Frequently Asked Questions

• The first step in applying for state or federal financial aid is to complete the FAFSA.
• Students, parents, and borrowers require an FSA ID to log in and sign the application. The FSA ID is made up of a username and password and is needed to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites.
• The FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.

Apply Online

After you are admitted, you are provided credentials to the Furman Financial Aid Dashboard.  Once you login to the Dashboard, you will see documents that have been received and their status under “Your Requirements”.  If you have multiple documents listed, you may need to click “Get More Documents” to go to the next page.

If you submitted your FAFSA and we don’t have it, please be sure you have added Furman University as a college to receive the information (Federal Code: 003434).

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to our office.

Students are notified according to their admit round and dates set forth by the admissions calendar- Early Decision, Early Action, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.

• Early Decision- by December 15th
• Early Action- by February 1st
• Early Decision II- by February 15th
• Regular Decision- by March 15th

For more information regarding enrollment and financial aid deadlines, please click here.

Here are some tips to help you login as a new first-time user:

• For the first time using the Financial Aid Dashboard, you should click “first time user” and activate your account using your non-Furman email address provided on your Common App.
• You cannot copy and paste the reference ID on the activation page, you must manually enter this number.
• If you have created your account previously but cannot remember your PIN, please select “Forgot Your PIN” and answer the security questions.

If you cannot resolve your issues with the tips above, please contact our office.

To be eligible for federal need-based aid, you must complete the FAFSA. Your financial aid will be revised once your FAFSA is completed and you will be sent an email with instructions.

Currently enrolled students will receive their financial aid notification at the beginning of June.

There are no credit hour requirements or GPA requirements for the Bell Tower.  The Bell Tower scholarship is renewable for eight semesters.  The semesters do not have to be consecutive in attendance.

A student’s total financial aid cannot exceed their cost of attendance (COA).  The Cost of Attendance are both direct costs (tuition, room, board, fees) to the university and indirect costs (books, personal, transportation) that a student may incur during the academic year.  The COA is set by the Financial Aid Office.

If you are attending a Furman affiliated or sponsored Study Away trip, all your financial aid will disburse through the university as normal for the semester. You will need to complete a Study Away Consortium Agreement form before you begin the program. The Study Away Office will provide the form to you and then you bring it to the Financial Aid Office for approval.

Please be sure the student’s first name, last name, and student ID are on the check or attached with separate paperwork.  All checks should be sent to Enrollment Services.

Furman University

Attention: Enrollment Services

3300 Poinsett Highway

Greenville, SC 29613

Location on campus: Administration Building

May Experience:

• There is no additional tuition charge for May X, however there is additional costs for housing and meals. In most cases, financial aid  is not available for May X since its only 2 credits however, the university does offer a May Experience Housing Scholarship.  Click here to learn more

Summer School:

• If you are a Pell Grant recipient, you may qualify for a partial Pell Grant (dependent on your enrollment hours). You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) to qualify for Pell Grant.
• Direct Loans, PLUS Loans, and Private loans are other options to help assist you in the summer.   You may borrow Direct Loans for summer classes if you are enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours) if you have eligibility remaining for the academic year. Additionally, if you are enrolled in classes at Furman for the summer term, your parent may request a PLUS loan for that term, however, you must also be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours).  You also have the option of borrowing a private loan for the summer term as well. Furman’s website offers additional information and resources when it comes to choosing an alternative loan lender.

To learn more about summer tuition and fees, please click here.

The Office of Financial Aid is provided a list from the South Carolina Commission of Higher Education (CHE) regarding new eligible Palmetto Fellows recipients.  Once your name appears on the list from the state, then we can update your South Carolina scholarship. Our office monitors the list from the state frequently and makes update to awards and we will send you an email to notify you that your award offers has been updated.  In addition, you must complete a School Designation Form with the SC CHE to designate your funding to Furman University as your selected university.  Their office emails you the form link to the email address provided on your Palmetto Fellows application. If you cannot locate their email, please contact their office at 803-856-0672.

• As a Palmetto Fellows or LIFE Scholarship recipient, you may become eligible beginning with your sophomore year and continuing through your senior year.
• You must declare your major by the restricted add/drop deadline in the fall of the currently enrolled academic year and meet all other qualifications. You must also be passing Satisfactory Academic Progress at the university, and meet all other continued eligibility requirements for your respective base scholarship (Palmetto Fellows or LIFE) .
• There is no application for the enhancement and the Office of Financial Aid will determine eligibility.
• Students are not eligible for the enhancement during their freshman year.

If you believe you qualify for the enhancement but are not awarded, please contact our office.

