Financial Aid
Northern Michigan University’s Financial Aid Office is dedicated to helping students navigate the financial aid process and advising students of other available financial resources to ensure appropriate funding.
2023-24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Opens October 1, 2022
JUST GETTING STARTED?
Create an FSA ID. We strongly recommend you create an FSA ID, a username and password combination that allows you to sign your FAFSA® form electronically. While you can get your FSA ID as you’re completing the FAFSA form online, getting it ahead of time and using it to begin your FAFSA form on fafsa.gov cuts down on errors and delays.
For maximum aid consideration and to help ensure your aid is in place by the time tuition is due, please file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid annually by March 1.
Why do I have to submit my 2021 tax and income information on my 2023–24 FAFSA® form?
The 2023–24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form asks for 2021 income and tax information. This is advantageous for most students and their families because it;
- allows for immediate use of the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool to transfer financial information for eligible applicants,
- eliminates estimating income and tax information before taxes are filed,
- reduces the need to come back and update a FAFSA form after filing taxes,
- enables submitting a FAFSA form as early as October of the year before attending school.
FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS INFORMATION
The processing path for the White House’s recently announced debt relief has not yet been determined. Once it is determined, that information will be available on StudentAid.gov.
You can review your borrowing history and Pell Grant usage history by using your FSA ID to log on to StudentAid.gov and go to your dashboard. Bear in mind that this site shows you your usage, not your current balance information including any interest that may have accrued during repayment.
Due to our own current student processing obligations, our staff are not able to review your loan and/or Pell Grant usage with you. Please continue to monitor new announcements on StudentAid.gov.
DO YOU WORK IN NON-PROFIT OR THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR? YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS.
If you have questions about whether or not your payments on your Federal Direct Loans are counting towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Please use the PSLF Help Tool, found at StudentAid.gov to initiate a review of your payment count. As this is a federal loan waiver program, any questions will be best answered through StudentAid.gov.
NOTE: There is a Limited PSLF Waiver Opportunity available until October 31st, 2022. If you had payments that previously did NOT count towards PSLF, you must use the PSLF Help Tool to create and then submit employment verification forms for EACH period of employment that may qualify under PSLF, before October 31st, 2022. Review has been taking several months; the earlier you complete and submit the documents, the sooner you will receive a response.
NMU EMPLOYEES PURSUING PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS
Northern Michigan University is a qualifying employer under Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
For help navigating the monitoring process while you make payments, NMU has partnered with SAVI. To learn more about this free benefit, see our Student Loan Debt Solution page.
Selected for Verification?
Before submitting documents to our office, please review your outstanding requirements in MyNMU. Some students may find they have fewer documents which must be submitted to our office, and others may not have to submit any additional information. You can find instructions on how to view the latest updates to your outstanding document requirements here: nmu.edu/finaid/viewaid (under Check for Required Information).
Situation Changes
If a family experiences situations such as the loss of a job, retirement, separation or divorce, death, or excessive out of pocket medical expenses not covered by insurance, they should complete a "Request for Re-Evaluation of Financial Assistance" and provide supporting documentation. Please feel free to contact our office to speak to a Financial Aid Counselor regarding your situation. Click below for more information and contact our office with any questions
Know Your Next Steps
If you are a continuing student or a student who has attended orientation and are enrolled in classes, learn where your financial aid offer is in the granting and notification process by checking your student financial aid online.
Want to learn more about the programs that we have here at NMU? Check out the courses of study that we offer at the undergraduate and graduate level!