Summer Financial Aid

Our goal is to help you explore your options and make your academic goals more affordable. Contact us if you have any questions regarding summer financial aid.

Refer to the below Summer Financial Aid Q&A for answers to frequently asked questions and common award eligibility scenarios.

Eligibility

At the University of Louisville, summer is considered a trailer of the preceding academic year. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) of the preceding academic year is used to determine federal financial aid eligibility.

During summer, federal financial assistance is available to eligible applicants who have Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal TEACH Grant, and/or Federal Direct Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Loan eligibility remaining for the award year. Graduate and law students may also be evaluated for Federal Direct Graduate/Professional PLUS Loans. Parents of dependent, undergraduate students may also apply for Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans. For undergraduate students with financial need who meet specific award criteria, a limited amount of Federal Work-Study funds will be made available.

If you are awarded summer federal financial aid, and it is later determined you do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress for the summer term, your summer federal financial aid will be cancelled accordingly.

Request for Early Processing

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 summer registration begins. 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.

 In order to complete the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid, you must:

• Have an official FAFSA on file at UofL
  • For summer 2025, the 2024-2025 FAFSA is required
• Be enrolled for the summer term
  • If you are a graduate or law student, you must be enrolled in at least three credit hours
  • If you are an undergraduate student who is not eligible for Federal Pell Grant funds, you must be enrolled in at least six credit hours
  • If you are an undergraduate student who received 100% of your scheduled Federal Pell Grant award (for example, you received Federal Pell Grant funds during fall and spring based on full-time enrollment), you must be enrolled in at least six credit hours
  • If you are an undergraduate student who did not receive 100% of your scheduled Federal Pell Grant award (for example, you received Federal Pell Grant funds during fall and/or spring based on part-time enrollment), you must be enrolled in at least one credit hour
• Not be waitlisted in any summer course
• Currently be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress
• If required to do so, complete the verification process

Do not complete the request until you have finalized your summer enrollment. If you submit the early request prior to finalizing your registration for all summer terms/sessions, the evaluation of your summer federal financial aid eligibility may be delayed. In addition, if you adjust your enrollment after being awarded summer aid, your aid will be reviewed for potential necessary adjustments, and the disbursement review of your summer aid may be delayed. The Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will be available at the beginning of summer registration until the last date to withdraw from Term III.

Disbursement

Summer federal financial aid funds are not reviewed for disbursement until at least the business day following the last day to drop/add and receive a 100% tuition credit for the first summer term/session for which you are enrolled. Your federal aid award amount(s) will be reevaluated at the point of the disbursement review, and if it is determined an adjustment(s) is needed, your funds will be revised accordingly.

If you are awarded summer federal financial aid, and it is later determined you do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress for the summer term, your summer federal financial aid will be cancelled accordingly.

Aid Programs

Federal Direct Loans

• Only enrolled students who have submitted the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will have their summer Federal Direct Loan eligibility evaluated.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements, including being enrolled at least half-time.
  • For federal financial aid purposes during summer, half-time is defined as six credit hours for undergraduate students and three credit hours for graduate and law students.
• You will only be eligible for Federal Direct Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized Loan funds if you did not receive your full annual eligibility during the academic year, have not reached your lifetime loan eligibility, and meet all eligibility requirements.
• If you are a graduate or law student, your eligibility for Federal Direct Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan funds will be evaluated if you submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid.
• If you are a dependent, undergraduate student and your parent is interested in applying for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, he/she must apply via the U.S. Department of Education's website, choosing a summer loan period for the applicable aid year. Additional information can be found on our Direct Parent PLUS webpage.
• Please refer to our Loans webpage for additional information.

