On April 25, 2018, the Connecticut Legislature passed a state statute allowing undocumented students to apply for institutional aid. These students must meet certain age, residency, and criminal history requirements along with providing an affidavit with the institution they are attending about their intent to legalize their immigration status when they are eligible to do so. This does not apply to non-immigrant visa holders. International students may visit https://isss.uconn.edu/financial-resources/ for funding opportunities.

The on-time deadline for the 2020-2021 academic year has passed (February 15, 2020), you must complete the On-Time Financial Aid Application.pdf and be approved to gain access to the 2020-2021 Institutional Aid Application.

Undocumented veterans may be eligible for institutional aid (e.g. University Grants). To be eligible, veteran students must meet the following criteria:

• Honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the United States,
• Thirty years of age or younger on June 15, 2012,
• Fifteen years of age or younger when they arrived in the United States and have continuously resided in the United States since such arrival, and
• Have not been convicted of a felony in this state or in another state.

Starting in the 2019-2020 academic year, undocumented students may apply for institutional aid (e.g. University Grants) consideration for the Spring 2020 semester. Your application must have been submitted by March 1, 2019, even if your eligibility for institutional financial aid will not begin until the Spring 2020 semester. To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• Classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes,
• Thirty years of age or younger on June 15, 2012,
• Sixteen years of age or younger when they arrived in the United States and have continuously resided in the United States since such arrival, and
• Have not been convicted of a felony in this state or in another state.

University Grants are limited and are awarded on the basis of financial need and fund availability. In order to be considered for University Grants at the University of Connecticut, undocumented students must meet the additional eligibility requirements:

• Must submit the application by UConn’s on-time deadline of February 15^{th ,}
• Must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) to receive financial aid,
• Must be accepted into a degree-granting program at the University of Connecticut,
• Must adhere to the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy, and
• Must be classified as an in-state student for tuition purposes. Please note that should your residency status change, you will no longer be eligible for University Grants.

We encourage you to search for scholarship opportunities from additional sources. Many organizations do not have restrictions based on citizenship or legal status.

Eligibility for Institutional Financial Aid

1. What are the requirements to be considered for University Grants at the University of Connecticut? Per a new Connecticut (CT) state statute, students must meet the following requirements to be considered for institutional aid:
   • 30 years old or younger as of 6/5/12
   • 16 years old or younger when they arrived in the United States (15 or younger for veterans)
   • No felonies
   • CT Resident (for non-veterans)
   • CT high school diploma with two years of attendance in CT high school upon starting courses at a higher education institution (for non-veterans)

2. Can I receive University Grants if I am not a Connecticut resident and/or did not graduate from a Connecticut high school? Only if the student is a veteran of the US Armed forces with an honorable discharge. All other students must meet the in-state tuition requirements to be considered for institutional aid. They must have attended at least two years of high school in CT, have graduated from a CT high school or be enrolled at a public institution of higher education in CT.

 

3. Are University Grants available to students that have a valid visa? No, University Grants are only available for students that are undocumented and meet the specific criteria as stated above. Students that have any type of valid visa are not considered undocumented. Please contact the International Student & Scholar Services at international@uconn.edu for questions and additional information.

 

4. Are there additional requirements for consideration of University Grants? Yes, students must meet our on-time deadline of February 15 prior to the academic year in which they are applying. They must be enrolled as a full-time student (at least 12 credits per semester) in a degree-seeking program. Students must also have demonstrated financial need and adhere to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy in order to continue receiving aid in future semesters.

 

Completing the Institutional Aid Affidavit and Application

1. How do I get a Net ID/Password to be able to log into the application portal? Students are assigned a Net ID and password when they complete their admission application for the University of Connecticut. If students have issues obtaining the Net ID/password, they will need to contact Information Technology Services at https://techsupport.uconn.edu/

 

2. How do I apply for University Grants? Students can apply by completing the Institutional Aid Affidavit and Application The online form can be found on our OSFAS Undocumented Student Aid portal at https://forms.prod.uconn.edu/feb/login/org/index.html. Students that meet the requirements per the answers to the Affidavit will be allowed to proceed in completing the Application section. An email will be sent to the student’s email address provided in the application with a link and other pertinent information.

 

3. What if I made a mistake in the Affidavit or Application? If students believe they made an error in answering the questions on the Affidavit or Application, they can email the Office of Student Financial Aid Services at finanicalaid@uconn.edu and a member of our Client Services team will assist them. Students will be provided with a link to get back into their application and correct the information as needed.

 

Types of Financial Aid

1. What types of financial aid am I expected to receive? Eligible students will be considered to receive institutional aid in the form of University Grant and/or the Connecticut Commitment Grant.

 

2. What other financial aid is available to me? Other opportunities for assistance are private scholarships and private loans. There are a number of scholarship opportunities available, and students are encouraged to seek scholarship opportunities from private sources. Students can review our list for private scholarships under “Other Resources” on our webpage https://financialaid.uconn.edu/undocumented_students/. In addition, some loan lenders will allow students who qualify as eligible noncitizens to borrow private loans if they have a co-signer that is a U.S Citizen or permanent resident. Please visit https://financialaid.uconn.edu/altloan/ for additional private loan information.

 

Other Requirements

1. Do I need to submit any additional documents to be eligible for University Grants? Yes, students may be required to submit documents to verify the information submitted in the application. If students are selected for a process called Verification, they may need to submit documents prior to the finalization of their financial aid package. Verification could affect a student’s eligibility for grants.

 

2. I was unable to complete the Institutional Aid Affidavit and Application by the on-time deadline. Is there something I can do to be considered for University Grants? Yes, students that missed the on-time deadline will have the opportunity to complete an On-Time Financial Aid Deadline Appeal. Our office will only consider special or unusual circumstances as an acceptable reason for reviewing appeals. Check out our Appeals webpage at https://financialaid.uconn.edu/appeals/ for more details.

All forms are available on the financial aid website under the Forms Portal https://financialaid.uconn.edu/forms/ for the applicable aid year.