Information For Parents

As a parent of an accepted student there are some things you need to know about helping your student finance their Montclair State education.

Applying for Financial Aid

The first thing you should do is complete the FAFSA. Many parents feel that they should not fill out this form because they think that they will not receive any aid. The only way to know either way is to fill out the FAFSA. The loans from the Federal Direct Loan program are only awarded based upon this form. Students can be eligible for the following federal loans by completing their FAFSA:

• Stafford Loans
• Perkins Loans

There are grants that are also awarded based on the FAFSA form. Most grants are awards that students do not need to pay back unless students do not complete the specifications of the grant program. The grants that students can be eligible for upon completion of the FAFSA are:

• Pell Grant

This year, because many questions were eliminated from the FAFSA, the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), has asked students to fill out additional information in order to determine eligibility for state aid. You can go to www.hesaa.org to fill out that additional information.

There are times when the loans and grants offered from the Federal and State governments are not enough. That is when a parent can apply for a Parent PLUS loan or apply for an alternative loan. These loans allow a parent to borrow up to an institution’s ‘Cost of Attendance’.

Discussing A Student’s Financial Package

There are times parents would like to discuss their student’s financial aid package with a counselor. We would be happy to speak to you, however you and your student must come to our office and sign a FERPA information release form for us. The reason for this is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits educational institutions from disclosing information regarding a student to any entity other than that student without their written consent.

Why Is There A Difference Between The ‘Cost of Attendance’ And The Tuition, Fees, Rooma And Board?

The Federal Government mandates that colleges and universities must tell students the total cost that is entailed for a student to attend their school. That total cost is what is known as the ‘Cost of Attendance’. That total includes: tuition, school fees, room, board, travel expenses, estimated book expenses and miscellaneous expenses. If a student indicates that they will not be living on campus, then the room fee is not included but board is still included at a lower cost since they will not be eating as much on campus. The reason why the ‘Cost of Attendance’ is higher than just the tuition, fees, room and board is so that students (and parents) aren’t surprised by the “hidden” cost of attending college. Please know that some students cost of attendance may be higher or lower than the amount given by an institution.

What Is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) And Why Does It Affect My Student’s Aid?

Satisfactory Academic Progress is how institutions ensure that students are completing their classes and working successfully towards completion of a degree program. Federal and State agencies offering financial aid programs, require students to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress to receive funding. The University will review grades annually and determine if SAP has been achieved.