Students who fail to earn a cumulative 3.0 LIFE GPA at the end of the academic year or the requisite number of hours required, may regain eligibility the next academic year if their cumulative LIFE GPA is a 3.0 at the end of the academic year and they have earned a minimum of 30 credit hours if a rising sophomore, 60 credit hours if a rising junior, or 90 credit hours if a rising
senior. The academic year is considered fall, spring and summer. Therefore, you can use the summer to bring up a GPA or earn credit hours. Please consult our office to verify that credit hours earned during the summer at another institution will be accepted. Students who do not meet the annual credit hour requirement at the end of each academic year (based on initial date of college enrollment) cannot receive a LIFE Scholarship or LIFE Scholarship Enhancement.

If a truly extenuating circumstance resulted in the loss of LIFE Scholarship eligibility, you may submit an appeal to the Commission on Higher Education. Applications for appeal may be obtained after June 1 from the institution’s Financial Aid Office, the Commission on Higher Education, or http://www.che.sc.gov. Applications are reviewed annually. The deadline for receipt of appeal applications is in late September. Please check the CHE website for specific appeals deadlines. Students cannot submit an appeal to the Commission for the Palmetto Fellows/LIFE Scholarship Enhancement. Students can only appeal the loss of a  Palmetto Fellows or LIFE Scholarship.

Direct Subsidized Loans are available to undergraduate students with financial need. Furman determines the amount you can borrow, and the amount may not exceed your financial need. The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on a Direct Subsidized Loan:

• while you’re in school at least half-time,
• for the first six months after you leave school (referred to as a grace period*), and
• during a period of deferment (a postponement of loan payments)

Direct Unsubsidized Loans are available to undergraduate and graduate students; there is no requirement to demonstrate financial need. Furman determines the amount you can borrow based on your cost of attendance and other financial aid you receive. You are responsible for paying the interest on a Direct Unsubsidized Loan during all periods.

The student is the borrower of any Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loans. Students do not have to undergo a credit check to borrow on a Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan.  Students are guaranteed to be able to borrow– provided there is room in your total cost of attendance (COA) for the loan.  The Office of Financial Aid will determine your eligibility.

• You must be the biological or adoptive parent (or, in some cases, the stepparent) of the student for whom you are borrowing.
• Your child must be a dependent undergraduate student who is enrolled at least half-time at a school that participates in the Direct Loan Program. Generally, your child is considered dependent if he or she is under 24 years of age, has no dependents, and is not married, a veteran, a graduate or professional degree student, or a ward of the court. Learn about dependency status at StudentAid.gov/dependency.
• You cannot have an adverse credit history (a credit check will be completed).
• In addition, you and your child must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens (see StudentAid.gov/non-citizen), not be in default on any federal education loans, not owe an overpayment on a federal education grant, and meet other general eligibility requirements for the federal student aid programs.

There are no set borrowing limits for Direct PLUS Loans, but you may not borrow more than the cost of your student’s Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid received, such as a Direct Subsidized Loan or Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The school will determine the actual amount you may borrow. On the PLUS Loan application, there will be an option to select a set amount to borrow or the maximum (up to the COA) that is allowed.  It is best to consult with the Office of Financial Aid regarding any questions on this particular amount.

The repayment period for a Direct PLUS Loan begins immediately after you’ve received the last disbursement of the loan, while your student is still in school. However, you may be able to defer making payments while your child is enrolled at least half-time, and for an additional six months after your child graduates or drops below half-time enrollment status. When it’s time for you to begin repaying your Direct PLUS Loan, you will make payments to your loan servicer, an organization that handles billing and other customer service functions related to your Direct PLUS Loan. The servicer will contact you after you receive your first Direct PLUS Loan to provide you with information about repayment options, and the servicer also will communicate with you throughout the repayment period of your loan.

No, there are no federal requirements in order for a student or parent to borrow a private loan. You must apply, get approved, and complete all requirements at the lender’s request.

All amounts are estimated until the final verification process is complete.  The following is financial aid which may be affected by the final verification outcome:

Federal Aid:

• Pell Grant
• SEOG
• Direct Subsidized Loan
• Direct Unsubsidized Loan
• Direct Parent PLUS Loan
• Direct Graduate PLUS Loan (Graduate students only)

State Aid:

• South Carolina Tuition Grant

• Please review your Furman Financial Aid Dashboard to ensure you have completed and submitted all requested documents from our office.
• If you were selected for verification, then this process must be completed.
• If you are a new first time borrower, you must complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling at StudentAid.Gov. If you have completed these requirements and the loan still hasn’t disbursed to you, please contact our office.

Please review the refund policy in our catalog.  If you are due a refund, you are encouraged to sign up for/review Direct Deposit payment information in Workday.  Recipients not enrolled in direct deposit will receive payment via a paper check mailed to you.