 'Financial Account' on ULink to review disbursed funds.
Complete the FAFSA
Effective October 1, the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available and may be filed using 2019 income and tax data.
The following table summarizes the application dates
School Year/Semesters of Attendance |
FAFSA Submission Window |
Required Tax and Income information |
Fall 2020,Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 |
October 1,2019–June 30,2021 |
2018 |
Fall 2021,Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 |
October 1,2020–June 30,2022 |
2019 |
Please set a reminder for yourself! Look for future reminders from the Student Financial Aid Office, but most importantly, do not forget to file the FAFSA for the upcoming aid year on or as close to October 1st as possible to maximize your potential award eligibility.
For student Direct Loans to disburse in a timely manner, it is critical students complete all required steps if interested in borrowing the loan funds. For loans, this includes loan acceptance in ULink and completing the Master Promissory Note(s) and Entrance Counseling with the Department of Education.
Complete Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note at studentloans.gov.
myStudentAid App
The Department of Education has launched a new mobile app called myStudentAid.
The app allows students or parents to securely fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) entirely from their mobile device. Previously, the FAFSA.gov website had limitation when being accessed from a mobile device and the full function of the site could only be utilized from a desktop computer. So the Department of Education Federal Student Aid office developed the app to provide mobile options to access financial aid.
In addition to submitting a new FAFSA, students can also:
- Correct a previously filed FAFSA
- Renew an old FAFSA application
- Edit or manage an FSA ID
- Check federal loan and financial aid history
ThemyStudentAid Mobile App is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android
Financial Aid and Degree Requirements
If you are enrolled in a course(s) that does not count toward your degree requirements, the course(s) cannot be used to determine your enrollment status for federal financial aid and state need-based aid purposes. This means you cannot receive federal financial aid and state need-based aid for any course that does not count toward your degree requirements.
If it is determined you are enrolled in a course(s) that does not meet your degree requirements, your aid will be reviewed and any necessary adjustments will be made. You will be responsible for settling any potential outstanding balance created.
If you are aware you are enrolled in a course(s) that does not meet your degree requirements, please notify our office as soon as possible.