Frequently Asked Questions
Application Process
Students must initiate the financial aid application process by completing the 2023-24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov. A list of eligibility requirements to complete the FAFSA can be found here. Be sure to include our School Code (E00476)
Based upon the data received from the FAFSA there may be additional documents needing to be completed. Our office may also require the SON Anticipated Enrollment Online Application. Students should check their SIS To Do List to see what documents are needed. If applicable, students must also submit the Outside Award Notification Form.
The SON Anticipated Enrollment Online Application is only required of students in specific programs. Students should complete this online form to notify our office of the credits they intend to enroll in each semester. The SON Anticipated Enrollment Online Application will generate in the SIS To Do List only after a student has completed the FAFSA. If your To Do List does not show this document after you complete the FAFSA, it is not required for your program.
The Outside Award Notification Form is available to be completed by any student who is receiving outside assistance from any source other than the School of Nursing. Outside funds must be taken into account when determining a student’s award. The Outside Award Notification Form, which will not generate in SIS, must be submitted to Student Financial Services when complete.
Students can log in to Student Information System (SIS) and refer to their To Do List to see if any additional documents are needed. If all documents are showing as received you have completed all information needed from our office.
We send out award notifications each Friday so a student can expect to hear from our office on the following Friday after their file is complete. The initial award date is listed below. Students will be awarded each Friday thereafter.
| Student Group | Initial Notification Date |
|---|---|
New students entering Summer 2023 or Fall 2023 | January 13, 2023 |
New students entering Spring 2024 | September 8, 2023 |
Continuing Students | April 14, 2023 |
If you are a new student starting in the Summer 2023 or Fall 2023 semester the deadline to apply for financial aid is March 1, 2023. New students starting in Spring 2024 have a deadline of September 1, 2023. Continuing students have a deadline of April 1, 2023 to apply for aid.
| Student Group | Deadline |
|---|---|
New students entering Summer 2023 or Fall 2023 | March 1, 2023 |
New students entering Spring 2024 | September 1, 2023 |
Continuing Students | April 1, 2023 |
Yes, students may apply for assistance after the deadline and we will still process their request. However, the purpose of the deadline is to give our office enough time to review a student’s request for assistance prior to enrollment. That way a student will have an idea of what aid is available and therefore make an informed decision before enrolling.
Yes, all students must reapply for financial aid each year.
If you submitted the FAFSA for 2023-24 and included our school code of E00476, we should have your FAFSA within 3-5 business days from the Department of Education. You can log in to verify that you completed the correct year (2023-24) and submitted the correct school code (E00476) at https://studentaid.gov. If both of those items were submitted properly and it has been more than 5 business days please contact our office.
No, you do not need to complete the FAFSA to receive your merit scholarship. Only individuals seeking federal student aid (loans and federal work study) should complete the FAFSA.
Student Information System (SIS)
Student Information System is the system of record for Johns Hopkins University. In SIS students can review information for Registration, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts. Students can also make updates to their contact information in SIS.
To login to SIS students need a specific SIS ID number from Student Financial Services. Students will also need to verify their date of birth and their Zip Code. Once that information has been authenticated students will have access to SIS. Student
Student Financial Services emails students their login information for SIS when they are initially accepted to the School of Nursing. If you did not receive an email or if you forgot it, please contact our office
After initially logging in to SIS and setting up your account students should log at https://sis.jhu.edu. If you are unable to log in there after authenticating your account contact our office and we will walk you through the process.
Our phone number is (410) 955-9840. You can also request support through SEAM’s online form.
Financial Aid Policies
Johns Hopkins University sets high ethical standards for all administrators, faculty, and staff. Practices are governed by the University’s Financial Aid Code of Conduct and Policy on Education Loans and Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flag Rule.
The Office of Student Financial Services is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term. The federal Title IV financial aid programs must be recalculated in these situations.
If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term, the financial aid office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:
Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.
Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:
Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.
If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a debit balance to the institution.
If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal.
The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 30 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal.
