Financial Aid for Returning Students
You probably already know a lot about your financial aid now that you’re a pro at Regis University.
The types of aid that you have depends a lot on you and your FAFSA information. Our office does our best to make sure the types of aid you saw on your financial aid offer last year show up again this year. But we need your help. Some of your financial aid, like grants or work study, is based on your FAFSA, so you are required to:
- Renew your FAFSA by March 1 every year
- Turn in any documents you see missing on your Ranger Portal financial aid checklist by May 1
Do you have any concerns or questions about filling out your FAFSA or submitting the documents we're asking for? Contact us! We want to work with you before the deadline (not after).
Most of your financial aid may be renewed, based on your FAFSA information, for up to 4 years of your current undergraduate degree program (8 full-time fall and spring semesters). Any changes to your degree program or full-time enrollment may impact your aid.
Institutional merit scholarships that were offered to you at the time of your admission to your degree program are renewed for up to 4 years, or 8 full-time fall/spring semesters. If you change your undergraduate academic program or progress into a graduate degree, before receiving all 4 years of eligibility, your merit scholarship is no longer applicable. We also do not “front-load” your scholarship into one semester. Your scholarship total is split, half for the fall semester and half for the spring.
Your file was reviewed at the time of your admission for institutional merit scholarships. We offer the maximum we can at that time, and we intend that scholarship to be renewed for your 4 years of undergraduate study with us. We do not have additional merit scholarships, outside of specific talent-based scholarships, to award to continuing students. Talent-based scholarships may be offered through the Music Program, Athletics or through the Communication Department's Forensics/Debate Scholarships, based on your extraordinary talents in those fields. Please reach out to those departments for more information.
There are additional opportunities for other institutional awards to cover a portion of on-campus student housing expenses through the Community Development Assistant (CDA) program offered by Student Housing and Residential Engagement, Peer Ministry offered by University Ministry, or through being a member of the Romero House Program. Please reach out to these units separately for more information and instructions to apply.
There are also continual opportunities for students to find and apply for private scholarships (scholarships awarded outside of Regis University). You may find scholarship opportunities through outside databases including, but not limited to:
- fastweb.com
- scholarships.com
- finaid.org/scholarships
- bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/scholarship-search
- studentscholarships.org
If awarded a private scholarship, your financial aid eligibility may change. Your financial aid eligibility is limited by your cost of attendance and/or your financial need. If you receive additional aid, such as a grant, scholarship or tuition benefit from outside of Regis University, we will first apply these funds to any unmet financial need, if applicable. However, if you have not applied for need-based aid, then these awards are applied to your account and are limited by your cost of attendance. If the private scholarship(s) causes you to go over your demonstrated financial need and/or cost of attendance, we may have to adjust your aid offer. We will reduce student loans first, then work-study, before reducing any Regis University scholarships or grants whenever possible. In some cases, however, additional outside awards that must be paid toward tuition charges may result in the reduction of a scholarship or grant.
If you receive an external scholarship, please send the scholarship check directly to:
Regis University
Office of Student Accounts
3333 Regis Blvd. A-8
Denver, CO 80221
Once processed, your scholarship will be added to your financial aid offer letter.
A federal, state of Colorado or institutional Regis Grant may have been a part of your financial aid offer in a previous year(s). Grants are most often awarded based on financial need, which is determined by your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You must renew your FAFSA every year by our March 1 Priority Deadline. If you miss our priority FAFSA filing deadline or should your FAFSA SAI (student aid index) number change, you may see a change to your grant aid eligibility.
Federal Grants
Pell Grant: The Federal Pell Grant is a federally-funded program for students with high financial need, based on their FAFSA. The annual amount awarded may change based on federal government regulations and based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) calculated by the FAFSA each year.
Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant: The federally-funded Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) may be awarded to students seeking a first-time baccalaureate degree. The FAFSA is used to apply for the grant. Students who qualify for Federal Pell Grants may be considered for FSEOG. The annual amount awarded may change based on federal funding and based on your SAI each year from your renewed FAFSA information.
State Grants
Colorado Student Grant: Colorado Student Grant (CSG) are funds given to the school by the Colorado General Assembly and awarded to the following undergraduate students who:
- Have not yet received a bachelor’s degree
- Are Colorado residents
- Document high financial need
College Opportunity Fund (COF): The College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend is an amount of money per credit hour paid by the state of Colorado on behalf of eligible undergraduate resident students. At Regis University, students must be Federal Pell Grant eligible each year for current and continued eligibility/ Should your FAFSA SAI change and you are no longer eligible for Federal Pell Grant as a returning student, we cannot renew your COF Stipend.
Regis Grant
In addition to federal and state grants, Regis University may award an institutional grant to full-time undergraduate students based on their FAFSA and calculated financial need. The Regis Grant is awarded for the fall and spring semesters only and the annual amount awarded may change depending on renewed FAFSA information.
Federal Direct Student Loans
You are eligible to borrow a federal direct student loan each year. You must renew your FAFSA annually and the amount you may be eligible to borrow is based on your class-level standing and federal government annual and lifetime eligibility limits. You may see both a subsidized and an unsubsidized student loan option, based on your FAFSA SAI (student aid index) number:
Subsidized loans are need-based loans. You must demonstrate financial need based on your FAFSA to qualify, and the government pays interest on the loan while you are enrolled at least half-time in your degree program.
Unsubsidized loans are not need-based. Unsubsidized means that interest is accruing on the loan while you are in school, and you are responsible for the interest from the time it is disbursed until it is paid in full.
