Prospective Graduate Students and Financial Aid

2012-13 Financial Aid Award Guide

The Graduate and Professional Unit of the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office administers Federal Direct Loans for UC Berkeley graduate students, as well as several smaller federal loan programs, and the Federal Work-Study Program. Federal loans and work-study are limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Please Note: Two changes to Federal Direct Loans for graduate students will be in effect beginning with the 2012-13 academic year. Read more about these Federal Direct Loan changes.

For information about Fellowships, Teaching and Research appointments, and departmental awards, please contact your academic department or go to the Graduate Division's website. These awards are not administered by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

There are no federal or University grant programs for graduate students administered by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

To apply for federal loans or work-study, you should complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. UC Berkeley's Federal School Code is 001312. March 2 is generally the priority deadline for the upcoming academic year (March 2, 2012 for academic year 2012-13).

For help with the FAFSA, watch "7 Easy Steps to the FAFSA," a video tutorial on how to complete the FAFSA application. For more FAFSA tips, read "Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for Student Aid" and "FAFSA Tips for Applicants in Unique Situations." For questions about the FAFSA, see http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/contact.htm and http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help.htm. You can also follow @FAFSA on Twitter for the latest FAFSA information and financial aid tips.

After the U.S. Department of Education sends us your FAFSA data and the Graduate Admissions Office notifies us that you have been admitted, we will send you an email directing you to a website for more information and instructions. Notification begins in mid-April and continues on a rolling basis throughout the year as late FAFSAs are received. Students filing late FAFSAs will still receive their full Federal Direct Loan and Grad PLUS Loan eligibility, but work-study or other federal loans may not be available. We must receive your FAFSA by March 15, 2013 to ensure it can be processed before the end of the 2012-13 academic year.