Undergraduate Students

Financial Aid Timeline

When	What to Do
August/September	New students: Apply for admission to DU if applying Early Action. The deadline is November 1st.
October - January	New students: Attend a Financial Aid Night at your local school to learn more about the financial aid process. All students: Research and apply for private scholarships.
January	New students: Apply for admission to DU if applying Regular Decision. The deadline is January 15th. Request a PIN from the Department of Education to electronically complete your financial aid application. (Both you and your parents should request a PIN.) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Be sure to list DU's school code 001371. Complete the CSS PROFILE. Be sure to list DU's school code 4842. (Not required for Women's College or University College students.) If you have not yet completed your taxes, you may use estimates. Complete both applications as soon as possible starting January 1st, as the priority deadline to complete them is February 15th.
February	New students: You will receive an IDOC (College Board's Institutional Documentation Service) cover sheet. Mail this sheet back to College Board along with all of the listed requirements. (This step is not required for Women's College or University College students.) The priority deadline to submit all verification documents is March 1st. Continuing students: If you are applying for financial aid for the first time, request a PIN from the Department of Education to electronically complete your financial aid application. (You can also retrieve your PIN from this site if you have forgotten it.) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Be sure to list DU's school code 001371. Complete the CSS PROFILE. Be sure to list DU's school code 4842. (Not required for Women's College or University College students.) If you have not yet completed your taxes, you may use estimates. Complete both applications by the priority deadline of March 15th.
March	New students: As long as everything has been completed, you should receive your financial aid award. We will begin sending these notifications to new students who were admitted both Early Action and Regular Decision in mid-March. Continuing students: If you have been selected for verification, submit a copy of your (and your parents') taxes, W-2 forms (if requested) and the verification worksheet to the Office of Financial Aid. The priority deadline to submit these documents is April 1st.
April	New students: Review and compare the financial aid award offers you received from all schools. Use our Financial Aid Budget Worksheet to help you estimate your bill and determine a financing strategy to manage your unmet cost. Make your final decision and accept your DU admission offer with a deposit by May 1st. Accept your financial aid award online through webCentral.
May	New students: Complete loan requirements. If you were offered a Perkins loan, complete both the Master Promissory Note and Online Entrance Counseling. If you were offered Direct loans, complete both the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at www.StudentLoans.gov. Continue looking and applying for private scholarships to supplement your financial aid package. Continuing students: As long as everything has been completed, you should receive your financial aid award. We will begin sending these notifications to all continuing students in late May, before the end of Spring quarter.
June	New students: If needed, consider additional financing options. Your parent may apply for a Direct PLUS loan by Requesting a PLUS Loan and completing a Master Promissory Note at www.StudentLoans.gov or you may consider applying for a private education loan. Sign up for a tuition payment plan through the Bursar's Office. Continuing students: Review your financial aid award and use our Financial Aid Budget Worksheet to help you estimate your bill and determine a financing strategy to manage your unmet cost. Accept your financial aid award online through webCentral. Complete loan requirements. If you were offered a Perkins loan, complete both the Master Promissory Note and Online Entrance Counseling (entrance counseling is only required for first-time borrowers). If you were offered Direct loans for the first time at DU, complete both the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at www.StudentLoans.gov. Continue looking and applying for private scholarships to supplement your financial aid package.
July	Continuing students: If needed, consider additional financing options. Your parent may apply for a Direct PLUS loan by Requesting a PLUS Loan and completing a Master Promissory Note at www.StudentLoans.gov or you may consider applying for a private education loan. Sign up for a tuition payment plan through the Bursar's Office.
August	New students: Be sure you have completed all outstanding financial aid requirements. Log into webCentral, go to the "Student" tab and look in the "Financial Aid Requirements" box to verify everything has a green check mark. If you graduated from a Colorado high school and have the Pell grant as a part of your financial aid package, apply for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) and submit a Colorado Residency Form to the Registrar's Office (this form also needs to be submitted if you have the Colorado Student Grant). Then, authorize COF through webCentral by going to the "Student" tab and then the "myWeb" section on the left. Select Banner Self-Service -> Student and Financial Aid -> Registration -> COF Stipend Authorization. If you are expecting to receive a refund from your financial aid to help pay for personal expenses, sign up for direct deposit so your refund will be deposited directly into your bank account. Continuing students: Be sure you have completed all outstanding financial aid requirements. Log into webCentral, go to the "Student" tab and look in the "Financial Aid Requirements" box to verify everything has a green check mark. If you are expecting to receive a refund from your financial aid to help pay for personal expenses, sign up for direct deposit so your refund will be deposited directly into your bank account.
September	All students: The Fall quarter portion of your financial aid will be disbursed to your student account 10 days prior to the start of fall classes and will automatically go toward paying your bill. If your aid exceeds the amount you owe to DU, you will receive a refund for that amount in 2-3 business days.