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Maximizing Your Financial Aid
Almost all students in the MSW program elect to finance their education through a variety of financial aid sources. There are loans available through the federal government and the state; there are scholarships, fellowships and grants available through individual bequests and non-profit institutions.
Instructions for applying:
In general, financial aid is based on the student's financial need, and most awards of scholarships and grants are dependent upon the extent of the applicant's financial need. You must report this promptly and accurately. Fordham strongly encourages every MSW applicant to obtain a financial needs assessment early in the application process. The instrument for obtaining this assessment is the FAFSA or the:
(Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
You can click on the link above to file a FAFSA online.
Federal School Code: 002722
College: Fordham
Address: Fordham Road
City State Zip: Bronx, NY 10458
You do no need to wait until you are accepted by the Graduate School of Social Service to file a FAFSA. Since many forms of financial aid require you to have had a financial needs assessment, please file a FAFSA even if you feel you do not have significant financial need.
If you prefer a hard (paper) copy of the FAFSA, one may be obtained from any university or college. Fordham's Financial Aid Office usually receives the form for each new academic year by February 1st. Students who may have filed a FAFSA in the previous academic year (e.g. in an undergraduate program) should receive a letter from the Federal government, containing an individualized electronic access code for filing the renewal FAFSA online.
Those who previously submitted a FAFSA but who have not yet received a letter with the electronic access code can call 1-800-4FEDAID to obtain this information.
The amount of financial aid for which you are qualified to apply may depend on whether you are a full-time student or a part-time student. All matriculated students, full or part time, who have had their financial need assessed are entitled to some financial aid. Please note that a full-time student is one who is taking 12 credits a semester. However, all students registered for field instruction and taking 11 credits in the Fall and 10 credits in the Spring are considered full-time. If you are in a fieldwork assignment, you will automatically be certified as full time within the University's system for financial aid purposes.
IMPORTANT: To indicate that Fordham University should receive the required information and the needs determination from the FAFSA, complete the FAFSA or renewal application as follows:
Federal School Code: 002722
College: Fordham
Address: Fordham Road
City State Zip: Bronx, NY 10458
It will take at least 4-6 weeks for the FAFSA to be processed. You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail. Please read it carefully, as it will indicate if the Federal government and/or Fordham University require additional information.
Federal Family Education Loan (formerly GSL/Stafford) Matriculated students, both full and part time (taking at least 6 credits a semester) can apply for a Federal Family Education Loan. There are three types of Federal Family Education Loan -- subsidized, unsubsidized, and additional unsubsidized. The difference is that with subsidized loans the federal government pays the interest while the student is enrolled in school. With unsubsidized loans, the student is responsible for paying the interest while enrolled in school, or may have the interest capitalized (added to the principal).
A graduate student may be eligible for the maximum $8500 subsidized loan and the $12,000 additional unsubsidized, a total of $20,500. To be eligible for the full $8500 subsidized loan you must show need. If you are ineligible for the full subsidized loan amount, you may still be eligible for additional unsubsidized money in combination with the $12,000 unsubsidized loan (to total as much as $20,500).
After you have been accepted by the Admissions Office you can apply for a federal loan. To apply for federal loans, once you have received the SAR with the calculated Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and you have checked to ascertain that Fordham is the School listed in the SAR, complete and submit the on-line loan request form available by clicking here. You may also call the Financial Aid Office at (212) 636-6700 and inquire about the procedure concerning the loan request form.
If you have outstanding undergraduate Federal government loans in a state other than New York, you may want to apply for the new loan from the same lender. If you have a previous loan with a New York State lender, or if you have no prior student loans, you may now request a loan by using the federal loan request form. The Financial Aid Office starts accepting financial aid loan applications each May for the following academic year admissions.
Please note: You may be able to defer your undergraduate payments while you are in graduate school; call your creditor for details.
Federal regulations state that all students taking out loans must complete an entrance interview, and, upon graduation, an exit interview. The on-line Stafford Loan Counseling "Entrance Interview" can be completed by clicking here. All questions regarding your loan process, may be directed to Fordham's Financial Aid Office at the address and phone number above.
The Graduate School of Social Service does not handle loan processing.
NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL AID
New York State TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAP): Full time graduate students who have been New York State residents for at least one year, are eligible to apply for TAP. Awards are determined on the basis of need. Applications for TAP can be obtained from any Financial Aid Office in New York State. The state will not begin to process theTAP form until they have verified that a FAFSA has been processed. The Financial Aid Office therefore recommends waiting two weeks after submission of the FAFSA before applying for TAP.
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL AID
TUITION ASSISTANCE: The Graduate School of Social Service has some funds available for both continuing and entering M.S.W. students. Awards are determined on the basis of need. In order to be eligible, you must be accepted by the school and a full-time student as evidenced by enrollment in classes and field instruction. To receive a tuition assistance grant you must file the FAFSA for your financial assessment.
The Graduate School of Social Service financial aid committee reviews your report and awards funds according to demonstrated need. Recipients are notified by mail. It is not necessary that you receive a federal or state loan to apply for this tuition assistance, but you must still file the FAFSA to have your need assessed. Tuition assistance is generally awarded as the equivalent of 3, 6 or 9 credts (1 to 3 classes) depending on need and the selected plan of study.
Continuing students in the Graduate School of Social Service must apply for tuition assistance by completing a Graduate School of Social Service financial need based scholarship form before March 31 of each year for aid in September of the same year. You must meet this mandatory deadline for consideration. The scholarship forms are available in early February in the Graduate School of Social Service, 113 West 60th Street, Lowenstein building, 7th Floor Hallway, and at the Tarrytown Campus in the Social Work Office.
Incoming full time students will receive the above-mentioned form in their acceptance letters only if they have indicated on their application that they are interested in financial aid information. There is no deadline for incoming students, but early application improves your chances of receiving this tuition assistance.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
A limited number of graduate assistantships are awarded each year to qualified students in one of the degree programs in the Graduate School of Social Service. Graduate Assistantships provide opportunities for academic and professional development as well as financial benefits. Full and part time students may apply. Assistantship awards provide tuition remission for one three-credit course in exchange for working with an assigned faculty member for 100 hours during a semester. Selection will be made throughout the year based upon the school's needs, applicant's expertise, availability and financial need. Applications for graduate assistantships will be included in all accepted applicants' admission decision packages and are available in the Office of Admissions at the Lincoln Center Campus and at the Social Work Office at the Tarrytown Campus.
Click here to download a .pdf version of the Graduate Assistantship application. Print this form and use it to apply for assistantships. You will need to have downloaded Adobe Acrobat Reader
If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
OTHER RESOURCES
The Graduate School of Social Service posts announcements of financial aid opportunities on the bulletin boards at the Lincoln Center and Tarrytown campuses. The school also maintains a scholarship booklet * listing a number of general financial aid opportunities as well as scholarships and grants available specifically to Fordham M.S.W. students. The booklet is updated regularly and is sent to all accepted applicants. It is also available in the Admissions Office at Lincoln Center and in the Social Work Office at the Tarrytown Campus.
*You may also access the listing of scholarsips on the website by clicking on the link below.
Scholarship Listings
We recommend that students research private aid resources by using local libraries or the Foundation Center, a free public resource center headquartered in New York City---with field offices in San Francisco, Cleveland, Atlanta and Washington D.C.---open to students and others seeking fellowships, scholarships, grants and information about employment in non-profit organizations at: 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003; call (212) 620-4230 or visit www.fdncenter.org for more information.
Also listed below are various links to websites that offer further information on scholarship and fellowship programs.
FinAid
Fastweb
SRN Express
College Net
Sallie Mae
Fordham University
Admissions Office
Graduate School of Social Service
33 West 60th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10023-7484
(212) 636-6600
e-mail us at gssadmission@fordham.edu
MSW Admissions Home
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