Detailed instructions for obtaining financial aid are listed below.
File the FAFSA form
Although the paper form can be obtained from your high school guidance counselor, we recommend you complete the form online at www.fafsa.ed.gov . You and one parent should first apply for an electronic PIN at www.pin.ed.gov . Submit this form as soon as possible after January 1. Seton Hall recommends that you complete the FAFSA by February 15 to receive maximum consideration for aid. Please keep in mind that in order to file your FAFSA form early, you must first complete your tax returns, as this information is required to complete the FAFSA.
Results Received
Approximately 4 to 6 weeks after you file the FAFSA form and mail it into the federal processor (2 to 3 weeks if filed electronically), you can expect to hear back from the federal government. The federal government will send you a form called the Student Aid Report (SAR). At the same time this report is sent to you, it will also be sent electronically to Seton Hall and any other institutions you indicated on the form. The SAR will indicate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). In other words, the federal government will tell you how much money they feel your family can contribute to the total cost of your education, which does not just include the direct costs, such as tuition, fees, room and board, but indirect costs, such as books, transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses.
Review Your Student Air Report (SAR)
It is extremely important that you review your SAR very carefully. Often, the federal government will notify you of missing or inaccurate information that is needed to fully process your FAFSA. Please read through the SAR completely to ensure that no additional information is being requested and that the information on it is the same as what you filed. If it is inaccurate, you can correct it online if you filed electronically or using the paper correction form you receive in the mail, if you filed on paper.
Financial Aid Package
Seton Hall will take the results of your processed FAFSA and put together a financial aid package for you. Financial aid packages are sent to students starting in March. Please note that notification of many merit-based scholarship may occur prior to this time; usually these notifications are sent out a few days after notification of admission.
The financial aid package will include all forms of aid (institution grants and scholarships, state or federal grants, work study and student loans) known at that time. If your information changes or you become eligible for other aid, such as an outside scholarship from an agency or foundation, a revised award letter will be completed and sent to you.