Federal Pell Grant

• In order to have your Federal Pell Grant eligibility evaluated, you must meet all eligibility requirements and have remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility.
• In certain situations, an eligible undergraduate student can receive additional Federal Pell Grant funds (up to 150% percent of his/her scheduled Federal Pell Grant award during an award year). To be eligible for these additional funds, students must be enrolled at least half-time (six hours).
• To ensure your Federal Pell Grant eligibility is maximized, if you are a Federal Pell Grant eligible student who will be graduating at the end of the summer or upcoming fall term, please email our office at finaid@louisville.edu, indicating your anticipated graduation date and that you are a Federal Pell Grant recipient.
• If at any time we receive information you have exceeded your maximum Federal Pell Grant eligibility, either yearly or lifetime, and you are awarded summer Federal Pell Grant funds, your award amount will be evaluated and necessary adjustments will be made.
• Federal grant eligible students enrolled in the summer term who submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will be given priority for award and disbursement evaluations.
• Federal Pell Grant eligible students who do not submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will have their Federal Pell Grant eligibility evaluated after the last day to add/drop with 100% tuition credit from the last regular summer session (Term III).
• For Federal Pell Grant processing, the summer census date is the day following the last day to drop and receive 100% tuition credit for the 10-Week Term.
  • If awarded a Federal Pell Grant for summer prior to the census date, your Federal Pell Grant will be recalculated based on your enrollment as of the census date.
    • Any course(s) you drop/withdraw from prior to the census date that was included in the calculation of your initial Federal Pell Grant award amount for summer will be excluded in the recalculation of your Federal Pell Grant eligibility.
    • Any course(s) you add after you were initially awarded and prior to the census date will be included in the recalculation of your summer Federal Pell Grant eligibility.
    • If you are not considered a withdrawal for Title IV aid purposes, we will not recalculate your Federal Pell Grant eligibility for changes in enrollment after the census date, as long as you begin attendance or academically participate in the number of credit hours for which your summer Federal Pell Grant is based upon.
    • We will reevaluate your Federal Pell Grant eligibility if you drop a future summer term class(es) and receive a 100% tuition credit, your professor(s) reports your grade(s) as a Never Participated (NP) F-Grade for non-participation in the summer class(es), or you receive all unearned grades for the summer term (which is considered an unofficial withdraw). If it is determined an adjustment is needed, your summer Federal Pell Grant will be reduced accordingly.
  • If you are not awarded a Federal Pell Grant until after the summer census date, your Federal Pell Grant eligibility will be evaluated based on your enrollment at the point awarded. 
    • Any course(s) you drop/withdraw from prior to your award evaluation date will be excluded in the calculation of your summer Federal Pell Grant eligibility.
    • If you are not considered a withdrawal for Title IV aid purposes, we will not recalculate your Federal Pell Grant eligibility for changes in enrollment after your award evaluation date, as long as you begin attendance or academically participate in the hour(s) for which your summer Federal Pell Grant is based upon.
    • We will reevaluate your Federal Pell Grant eligibility if you drop a future summer term class(es) and receive a 100% tuition credit, you do not begin attendance or academically participate in a course(s), your professor(s) reports your grade(s) as a Never Participated (NP) F-Grade for non-participation in the summer class(es), or you receive all unearned grades for the summer term (which is considered an unofficial withdraw). If it is determined an adjustment is needed, your summer Federal Pell Grant will be reduced accordingly.
• Please refer to our Grants webpage for additional information on Federal Pell Grants.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

• Only a limited amount of Federal SEOG funds are available during the summer term to undergraduate students with financial need.
• In order to have your Federal SEOG eligibility evaluated, you must meet all eligibility requirements.
• Federal grant eligible students enrolled in the summer term who submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will be given priority for award and disbursement evaluations.
• Federal SEOG eligible students who do not submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will have their Federal SEOG eligibility evaluated after the last day to add/drop with 100% tuition credit from the last regular summer session (Term III).
• Please refer to our Grants webpage for additional information on Federal SEOG.

Federal Work-Study

• Only a limited amount of Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds are available during the summer term to undergraduate students with financial need who are enrolled at least half-time (six credit hours).
• If you are enrolled or plan to take summer courses (minimally six credit hours) and would like to be considered for a summer FWS award, once you have finalized your summer enrollment, please take the following actions:
  • Complete the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid, if you have not done so already
  • Submit the Federal Work Study Request Form
    • Select 'Summer 2025’ as the ‘Application Term
  • Explore Summer FWS Employment Opportunities
    • Discuss with your Supervisor/Department if there are any summer FWS positions available in their area. You can explore other FWS positions available via the Career Service Symplicity job search tool. You should not apply for a FWS position unless awarded FWS funds.
• In order to have your FWS eligibility evaluated, you must meet all eligibility requirements.
• Please refer to our Work Study webpage for additional information on FWS.

Federal TEACH Grant

• Federal grant eligible students enrolled in the summer term who submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid will be given priority for award and disbursement evaluations.
• Please refer to our Grants webpage for additional information on the Federal TEACH Grant program.
• If it is determined you meet the eligibility requirements for Federal TEACH Grant funds during the summer term, an email will be sent to your UofL email.

Private Educational Loans

• A private educational student loan (also referred to as an alternative loan) is not a federal student loan, but one through a private bank or other lending institution.
• Please refer to our Alternative Loan webpage for additional information.
• A private educational student loan may require additional processing time, so once you have completed your research, if you decide to apply for this type of loan, we recommend you apply as soon as possible.
• If you are eligible to complete, please submit the Early Request for Summer Federal Aid after your summer enrollment is finalized if you are planning to apply for a private educational student loan for the summer enrollment period.

Scholarships and Other Aid Resources

• Most state aid and institutional scholarships are not available during summer. Please visit our Scholarships and Other Resources, State Aid, and Tuition Waivers webpages for additional information on these types of aid.
• If you have received or are expected to receive tuition reimbursement from your employer, you are required to report this funding source. To do so, complete the Employer Reimbursement Reporting form.
• If you have received or are expected to receive other aid resources that are not listed with our office, you are required to report them.  To do so, complete the Report Other Aid Resources form.

The University of Louisville does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, or disability of an otherwise qualified individual in educational programs and activities. Accordingly, while a program or activity may be focused on the needs or issues of a particular group, they are intended to be inclusive of all and any participant may benefit from attendance or participation in these programs and activities.