Financial Aid FAQs

General FAQs

How often do I have to complete the financial aid applications?

What happens after the FAFSA and ETA are sent?

When will the Financial Aid Office notify me of my awards?

If I applied to another college, or am transferring from another college, will I get the same awards that I was given at that other college?

If my parents are divorced, which parent completes my financial aid applications?

What do I do if my stepfather does not want to provide any income or asset information?

My mother has remarried. Does my stepfather have to list his income and asset information on the FAFSA and ETA?

I applied to another college but have decided to attend SUNY Ulster. How do I change the information on my applications?

 

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How often do I have to complete the financial aid applications?

Apply for financial aid each year. The FAFSA can be completed beginning January 1 of each year.

What happens after the FAFSA and ETA are sent?

The FAFSA is processed electronically and both students and the Financial Aid Office receive the results. If students include an e-mail address on the FAFSA, they will receive the results via e-mail. Others will receive their results in the mail.

An online FAFSA takes 3-5 days for processing.

The Express TAP Application (ETA) is processed after the FAFSA is completed and sent. Students can check their TAP awards, request duplicate applications, change the school code, and find out additional information about NYS TAP at www.hesc.ny.gov.

When will the Financial Aid Office notify me of my awards?

The Financial Aid Office begins processing financial aid awards in April. Students must have applied on the FAFSA, handed in requested documentation and be registered for classes to finalize processing. Students can view their financial aid award letter and additional financial aid information by logging into their SUNY Ulster account.

If I applied to another college, or am transferring from another college, will I get the same awards that I was given at that other college?

Colleges have unique costs of attendance, varied tuition charges and receive different amounts of Federal and State financial aid funds. It is very likely that the awards at SUNY Ulster will be different.

If my parents are divorced, which parent completes my financial aid applications?

Usually the parent with whom the student resides completes the financial aid applications. If the student does not reside with either parent, the parent who provides 51% of support completes the financial aid applications.

What do I do if my stepfather does not want to provide any income or asset information?

If a parent/stepparent does not want to provide the information for the financial aid applications, the student can only apply for unsubsidized loans.

My mother has remarried. Does my stepfather have to list his income and asset information on the FAFSA and ETA?

Yes. A parent who is married/remarried must provide the income and assets of both mother and stepfather. If there are additional family members, they can be listed in the household size (if the parent provides more than half their support).

I applied to another college but have decided to attend SUNY Ulster. How do I change the information on my applications?

Add SUNY Ulster on the FAFSA website. Go to www.fafsa.gov and add school code 002880 for SUNY Ulster. Change the TAP award by going to www.hesc.ny.gov. Log in to your account and change the school code to 2230 for SUNY Ulster for each semester.