A new award year started — where is my financial aid?

For federal financial aid, the Federal Student Aid award year begins on July 1.

The 2012–2013 award year began on July 1, 2012. Because University of Phoenix is a nonterm school with start dates not limited by a specific time period, the change in the award year can affect the timing or amount of a federal financial aid award, and sometimes both.

Not every student is affected by the change in the award year. To determine if you are affected by the change in the award year, please refer to your award letter for your academic year dates and to your schedule to see how you will progress through your academic year and when. 

If you are eligible for the Pell Grant, there are two scenarios in which your financial aid can be affected by the change in the award year:

• Your schedule has the second payment period of your 2011–2012 academic year starting on or after July 1.
• Your schedule at the time your file was awarded had the second payment period of your 2011–2012 academic year starting prior to July 1, but a schedule change caused the second payment period to start on or after July 1.

In either of these cases, your Pell eligibility will be determined by your eligibility in the 2012–2013 award year, regardless of your eligibility in the 2011–2012 award year. Your award could be higher, or lower, or you may not be eligible at all.

Your financial aid may be affected by the following scenario if you are applying for both loans and grants:

• Either the first or second payment period in your current academic year includes both June 30 and July 1.

In this case, your financial aid may be awarded in either award year if you have both 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 paperwork on file. If more than six months of your payment period fall into one award year, the Pell payment will be placed in that award year. 

Funds in the 2012–2013 award year could not be awarded until June 21, 2012. Due to processing times, disbursements falling in any of these scenarios may be later than you expected.

If you have questions about how the change in the award year may affect you, please contact your Finance Advisor. He or she is the most familiar with your financial aid file and will be best able to assist you.