Applying for Financial Aid

Step 1 - Filling out a FAFSA                                              

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at http://www.fafsa.gov .
• Apply for a PIN at http://www.pin.ed.gov so you can sign your application electronically. If you are a Dependent student you will need a PIN for your parent or guardian.
• If you and/or your parents filed a Federal Income Tax return (i.e. 1040, 1040EZ), you will need those documents in order to fill out the FAFSA. The application takes about 5-10 business days to process if filed and signed electronically. It takes 6-8 weeks to process a paper FAFSA.
• TAMIU's Federal School Code is 009651.

*If you are not a US citizen or Eligible Non-Citizen but are a Texas Resident, you may be eligible to receive state aid by completing the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). This paper application is available at the financial aid office or download by clicking here.

Step 2 - Completing Additional Requirements                     

Please logon to Uconnect at http://tamiu.edu/uconnect to review your application status and check if you are required to turn in additional documents.

Note: You must be admitted to the University and have activated your student email account in order to access Uconnect.

All students must be in compliance with the University's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy in order to receive any federal, state and most institutional aid.

All students must sign and return a Rights and Responsibilities form.

• If you are selected for verification, then you will need to provide additional paperwork to the Office of Financial Aid. These include, but are not limited to:
  
  • Verification Worksheet (Click here to get the current form)
  • Federal Income Tax forms or IRS Tax Transcript
    
• The FAFSA application is subject to corrections based on the information you provide. Those changes may affect your financial aid award package.

Step 3 - Award Letter and Accepting Awards                 

You can view your award letter and accept your awards online through Uconnect.

1. Log into Uconnect, your username and password are the same as your University email account.
2. Click on the "My Business" tab.
3. Click on "Financial Aid Awards" link.
4. Select current aid year, click on "Submit".
5. You will be directed to the "Accept Award Offer" tab. Select "Accept" or "Decline" from the drop down menu.
6. Click on "Submit Decision "
7. Review "Unsatisfied Disbursement Requirements" below "Award Decision" for any outstanding requirements you may need to complete your folder.
8. Click on the "Award Overview" tab to review your Cost of Attendance, Expected Enrollment and Financial Aid Awards.

If you are accepting a Federal student loan, you will need to complete online entrance counseling and your Master Promissory Note at www.studentloans.gov . Note: In-person entrance counseling is required for first-time loan borrowers at TAMIU.

Other options available on Uconnect include, but are not limited to: Award Messages, Overall Financial Aid Status, Account Summary by Term, Award Payment Schedule, Award History and Loan Application History.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email our office at financialaid@tamiu.edu.