Federal Grants | Federal Education Loans | Private Alternative Education
Loans
Employment Opportunities | New York State Aid | Scholarships and Other Aid
Federal Aid First
Financial aid for graduate and undergraduate Health Sciences Center students is divided into three basic categories: grants, loans and employment opportunities.
Federal Grants
(Do not have to be repaid)
PELL Grant
This is a federal grant available to undergraduate students enrolled in their first baccalaureate program for at least 3 credits. Eligibility is determined by a federal
formula established by Congress using information from the FAFSA. Awards for the 2010-2011 academic year range from $555 to $5,550.
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
This is a federal grant available to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional need (i.e., PELL recipients). The maximum FSEOG award is $500.
Federal Education Loans
(Loans carry some form of interest payment and must be paid back)
New York State HESC offers several Loan Forgiveness programs
Perkins Loan
This is a 5.00% interest rate loan available to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need (priority is given to undergraduates). Repayment begins nine (9) months after graduation or ceasing to be at least a half-time student (less than six (6) credits per semester). If you accept your Federal Perkins Loan, and do not already have a valid Perkins Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) on file with Stony Brook, you will be notified with instructions on signing the MPN. The maximum Stony Brook award is $1,500. For further information regarding repayment: SUNY Federal Perkins Loan Program Borrower's Guide.
Stafford Loans
There are two types of Stafford Loans: subsidized and unsubsidized. A subsidized loan is awarded on the basis of financial need. For the Subsidized Federal
Stafford Loan, the federal government pays the interest on the loan while the student is enrolled, during grace and authorized periods of deferment. An
unsubsidized loan is not need-based and is, therefore, available to students who do not qualify for a Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan or who may qualify for
only a partial subsidized loan. For the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, the student borrower is responsible for paying the interest. The interest can be paid while
the student is in school or capitalized (added to the principal).
Repayment of the loan begins six months after the student graduates or ceases to be enrolled half-time. Information about repayment options is available from your lender for your FFELP loans. For Direct loans, you can contact Direct Loan Servicing.
The interest rate is fixed at 6.8% except for undergraduate subsidized loans. Starting July 2010, the rate for this type of loan will be 4.5% and will decrease in future years.
Annual Loan Limits:*
| Junior/senior dependent | $7,500 | (At least $2,000 must be an Unsubsidized loan) |
| Junior/senior independent | $12,500 | (At least $7,000 must be an Unsubsidized loan) |
| Graduate | $20,500 | (At least $12,000 must be an Unsubsidized loan) |
*Students may not be eligible for the maximum loan amounts. The amount of the loan is determined by the cost of attendance as determined by the institution minus other financial aid. Cost of attendance includes tuition and fees, room and board, books, travel and an allowance for personal expenses.
Loans taken for summer study are included in the annual loan limits and therefore reduce the eligibility for the academic year.
PLUS Loan - Parent PLUS or Graduate PLUS
PLUS Loans are available to parents of dependent undergraduate students and to graduate students. The annual loan limit is the student's cost of attendance
minus any
estimated financial aid. The interest rate is fixed at 7.9% in the Direct Lending Program. Repayment of the PLUS loan offers the option to defer payments while the
student is in school.
Credit checks are done for PLUS Loans. If a Parent PLUS Loan is denied, the dependent student may be eligible for additional
Unsubsidized Stafford Loan funds.
Graduate students have an option for an endorser if their credit is denied. To apply, parents will need to complete a
Request for a Parent PLUS loan
form. Graduate students will be offered the Grad PLUS in their financial aid package before the credit check is done.
Private Alternative Educational Loans
Alternative Loans are private loans offered through lending institutions and are NOT part of federal government programs. These loans are available if you need additional financial assistance after applying for all federal and state financial aid programs, including federal loans. As with all student loans, the amount borrowed must be for educational expenses and cannot exceed (including all other sources of aid) the cost of attendance for the loan period. Money is borrowed in the student's name. A cosigner is usually required and loan approval is based on creditworthiness. Interest rates and borrower benefits for alternative loans vary. Alternative loans are also available for International students with a cosigner, students who have past due term balances, and students enrolled for less than full time.
Alternative Lender Information
Federal Aid First
Employment Opportunities
(Earn money while attending school)
Federal Work-Study (FWS)
This federal program provides on-campus employment opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students. You were considered for FWS only if you
indicated that preference on the FAFSA. If you accept the award, you can begin your job search. Job listings are available on the
SOLAR system. You will receive FWS funds in the form of a paycheck for the hours
you have worked; therefore, FWS is not included as anticipated aid on your University account. The minimum pay rate is $7.25 per hour.
Federal Work Study/Community Service
This federal program provides off-campus employment opportunites to graduate and undergraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria.E-mail uzalewski@notes.cc.sunysb.edu for more information
Visit the Career Center for more details.
