Financial Student Aid Process

The United States Department of Education offers the Federal Direct Loan Program. Under this program, the U.S. Department of Education is your lender.

The Department of Education does not provide Pell Grants to graduate students.

General Eligibility Criteria: How Do I Qualify?

The Federal Direct Loan program is not based on your income or assets; there is no requirement to demonstrate financial need.

The eligibility criteria to qualify are:

Be enrolled and registered on an at least half-time basis in an eligible program at Meridian (all of Meridian’s graduate degree programs are eligible programs)
Must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States
Complete the FAFSA each year to determine eligibility for federal financial assistance (Use Meridian’s School Code: G42711)
Must be in good standing in order to qualify for federal financial assistance (Student may not be in default on or owe a refund for any federal financial aid programs or federal liens)

Financial Aid Deadlines

All financial aid application items should be accurately completed and received by the Financial Aid Office at least three weeks prior to the start of the quarter.
Students who do not submit the required items in a timely manner must be prepared to meet their tuition and fee obligations by the payment deadlines, even if they plan to receive aid later in the year.
Quarter Start and End Dates:
Meridian University uses the quarter system.

Winter 2024-2025

Begins

Dec. 1st, 2024

Deadline

Nov. 12th, 2024

Begins

Deadline

Dec. 1st, 2024

Nov. 12th, 2024

Spring 2024-2025

Begins

Mar. 1st, 2025

Deadline

Feb. 11th, 2025

Begins

Deadline

Mar. 1st, 2025

Feb. 11th, 2025

Summer 2024-2025

Begins

Jun. 1st, 2025

Deadline

May 13th, 2025

Begins

Deadline

Jun. 1st, 2025

May 13th, 2025

Fall 2025-2026

Begins

Sep. 1st, 2025

Deadline

Aug. 12th, 2025

Begins

Deadline

Sep. 1st, 2025

Aug. 12th, 2025

How Do I Apply?

Apply for a FSA ID Number before you start your FAFSA application.
Complete the FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/fafsa-app and submit it to Meridian University. Meridian’s Federal School Code is G42711
Complete the Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN) at studentloans.gov
Forward confirmation that you have completed Entrance Counseling and MPS to financialservices@meridianuniversity.edu.
Students who wish to apply for a Federal Graduate PLUS loan submit the application at studentloans.gov. Please inform the Financial Aid Office in writing if you plan to apply for a Grad PLUS loan. Be sure to complete the Entrance counseling and MPN specific to the Grad PLUS loan and forward confirmations to financialservices@meridianuniversity.edu.

What happens after I apply?

Once your FAFSA is processed, Meridian will confirm receipt of the FAFSA by either sending you a FAFSA receipt confirmation email or an email letting you know if there are any issues with the FAFSA that need to be resolved.

Students are required to notify the Financial Aid Office of any other aid received or anticipated for the loan period.

After you have officially enrolled, you will be sent via Docusign a Financial Aid Offer for you to sign and return. The Financial Aid Offer discloses your Direct Loan Borrowing Information and Remaining Eligibility from the U.S. Department of Education. Your Financial Aid Offer will indicate the full loan amount(s) for which you are eligible. When signing your offer you will have the opportunity to request less than the maximum amount if you wish.

If you do not understand how much aid you would be accepting by signing the Financial Aid Offer Notification, or don’t understand how to note that you want to borrow less than the total offered, contact the Financial Aid Office before signing your Financial Aid Offer Notification.

Notification of Right to Cancel All or a Portion of Your Aid:

If you choose to borrow a different amount, or want to cancel the loan offer, you will need to sign the applicable form. By signing your Financial Aid Offer Notification, you are accepting all of your financial aid offered, unless indicated otherwise.

When will my loan be disbursed?

Student loans disburse on a quarterly basis. Loan funds are received by Meridian University and are posted to the student’s account via the Student Services Portal.

Funds are generally disbursed during the first three to four weeks of the quarters (after the add/drop deadline) for those students who provided all requested information at least three weeks prior to the start of the first quarter in the loan period.

Credit balances (if applicable) are disbursed within 14 days of the actual date of disbursement. Factors affecting disbursement include (but are not limited to) registration status, satisfactory academic progress, and receipt of other aid.

Federal Graduate Student Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to remain eligible for federal loan disbursements.

Learn More

Attendance

Attendance in online courses is characterized by regular student postings and regular completion of weekly course assignments. Simply logging into your class or just attending zoom does not qualify as attendance for that week.

For Financial Aid, attendance tracking starts on the first day of class.

If you have not attended class for one week you will receive a warning that your Financial Aid is in jeopardy if you do not attend classes, the following week. If you have not attended class for two consecutive weeks per US Department of Education regulations your Financial Aid will be cancelled.