Financial Aid

Apply for Aid

Nearly all students are eligible for some form of financial assistance. In fact, over 90% of the students who applied for financial aid in recent years received an award offer. Every effort is made to assist you and your family obtain the resources necessary to meet the difference between the total cost of attending the University of Cincinnati and your ability to contribute toward your education.

Complete the FAFSA

The only financial aid application needed at the University of Cincinnati is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This single application is used for grants, work-study and loans at the federal, state and institutional level.

  • The online FAFSA provides an easy, quick and secure method that checks your application for errors and omissions. By listing UC (Title IV Code: 003125) as one of your school choices, we will receive your information electronically for award processing.

  • We also strongly encourage students to use the IRS data retrival tool within the FAFSA to automatically pull your tax information (and your parents', when required) onto the FAFSA.

Students (and, when required, parents) can sign their FAFSA electronically using their FSA ID (Federal Student Aid ID). Each student aid applicant should register for an FSA ID as should parents of dependent students. The FSA ID will also be used by borrowers in the student and parent loan processes.

Because some aid programs are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, apply as soon after October 1 of each year as possible for priority consideration for limited funding sources.

Parental Information

Students classified as dependent students for financial aid purposes will need to complete the FAFSA with their information as well as information about the parent(s). At least one parent will therefore need to be involved when completing the online FAFSA so as to provide required information and an electronic signature.

For electronic signatures, at least one parent should register for an FSA ID though both parents can.

NOTE: The FSA ID is used for consent and approval to use IRS tax data. If parents filed separately on 2022 taxes (24-25) or 2023 taxes (25-26), both parents will need to get an FSA ID.

Parents can use their same personal FSA ID when completing online paperwork for multiple students.

Tax Information

The U.S. Department of Education has worked with the Internal Revenue Service so that students and parents can transfer their tax information from the IRS to the FAFSA. The IRS Data Retrieval process is a good way to ensure your application information is complete and accurate.

  • You are not required to use the IRS Data Retrieval, though it is highly encouraged.
  • Using IRS Data Retrieval can limit information you have to supply the financial aid office if you are selected for verification.
  • With the FAFSA now looking at tax information from two years ago, most students can take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval.
  • Students selected for verification by the Department of Education will need to correct their FAFSA by using the IRS Data Retrieval process or will need to supply tax transcripts to UC to verify their income information.

Notice Regarding IRS Data Retrieval

The data retrieved through this process will simply note "Transferred from the IRS" when viewed by the student or parent within the FAFSA Web application or when reviewing your FAFSA Submission Summary. The IRS data itself will be detailed only to the schools listed on the FAFSA so as to limit unintended access to your tax information.

The IRS Direct Data Exchange will require all contributors on the FAFSA to have an FSA ID to consent and approve the use of their IRS information for the FAFSA.

Filing for the FAFSA uses prior prior year tax information thereby allowing you to have access to already filed taxes when completing the FAFSA. It also allows the FAFSA to be available for completion as early as October 1 of each year.

FAFSA Results

The federal processor analyzes your FAFSA information to determine your eligibility for some aid programs and used in calculations to award other programs.

  • Beginning with 2024-25, the Student Aid Index (SAI) replaced the EFC as the primary aid-eligibility calculation from the FAFSA.

The results of your FAFSA are reported to you via email. The FAFSA Submission Summary (beginning with 2024-25) provides you record of what has been submitted and the results of calculations and date matches. Note some tax information will not display for security/privacy reasons. Review the report and make corrections to any information that is incorrect via https://studentaid.gov.

Admission

While you should not wait until you are admitted to apply for aid, incoming freshman, transfer and graduate students must be offered admission to the university before a financial aid award offer can be extended, and admission applications are the basis for UC scholarship review.

The UC College of Medicine admits students to undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as to the professional M.D. program. Only M.D. students in the UC College of Medicine are awarded aid via the College of Medicine Office of Financial Services rather than the UC Student Financial Aid Office. 

Award Processing

Once you receive your student aid report and if you have been offered admisison, you can review your status online using the Check My Aid link.

Check My Aid for the upcoming academic year is generally available and initial Award Offers are made beginning mid-February for students who have filed a FAFSA.

You may be asked to supply additional information.

  • UC will detail if additional or supplementary information is needed within your Catalyst "To Do" tasks and send you email notifications as well.
  • Aid eligibility is always subject to change, particulalry if you have to verify your FAFSA data.
  • Please act on requests for information as quickly as possible.

Use your financial aid award to plan your finances for the upcoming aid year.