Student Assistant
Stony Brook Departments, through their own funding sources, provide opportunities for qualified students to work on campus. The current minimum pay rate is $7.25 per hour. Students receive a bi-weekly paycheck for the hours worked.These employment assignments are available on SOLAR.
Faculty Student Association
The Faculty-Student Association (FSA) operates many different auxiliary business services and programs for the campus, such as dining, bookstores, and the campus ID office and employs close to 500 students. Visit the FSA Student Staffing Resources website for details.
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New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
TAP is a grant available to NY residents for attendance at accredited New York State campuses. This program provides tuition assistance to undergraduate students enrolled full-time (minimum 12 credits) and in good academic standing according to State Education requirements. For undergraduates,
this includes a grade point average of 2.0 after having received four payments from TAP. Award amounts are based on New York State net taxable income
and range from $425 to $4,970.
This program requires completion of both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Express TAP Application (ETA).
The ETA is a multi-year application and will only require updating if New Estimate on your Financial Aid Notice indicates that Stony Brook has not yet received
New York State Higher Education Services Corp (HESC) determines that an update is necessary. When your award is finalized, HESC will send you an award
certificate. Once Stony Brook receives official notification of your TAP award, the term award will then appear as anticipated aid on your University account.
Please be sure to list Stony Brook's state code 0875. New York State residents who complete the FAFSA on the Web may now link directly to TAP on the Web (TOTW) to apply for TAP and other New York State grants and scholarships. If you missed the link, or you filed a paper FAFSA, go to "Apply for Tap" at www.hesc.org to complete the application process.
Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS)
APTS is a grant available to matriculated undergraduate students who are New York State residents enrolled for at least 3-11 credits for a maximum of $1000 per
semester. A special APTS application is required and available in
the Office of Student Services. The application must be submitted with NYS and federal tax forms to the Office of Student Services by the last day of the add-drop
period each semester.
Part-Time TAP Program
This is a grant available to Part-time students at approved schools in New York State who were first-time, full-time freshmen in 2006-07. Part-Time TAP is not the
same as Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS). For information, please visit http://www.hesc.com/content.nsf/CA/Grants_and_Scholarships_PartTime_TAP_Questions_and_Answers
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP/AIM)
This is a state grant available to residents of New York State who are economically and educationally disadvantaged. Students must have been enrolled in an
equivalent program during their freshman or sophomore year (i.e., EOP, HEOP, or SEEK). The award consists of a book stipend for the beginning of each term
and an EOP award for other educational expenses.
Graduate EOP Tuition Waiver (GOP)
This is a state tuition waiver program available to graduate students who are New York State residents enrolled for 12 or more credits in a first
graduate/professional degree program and who are graduates of the EOP or similar New York State college access programs (HEOP, CD/SEEK).
Students must provide documentation of previous enrollment in an EOP, HEOP, CD/SEEK Program. If you were not awarded a tuition waiver and meet these
criteria, please contact our office. Full or partial tuition waiver awards depend on availability of funds.
Veterans Tuition Awards
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If you are receiving a state or private scholarship or any other aid, the award may not be listed on your Financial Aid Award Notice. It is your responsibility to report scholarships you have received that are not listed on the Financial Aid Award Notice. This may be done by adding them directly on-line on SOLAR, or by calling the office with the information. Please be advised that the receipt of a scholarship may alter the composition of the total financial aid package. In this case, you will receive a SOLAR message advising you of the changes.
Scholarships and other financial aid programs:
- Stony Brook University Scholarships for Continuing Students
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Veterans Affairs Educational Benefits
- www.fastweb.com
- slsc.albany.edu
Nursing Scholarship Program (NSP)
The Nursing Scholarship Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awards scholarships to individuals for attendance at
Schools of Nursing. The scholarship consists of payment for tuition, fees, other reasonable educational costs, and a monthly support stipend. In return, the
students agree to provide a minimum of 2 years of full-time clinical service at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses. For application and
information visit:
http://www.hrsa.gov/
Graduate Tuition Waiver
Full or partial Graduate tuition scholarships (GTS) are available to eligible students depending on their program of study. Academic departments determine the
eligibility and amount of the award and notify the recipients. If you are enrolled in the full-time PhD programs in Basic Sciences or Social Welfare,
a graduate tuition waiver may be listed on the award notice.
The School of Nursing administers a Nursing grant to provide tuition waiver awards for eligible graduate students. Awards are determined and posted to the student's
University accounts after the semester starts.
W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship
This is a Graduate Fellowship Program for eligible underrrepresented students in specific professional programs including Nursing (M.S.),
Physical Therapy (M.S., D.P.T.), Dental Medicine (D.D.S.), Medicine (M.D., M.D./Ph.D), and Social Welfare (M.S.W., Ph.D). For application procedures,
contact the appropriate program and for general information visit: http://www.grad.sunysb.edu/Turner/
Veterans Affairs
If you are inaterested in applying for benefits under any of the VA educational assistance programs, please contact Stony Brook's Office of
Veterans Affairs. For additional information, visit
New York State HESC Web site.
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