Verification

The federal government requires schools distributing financial aid to verify the consistency and accuracy of data submitted on the FAFSA. Some financial aid applicants are asked to submit documents such as tax returns and W-2 forms to the MU Office of Student Financial Aid. Learn more.

Process

FAFSA

The first and most important step in applying for financial aid is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and send it to the federal processor. You cannot receive financial aid until this form has been processed.

March 1 is the priority deadline for the students beginning or continuing enrollment at MU the following fall semester. Students need to be admitted to MU and have a non-rejected FAFSA on file by March 1st in order to meet this deadline.

A FAFSA can be filed at any time throughout the academic year. Please check with the Financial Aid Office if you are uncertain about the academic year needed for your enrollment.

Most FAFSAs are filed online and signed electronically using a federal personal identification number (PIN). If you require a paper FAFSA, please call our office.

Applying for scholarships

MU offers many automatic scholarships for which you are considered when you apply to the university, based on criteria such as grade point average, ACT/SAT scores, class rank and state residency.

The Office of Student Financial Aid has developed an online application undergraduate students can use to apply for multiple other MU scholarships. The MU Annual Scholarship Application collects and sorts information to match potential recipients to scholarships based on donor criteria.

Graduate students should contact their individual academic departments or visit the MU Graduate School for scholarship applications.

Financial aid award

After the Office of Student Financial Aid has received the FAFSA results, you will receive an award letter outlining the financial aid for which you are eligible and explaining how to accept the aid. Financial aid packages usually include loans and also may include scholarships, grants and/or Federal Work Study Program opportunities.

The award letters for incoming freshmen are mailed in April. Continuing and transfer students receive their award letters in June.

Learn more about receiving aid.

How funds are applied

All financial aid funds except Federal Work Study funds are applied directly to your MU account, which is established through the Office of Cashiers when you register for classes. Learn more about how funds are applied.