If you are a new student to UNK, your financial aid offer will be mailed to the address in your MyBLUE, emailed to your preferred email address, and can be viewed in your MyBLUE. If you are a current student at UNK, your financial aid offer will be sent to your Loper email and can be viewed on your MyBLUE.
If you are a freshman starting your first semester at UNK, you will need to register for New Student Enrollment (NSE). UNK Admissions will contact you when it’s time to register.
Scholarships and grants are automatically accepted for you. Work-study and loans will need to be accepted or declined. To accept/decline work-study or loans, log into your MyBLUE. Click on the “Financial Aid” tab, then click on the “Accept/Decline Offers” tab. Click the academic year that you would like to accept/decline your financial aid. Review your Rights and Responsibilities and click “Continue.” Next to “Award Action” use the drop-down menu to accept the full amount, accept a partial amount, or decline the offer. When accepting student loans, only borrow what you will need. Remember that the loans you have been offered are for the full academic year (fall semester, spring semester, summer term).
If you are accepting a federal direct subsidized or unsubsidized loan for the first time, you will need to complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling.
Report any outside scholarships that you received in your MyBLUE. You can do this by logging into your MyBLUE, clicking on the “Financial Aid” tab, and then clicking on “Report Outside Scholarships” on the right-hand side of the screen.
Review the financial aid checklists.
Term | Definition |
Scholarships | Free money awarded to students for academic or other achievements given for higher education. |
Grants | Free money given to students from the federal or state government, or UNK, that is based on financial need. |
Federal Direct Subsidized Student Loan | Money loaned to students from the US Department of Education that will need to be paid back after graduation or when the student drops below half-time enrollment. This loan does not collect interest while the student is in school. |
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan | Money loaned to students from the US Department of Education that will need to be paid back after graduation or when the student drops below half-time enrollment. This loan does collect interest while the student is in school. |
Work-Study | Work-study provides employment opportunities on and off campus. This aid does not apply to a student's account; instead, a student who has accepted work-study funding must secure a work-study job then the funds will be given directly to the student as paychecks for hours worked. |
Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) | The Estimated Cost of Attendance is an estimation of how much it will cost for you to attend UNK for one year. |
Estimated Direct Costs | Estimated Direct Costs are an estimation of everything you will be billed for from UNK. This includes tuition, student fees, UNK housing, and/or a UNK meal plan. |
Other Estimated Expenses | Other Estimated Expenses are an estimation of costs you may have that are not billed by UNK. This can include things such as transportation expenses, personal expenses, etc. |
Tuition and Student Fees | Tuition is the cost per credit hour that you will be charged for your classes. Student fees are additional fees you must pay as a UNK student, such as facility fees, student activity fees, etc. |
Other Course Fees | Some classes may have additional expenses on top of the regular student fees. Courses such as art classes or science labs may charge an additional fee for supplies. |
Housing and Food | Housing and food are the amounts that you will be charged by UNK for on-campus housing and/or a meal plan. |
Student Aid Index (SAI) | The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that a college's or career school's financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid the student would receive if the student attended the school. This number results from the information that the student provides in their FAFSA form. |
FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) | The FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) is a document providing a summary of data inputted on your FAFSA form. Your FAFSA Submission Summary can be downloaded at StudentAid.gov. |
Your offer is based on full-time enrollment for undergraduate and non-degree seeking students (12+ credit hours per semester) and part-time enrollment for graduate degree-seeking students (7-8 credit hours per semester). Your final financial aid will depend on your actual enrollment at the end of drop-and-add week each semester. If you know that you will not be enrolled full-time, contact our office so we can adjust your offer.
Annual offers are subject to change based on the information that you provided on your FAFSA, as well as available funds provided to UNK by the federal government, the State of Nebraska, and the University of Nebraska.
Specific offers are based upon eligibility criteria established in federal and state statutes and institutional policy. It is the intent of UNK to ensure compliance with these requirements. We strive to provide financial aid to need-based and qualified students as fairly and equitably as possible.