Annual Federal Loan Limits
Student Type | Credits | Total Maximum | Subsidized Maximum |
Dependent Freshman | 0-29 | $5,500 | $3,500 |
Dependent Sophomore | 30-59 | $6,500 | $4,500 |
Dependent Junior | 60-89 | $7,500 | $5,500 |
Dependent Senior | 90+ | $7,500 | $5,500 |
Independent Freshman | 0-29 | $9,500 | $3,500 |
Independent Sophomore | 30-59 | $10,500 | $4,500 |
Independent Junior/Senior | 60+ | $12,500 | $5,500 |
Graduate Student | Any | $20,500 unsubsidized only | NA |
Graduate Pharmacy | Any | $33,000 unsubsidized only | NA |
Lifetime Federal Loan Limits
Student Type | Total Maximum | Subsidized Maximum |
Dependent Undergraduate | $31,000 | $23,000 |
Independent Undergraduate | $57,500 | $23,000 |
Graduate Student | $138,500 | $65,500 |
Graduate Pharmacy | $224,000 | $65,500 |
How do I repay a Federal Direct Student Loan?
You are not required to begin repaying the loan while you are enrolled at least half-time in your undergraduate degree program. Once you are no longer enrolled at least half-time (non-enrolled or graduated from your program), you have a one-time 6-month grace period before repayment begins.
You can access your full loan history, loan servicer(s) and repayment options on the National Student Loan Database System. There is no prepayment penalty, meaning you may choose to make payments on either your subsidized or unsubsidized loans while you are enrolled in school and you may choose to pay more than the required amount once your loan is in repayment.
Parent PLUS Loan
If you are a parent of a dependent student and you are interested in borrowing a Parent PLUS loan on behalf of your student, your student must renew their FAFSA for the upcoming year and you must apply to borrow the Federal Direct Parent PLUS loan every year at www.studentaid.gov. If you apply with an endorser, you also need to complete credit counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) each year. An approval in a previous year does not guarantee an approval for future years. If you have questions regarding how much of a Parent PLUS loan you may borrow, please contact Financial Aid at rufinancialaid@regis.edu or 303.458.4126.
You must submit a FAFSA every year by our March 1 priority filing date to be considered for a work-study award. As a returning student, if you had a work-study award and earned funds last year, you submitted your FAFSA on time and you have documented financial need, we will prioritize awarding you a work-study award for the upcoming year.
Work-study is offered to eligible students on an annual basis. You are not guaranteed a work-study award each year. If your FAFSA SAI (student aid index) number changes, your financial aid eligibility, including your eligibility for work-study, may change.
Any student may be hired into a department-funded student employment position, even if they do not or cannot submit a FAFSA. Department-funded positions are at the discretion of each department and their budgetary restrictions each year.
FAQs
Yep! You are required to renew your FAFSA by March 1 every year and complete your financial aid file by May 1.
Missing either of these deadlines may mean that we can't renew certain forms of need-based aid
Need is determined by your FAFSA. Types of need-based aid include:
- Federal Pell Grant
- COF Stipend
- Colorado Student Grant
- FSEO Grant
- Regis Grant
- Work-study
- Subsidized student loans
Generally, most forms of financial aid are based on your financial need, meeting a certain GPA, FAFSA renewal, meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), or availability of funds.
- Did renew your FAFSA by March 1?
- Did you submit all outstanding financial aid documents by May 1?
- Has your FAFSA information changed? Your financial need is primarily based on you and your parents’ income and assets as well as the number in your parents’ household. When data points on the FAFSA change, resulting in a change to your SAI (student aid index) number, that may affect your eligibility for certain forms of aid at Regis University.
- Has your GPA changed? Most financial aid is awarded based on full-time enrollment and maintaining a general 2.0 cumulative GPA. Some scholarships may require a higher GPA to be renewed.
- How many semesters have you attended Regis University?
- Most financial aid is offered for up to 8 full-time fall/spring semesters. If you have met that limit, please reach out to our office to discuss your financial aid options
- Did it really change?
- Sometimes available funds change. We may not be able to offer the Regis Grant one year, but another year we have a generous donor who has provided endowment scholarship funds to Regis to help fund the Regis Grant that we offer. Instead of seeing “Regis Grant” you may see an Endowed Scholarship on your financial aid offer. So, even if you see different names of grants or scholarships on your account, your total dollar amount of aid eligibility did not change.
Usually, yes. It’s important that even if your financial eligibility doesn’t change each year, you should prepare for changes to your costs: tuition, on-campus housing or meals (or off-campus housing and food costs), book costs and transportation (cost of gas to fill up your car or the cost of a plane ticket) can all change over time.
You can find your financial aid checklist, awards, and other important items (like your bill through student accounts) on the Ranger Portal.
Yes, if your parent borrowed a parent PLUS loan last year, they must submit a new application every year at studentaid.gov.
If you missed the March 1 FAFSA filing deadline or the May 1 financial aid file completion deadline, you must submit a FAFSA On-Time Appeal.
If you or your parents’ have experienced a change in income, household size or assets, we can review your current information and determine if any changes can be made to your FAFSA which may impact your aid eligibility. You and your parent must complete the FAFSA Income Appeal Form.
SAP stands for Satisfactory Academic Progress. The federal government wants to ensure students are completing the classes they attempt and maintaining a minimum GPA to graduate. You can find more information about SAP at regis.edu/fasap.
Our office is open for walk-ins; see our Contact page for hours. You can also call us at 303.458.4126 or email us at rufinancialaid@regis.edu.
Most financial aid is available for the fall and spring semesters for traditional students. We can review any federal grant eligibility you may have and discuss student loan options with you for the summer once you submit the Summer Aid Application.
Your award is good for 8 full-time fall and spring semesters, provided you maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress and stay within your current degree program/enroll in classes that apply to your current degree.
You may not receive your merit scholarship (even if you graduate early) for graduate school, and you may not receive your fall/spring annual scholarship in one semester or during the summer term.