Summer Financial Aid

How to Receive Summer Financial Aid

Current undergraduate students can be reviewed for summer financial aid by completing the Summer Aid Application in MyRED (available mid-March through July).

To be eligible for summer aid, you must also file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Form at studentaid.gov. Since summer is the final term of the academic year, most students will have already completed the FAFSA. The deadline to submit the FAFSA for summer aid is June 30.

Incoming first-year students who enroll in summer courses may qualify for aid if they:

  • Complete the correct academic year FAFSA.
  • Submit the Summer Aid Application before June 30.

Note: Your summer aid eligibility depends on your credit hours and enrolled sessions.

Register for Summer courses and complete the summer aid application in MyRED.

Types of Summer Financial Aid

Summer Scholarships

Some academic scholarships you were already awarded may also be available for the summer, including:

  • Regents, Chancellor’s, President’s, and Nebraska Achievement (full tuition)
  • National First Responder, Husker Salute, and Nebraska First Responder partial tuition waivers

To be reviewed, submit the Summer Aid Application in MyRED. Scholarship eligibility is based on meeting renewal criteria and the terms of your original award (refer to your original scholarship guidelines). Many scholarships do not offer a summer component, and other scholarship availability varies by academic college and external sources. 

Summer Federal Pell Grants

Federal Pell Grants are available year-round for Pell-eligible students. The grant amount depends on your enrollment at the time your summer financial aid eligibility is determined:

  • Full-time (12+ credits): Eligible for the equivalent of a full additional semester of Pell Grant funding.
  • Part-time (7 credits example): Eligible for a prorated amount of Pell Grant funding (e.g., 58% of full-time Pell).

For example, if your Federal Pell Grant was $7,395 for the academic year, you would have received $3,698 for the fall semester and $3,697 for the spring semester as a full-time student. With Summer Pell, you could receive an additional $3,697 for the summer semester if you enroll full-time (12+ credits). If you enroll in 7 hours for the summer term, you would receive 58% of the full-time Federal Pell Grant Award or $2144.

Summer Federal Work Study

Work-study funding is limited in the summer, as funds are often exhausted during the academic year. If funds remain available, eligible students will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Summer Federal Direct Student Loans

To qualify for federal direct unsubsidized or subsidized student loans, you must:

  • Be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits for undergraduates/law students, 5 credits for graduate students).
  • Have remaining loan eligibility for the academic year. You can learn more about federal loan limits at studentaid.gov.
  • Accept the loan before your enrollment period ends. You must be enrolled at the time you accept the loan.

Note: There are no exceptions allowed by the federal government for summer federal loan requirements.

Summer Federal Direct PLUS Loans

Parents of dependent students may apply for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan at studentaid.gov. To qualify, you must:

  • Be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits).
  • Ensure the loan is approved and processed before your enrollment period ends. The process cannot be completed after your enrollment period ends.

Graduate and professional students can also qualify for a Summer Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan and must be enrolled at least half-time (5 credits).

Note: There are no exceptions allowed by the federal government for summer federal PLUS loan requirements.

Summer Alternative Loans

Students applying for private or alternative loans are not required to submit a Summer Aid Application. If additional information is needed, after the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid receives a request for alternative loan certification from your private or alternative lender, we will contact you.

Global Experiences and Studying Abroad

Students participating in a summer study abroad program must meet with a Global Experiences Coordinator to determine financial aid eligibility. Only University-approved programs qualify for financial aid.

  • Most, but not all, financial aid and scholarships can be used for study abroad.
  • UNL tuition-based scholarships can only be used if UNL tuition is charged (and will not apply to study abroad program fees).

Meet with a Student Services Specialist in Husker Hub to financially prepare to study abroad and for all of the necessary financial aid steps to prepare.

Enrollment Requirements and Satisfactory Academic Progress

To receive summer financial aid, you must:

  • Be enrolled in credit-bearing coursework (0-credit courses do not qualify for summer scholarships or financial aid from any source).
  • Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, reviewed after the spring semester, or successfully appeal your SAP status as soon as possible, if needed.

Summer financial aid is based on the number of credits in which you are enrolled and may also depend on how many weeks your summer enrollment lasts.

Note: Update your Summer Aid Application immediately in MyRED if your enrollment plans change.

Awarding and Disbursement of Summer Financial Aid

  • The enrollment you indicate on the Summer Aid Application must match your MyRED enrollment for aid to be processed. This means you must already be successfully enrolled for summer to submit the Summer Aid Application.
  • Financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis once enrollment and financial aid status reviews are complete. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Form is not required if you are only requesting review for scholarship purposes.
  • Federal Pell Grants are disbursed after the last day to add a class (census date) of your first summer session. Enrollment is reviewed after each session census date. Your grant may be reduced, or canceled, after it is disbursed, if you do not maintain the same enrollment that you reported. Changes to your enrollment may require you to repay grant funds already received even if classes are dropped before they begin.
  • Accepted federal loans and other aid will disburse after the census date for which you have reached at least half-time status enrollment if it matches your indicated enrollment on your Summer Aid Application. For degree-seeking undergraduate students, summer half-time status is six credits. For degree-seeking graduate students, summer half-time status is five credits. For Law students, summer half-time status is six credits. Any combination of summer sessions can be used to reach the half-time status. Aid may be reduced or canceled if you drop courses or do not maintain the required enrollment level.

Important: Summer aid can be reduced or canceled if you change your enrollment (i.e., enroll in fewer credit hours in a session than you indicated on your Summer Aid Application). If your enrollment plans change, you must update your Summer Aid Application in order for your aid to be released. Since financial aid can sometimes be released based on anticipated enrollment, you may be required to return aid if your enrollment plans change to fewer credits for a subsequent session.

You must accept your summer aid before your last enrolled summer session course ends.

Note: Since federal regulations require scholarships or fellowships awarded for periods of non-enrollment to be treated as financial assistance for the academic year period of enrollment (fall/spring), UNL will not disburse any summer funds without credit-bearing course enrollment. Enrollment in a 0-credit course does not constitute enrollment for financial aid purposes. If summer aid were disbursed, it would negatively impact your fall/spring financial aid awards.

Summer Cost of Attendance

Your total estimated cost of attendance includes:

Important: Financial aid cannot exceed your estimated cost of attendance. All costs are subject to actual fee structures as approved by the Board of Regents. Each of these elements can be determined by credit hours of enrollment or length of session(s) enrolled.