Refunds are allocated in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
- Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans)
- Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Federal Parent (PLUS) Loans
- Direct PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grants for which a Return of funds is required
- Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a Return of funds is required
- Other assistance under this Title for which a Return of funds is required (e.g., LEAP)
Students with special circumstances for unanticipated expenses (see the FA-Budget Adjustment Request Form for examples) can request a budget adjustment to their cost of attendance that may allow for additional federal loan borrowing eligibility
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Students who receive Federal Student Aid (FSA) must, in accordance with federal regulations, be in good standing and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward obtaining their degree or certificate. Under Federal Title IV law, the school’s SAP requirements must meet certain minimum requirements, and be at least as strict as the standards for Good Academic Standing. The policy applies to students receiving Federal Student Aid for semesters/periods of enrollment that begin on or after July 1, 2012.
The federal regulations require that an institution use three measurements to determine SAP:
- Qualitative – student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average or equivalent
- Quantitative – student must maintain a minimum cumulative completion rate of credits attempted
- Maximum time frame – student must complete their degree or certificate within a maximum time frame
The standards used to evaluate academic progress are cumulative and, therefore include all periods of the student’s enrollment, including periods during which the student did not receive FSA funds.
Pre-Licensure Students
- Minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) – Qualitatively, on a scale of 4.0, graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
- Minimum cumulative completion rate – Quantitatively, financial aid recipients must maintain a cumulative completion rate equal to or exceeding 67% of the credits attempted.
- MSN Entry into Nursing students must complete the program within 5 years of matriculation.
Masters Specialty, Certificate, and Doctorate Students
- Minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) – Qualitatively, on a scale of 4.0, graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
- Minimum cumulative completion rate – Quantitatively, financial aid recipients must maintain a cumulative completion rate equal to or exceeding 67% of the credits attempted.
- Students must complete the required course work within the time periods specified below:
- MSN, Specialty Students – 6 years from matriculation
- MSN, Specialty/MBA Students – 7 years from matriculation
- Certificate Students – 3 years from matriculation
- DNP/Advanced Practice Students – 6 years from matriculation
- DNP, Executive Students – 6 years from matriculation
- DNP, Executive/MBA Students – 7 years from matriculation
- PhD Students – 7 years from matriculation
- DNP/PhD Students – 8 years from matriculation
| Course Withdrawals -W Grades | Not included in the GPA calculation, but are considered a non-completion of attempted coursework |
| Incomplete Courses – I Grades | Not included in the GPA calculation, but are considered a non-completion of attempted coursework until the coursework is completed and final grade is submitted |
| Audited Courses – AU Grades | Not considered attempted coursework or included in the GPA calculation, nor is the coursework considered for financial aid eligibility |
| Satisfactory (S) or Passing (P) Grade | Treated as attempted credits which are earned, but is not included in calculation of GPA. |
| Failing – F Grades | Treated as attempted credits that were not earned and are included both in the calculation of GPA and minimum completion rate |
| No Grade Reported – X Grades | Not included in the GPA calculation, but are considered a non-completion of attempted coursework until the coursework is completed and final grade is submitted |
| Course Repeats | Only the repeated course grade will be used in calculating the GPA; all attempts will be included in the completion rate determinations. |
All credits accepted for transfer to the student’s program of study are taken into consideration as both attempted and earned credits. Grades earned at other institutions are not, however, counted when computing the student’s GPA.
Financial aid recipients are reviewed for SAP at the end of each semester of enrollment (Summer, Fall, or Spring). Letters are sent to students who do not meet the SAP standards and are placed either in a warning status or who lose eligibility.
Students on Financial Aid Warning, who fail to maintain the minimum SAP standard during the Warning semester, will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension status for subsequent semesters/periods of enrollment. No financial aid will be disbursed during subsequent semesters/periods of enrollment until the student regains financial aid eligibility.
Students applying for financial aid will not be eligible for assistance and will immediately be placed on Financial Aid Suspension status if they did not meet the minimum financial aid SAP standards, based on the two previous periods of enrollment prior to applying for financial aid.
Students who do not complete their program within the maximum time frame lose eligibility for financial aid and are placed on Financial Aid Suspension status.
A student may regain eligibility for financial aid after Financial Aid Suspension status only by in one of the following ways:
- The student submits a written letter of appeal and the Financial Aid Appeals Committee grants the appeal. The student is placed on Financial Aid Probation for the next semester/period of enrollment and is eligible for Title IV aid during their Financial Aid Probation status. If the appeal is approved but the Committee has determined that the student will not be able to meet the SAP standards within one semester/period of enrollment, then the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation with an Academic Plan which if followed will ensure the student is able to meet the SAP standards by a specific point in time.
- The student registers for coursework while on Financial Aid Suspension status, pays for tuition and fees without the help of student financial aid, and does well enough in the coursework to satisfy all the satisfactory academic progress standards at the end of the subsequent semester(s)/period(s) of enrollment.
Students who wish to appeal Financial Aid Suspension status must submit an appeal of Financial Aid Suspended status in writing to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee by the date specified in the Financial Aid Suspended notification letter. The committee will review the appeal and notify the student in writing of their decision within 14 working days after the Appeals Committee meets and makes its determination. Appeals should include:
- The grounds for appeal (i.e., working too many hours, etc.)
- Demonstration that the student understands the reason behind failure to meet the SAP requirements
- Specific plans to rectify the student’s current academic status
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal and consult with academic advisers and other involved parties as warranted. If it is determined that the student will not be able to meet the SAP standards by the end of the next semester/period of enrollment but the Committee is in agreement that the student’s grounds for appeal are reasonable and the student has a reasonable chance to succeed and graduate, then if the appeal is approved the student will also be placed on an Academic Plan. Students will receive written notification of the decision. All decisions on such appeals are final.
Students who lose eligibility for financial aid due to not meeting the minimum SAP standards more than one time during their program may submit an appeal each time.
Students who lose eligibility and submit an appeal may be placed on an Academic Plan if the appeal is approved. The purpose of an academic plan is to support the student in bringing himself or herself back into compliance with the financial aid SAP standards by a specific point in time in order to ensure that the student will be able to successfully complete the degree or certificate program. The academic plan will be specifically tailored to the student and may include milestones and specific requirements such as a reduced course load, specific courses or tutoring. Students on an academic plan are still responsible to meet the SAP requirements in the subsequent semester/period of enrollment and will lose eligibility if the SAP standards are not met, and need to go through the appeal process in order to regain eligibility. The student’s progress in their academic plan will be taken into account in any subsequent appeal process of financial aid eligibility.
No. Financial aid recipients must meet the financial aid satisfactory academic progress standards, which is at least as stringent as the schools’ academic policy standards, in accordance with federal Title IV regulations. Students should consult the Standards for Good Academic Standing for more information on that standard. Students on academic probation may also be on Financial Aid Suspension, or they may be on Financial Aid Warning status.
Contact the Financial Aid Office at 410-955-9840.
Verification is a process used to check the accuracy of certain information entered on the FAFSA and to resolve any errors. Some students are selected by the Department of Education and some are selected by the School of Nursing. Selected students will need to provide additional documentation to the School of Nursing before we can finalize and disburse federal financial aid.
If you are selected for verification, you will need to complete and submit a verification worksheet. We ask that students and parents use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA to provide income information from your federal tax return. If you are not able to use the Data Retrieval Tool, you must submit an official IRS transcript of your federal income tax return, which you can obtain from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946 or visiting www.IRS.gov.
Verification worksheets can be found by logging in to SIS and referring to your To Do List. We may also email the document to you directly. Once all documents have been received, our office will review the data and compare it to the information on your FAFSA. Our office will make corrections (if necessary) and transmit them to the federal processor. You will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR) if corrections are required. If the corrections impact your federal aid award, we will notify you by email or letter. Verification may take several weeks to complete, so we ask that all students supply the requested materials as soon as possible.
If your documents have not been turned in by the start of each term’s respective date, your federal aid will be cancelled. Please see below for each term’s deadline:
- Summer 2022 – May 23, 2022
- Fall 2022 – August 29, 2022
- Spring 2023- January 23, 2023
Your financial aid will not be disbursed until the verification process is complete. Students can track the completion of verification documents on the “To Do List” tab on Net Partner in SIS at http://www.sis.jhu.edu.