Your financial aid offer is only for the academic year that is offered and is subject to change each academic year. You must complete the FAFSA each year to continue aid.
UNK is required to have minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards that students must meet to maintain eligibility for federal and state financial aid. This includes grants, loans, and work-study. Students who fail to meet these standards will no longer be eligible to receive federal financial aid. If you do not meet the SAP requirements, you will be notified by email and/or letter following the end of the semester.
Your financial aid offer is based on your FAFSA results, which use your (and your contributor’s) tax return information from 2022. If this tax return is not a good representation of your current financial situation, please fill out a Special Circumstance Form. Your financial aid counselor may adjust your financial aid offer based on your current financial situation.
You have the right to know:
What financial aid programs are available to you
Deadlines for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs
How financial aid is disbursed
How decisions are made concerning distribution and the basis for those decisions
How your financial need is determined (this includes how your cost of attendance is calculated)
What additional resources are considered in the calculations of your need
How much of your financial need, as determined by the institution, has been met
About the various programs in your student aid package
About your school refund/repayment policy
What portion of the financial aid you receive must be repaid and what portion is grant assistance (If the assistance is a loan, you have the right to know what the interest rate is, the total amount to be repaid, the length of time you have to repay the loan, and when the repayment begins.)
How the school determines whether you are making satisfactory academic progress and what happens if you do not meet the requirement
You must:
Accurately complete all the application forms required
Submit the application materials in a timely manner and to the correct location
Provide correct information (misreporting on the financial aid forms is a violation of federal law)
Read and understand all forms that you are signing
Keep copies of all the forms for your records
Accept the responsibility for all agreements that you sign
Perform the work that is agreed upon when accepting a work opportunity
Be aware of and comply with deadlines for application and reapplication for assistance
Be aware of the school's refund/repayment policy
Information | Location |
Student financial assistance programs and eligibility | Find more information on the different types of financial aid at UNK and your aid eligibility. |
Student loan code of conduct | Review the Student Loan Code of Conduct. |
Preferred lender arrangements | UNK is a participant in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, which provides student and parent loans through the U.S. Department of Education. There is no preference given to private student loan lenders. Students can view a historical list of other private student loan lenders that prior UNK students have used on the Educational Loans page under the “Private Student Loans” tab. |
Educations costs | Students can use the UNK Cost Calculator or Net Price Calculator to calculate their educational costs. Students can also view average Cost of Attendances. |
UNK Bills | Accepted financial aid offers will be applied to a UNK student’s account the week before classes begin each semester. Students can view and print their UNK bill on their MyBLUE account. An email will be sent to the student’s Lopermail when an e-bill is available on MyBLUE. For questions about your bill, please contact the UNK Student Account’s Office at (308) 865-8524 or unkfinance@unk.edu. |
Withdrawals | If you withdraw or do not attend all of your classes, you may be required to pay back a portion or all of your federal financial aid. See UNK’s withdrawal policy. |
Refunds | If you have more financial aid applied to your charges than your UNK total bill, you will receive a refund. Your refund will be processed 5-10 business days after the refund date shown on your “Account Details” in MyBLUE. Refunds can be directly deposited into your bank account if you have that set up under the “Student Accounts” tab in your MyBLUE. If you do not have direct deposit set up, there will be a paper check available for you to pick up in the Student Account’s Office. UNK’s refund policy. For questions about your refund, please contact the UNK Student Account’s Office at (308) 865-8524 or unkfinance@unk.edu. |
Student and parent privacy rights (FERPA) | See UNK’s FERPA policy. |
Academic programs | See a list of all academic programs. |
Study abroad | Financial aid options are available for study abroad programs. |
Graduation completion transfer-out retention and placement rates | Information on the graduation, completion, transfer-out, retention, and placement rates. |
Federal student loan terms and conditions | Terms and Conditions of the different types of federal student loans. |