Financial Aid

Financial Aid Process

Planning to cover tuition, books, housing, meals, and miscellaneous expenses during graduate school requires advanced planning. Lynette Lorenzetti, Associate Director of Financial Aid for Graduate and Professional Programs, is available to provide you with information and options as you develop your financial plan. Feel free to contact her at 336-278-7640 or . She can assist you with overall planning. Students who need financial assistance beyond their scholarship and apprenticeship stipend will want to talk with her about when, how and for what type of student loans to apply. Should you require a student loan, she can also advise you on how to minimize your debt.

When to Apply for Financial Assistance

Students should apply as early as possible, and certainly no later than mid-June 2024, to ensure loan proceeds will be available at the commencement of the 2024 term. You do not need to wait until you have been admitted into the MHE program to begin the financial aid application process. However, students will not be notified of aid eligibility until they are admitted.

How to Apply for Student Loans

If you intend to apply for the Federal Stafford Loan for the 2024-2025 academic year, we encourage you to submit your FAFSA at the time you apply for admission. For example, if you plan to enroll in fall 2024, you will fill out the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Go ahead and become familiar with loans by visiting the FAFSA website, where the current year’s application will be updated in early October.

  1. Complete and submit to the Office of Financial Aid the 2024-2025 Elon Graduate Financial Aid Application. The application may be submitted by fax or mail only. Emailed applications will not be accepted.
  2. Complete and submit electronically the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Elon’s Federal Title IV School Code is 002927.

For additional information, please contact Lynette Lorenzetti in Elon’s Office of Financial Aid at (336) 278-7640.

Student Loan Programs

The Federal Stafford Student Loan Program

The primary source of financial assistance for MHE students attending Elon University will be the federal Stafford Student Loan Program. Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 through the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan program. The student will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. If the interest is capitalized (allowed to accumulate) it will be added to the principal amount of the loan and will increase the amount the borrower will have to repay. If the choice is made to pay the interest as it accumulates, the total interest charges paid during repayment will be considerably less. The maximum unsubsidized loan for graduate and professional study is $20,500 per year.

The total amount a graduate or professional student may borrow from all Stafford Loans combined is $138,500 (no more than $65,000 of this amount may be in subsidized loans). The graduate borrowing limit includes any Stafford Loans received for undergraduate study.

Under current law, the fixed interest rate charged on Federal Stafford Loans is set each year by the Department of Education at the beginning of July. There are also small origination and guarantee fees associated with each loan. These fees are deducted up front and thus lower the actual amount of each disbursement.

Repayment of Stafford Loans begins six months after graduation or withdrawal from the MHE Program. This is called the grace period. During the grace period on a Stafford loan, no payment of any principal is due.

Federal Stafford Loans are disbursed in two payments; one at the start of the academic term in late July and one at the midpoint of the term in late January. The loan funds will be sent to the university in equal disbursements.

First-time borrowers are required to complete student loan entrance counseling and a Master Promissory Note, which are available at studentaid.gov.

The Federal Graduate PLUS Loan Program

For students who need financial assistance beyond the $20,500 Stafford Loan maximum, there is the federal Graduate PLUS Loan program. The PLUS Loan allows for the deferment of repayment while the student is enrolled in the MHE program. Under current law, the fixed interest rate charged on Federal Grad PLUS Loan is set each year by the Department of Education at the beginning of July. There are also small origination and guarantee fees associated with each loan. These fees are deducted up front and thus lower the actual amount of each disbursement.

The maximum amount a student may borrow from the PLUS Loan program will be Elon’s Cost of Attendance for the MHE program, less any Stafford Loans and other forms of financial aid a student may be receiving. Information about the Graduate PLUS Loan may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid.