Financial aid awards are based on the assumption of full-time enrollment in a degree-seeking program every semester. To be eligible for aid, students must meet minimum enrollment requirements. Enrollment is verified each semester prior to disbursement of funds and at the end of the add/change period.

A change of enrollment status could result in a revision of the financial aid package. To remain eligible for federal financial aid, students must also attend ALL registered classes at least once during the semester.

If you would like more detailed information on how your enrollment affects specific types of aid, please visit the Types of Aid section of this website and click through to the appropriate aid type.

Contact your financial aid adviser if you plan to take fewer hours than minimum required for full-time enrollment.

Undergraduate Students

• Full-time enrollment: 12 hours in fall/spring semesters
• Minimum enrollment to be considered for aid: 6 hours in fall/spring semesters
• Only undergraduate-level courses count toward the enrollment requirement for federal aid programs
• Note: Students enrolled in the Accountancy program could be eligible for aid while enrolled in a combination of undergraduate- and graduate-level courses

Graduate Students

• Full-time enrollment: 9 hours in fall/spring semesters
• Minimum enrollment to be considered for aid: 4.5 hours in fall/spring semesters
• Only graduate-level courses count toward the enrollment requirement for federal aid programs

Post-Comp Doctoral Students

(enrolling the semester after passing doctoral comprehensive exams)

• Full-time enrollment: 2 hours in fall/spring semesters
• Minimum enrollment to be considered for aid: 2 hours in fall/spring semesters
• The student is responsible for enrolling in graduate-level courses

Special Programs

• Study abroad
• Independent study

Non-Degree-Seeking Students

Financial aid is available to qualified degree candidates who are enrolled at MU. Non-degree-seeking and post-baccalaureate students are not admitted to specific degree programs and do not qualify for federal financial aid.

Preparatory Coursework Eligibility

A student who is not enrolled in a degree or certificate program, but who must complete prerequisites in order to be admitted to a program, is eligible for only Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidzed Loans (and a parent may receive Direct PLUS Loans on behalf of a dependent student), based on the following criteria:

• Coursework must be a prerequisite for admissions
• Coursework taken solely to raise the GPA in order to be admitted does not qualify
• If enrolled at least half time in these prerequisite courses, the student is eligible for loans for one consecutive 12-month period (not per program) beginning on the first day of the loan period
• If the period of preparatory courses spans more than one academic year, the student may receive multiple loans

NOTE: No Additional Unsubsidized Loan is available for Dependent Students unless their parents are unable to borrow a Parent PLUS Loan.

Course Repeats and Financial Aid Eligibility

According to federal legislation, effective July 1, 2011, repeat classes may only count towards financial aid eligibility if (a) the course was previously failed or (b) the course was previously passed only once. This means a student who fails a class may repeat a class and have it count as credit toward the determination of enrollment status for financial aid purposes but a student who has already passed a class may only repeat the class once more (i.e., to receive a better grade) and have these credits count toward financial aid eligibility. The Financial Aid Office does not determine if you may repeat a class, only whether you may be eligible for financial aid for a repeat class. For more information on the university policy regarding repeat coursework, please visit the Course Repeat Policy page on the MU Catalog site.