Financial Aid

How to Apply for Academic Year 2017-2018

The Three Step Application Process

  1. File your 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. School Code 002014 must be included or added to an existing FAFSA for LSUHSC-NO to receive the results.

  2. Federal legislation discontinued the Federal Family Educational Loan (FFEL) program, which was based on lending through banks and other lenders. All Federal Stafford and PLUS borrowers and schools must utilize the Federal Direct Loan program beginning with the 2010-11 academic year.

    Please complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN) at https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action.The PIN required is the same PIN you use to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Select “LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER - NEW ORLEANS” from the school selection pull-down. DO NOT select “LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER - SCH. OF DENTISTRY” even if you are a student at the School of Dentistry.

    Students who borrowed Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans at LSUHSC-NO in any of the seven preceding academic years (10-11, 11-12, 12-13, 13-14, 14-15, 15-16, 16-17) do not need to complete a new online master promissory note or the counseling session discussed below. Many borrowers will obtain sufficient funding through the Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized program. Some may need to seek additional funding through the Graduate PLUS, Undergraduate PLUS (for parents of dependent undergraduates), or private alternative loans.

  3. Complete the Federal Direct Loan online entrance counseling session at https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action.

A Detailed Description of the Application Process

STEP 1 ► Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students must complete a FAFSA for each academic year they seek aid. The Department of Education and the Financial Aid Office highly recommend filing the FAFSA on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

  • File the FAFSA early to facilitate prompt processing of aid for the Fall semester.

  • Study all directions and complete all FAFSA worksheets. Many items are not self-evident.

  • List the LSUHSC New Orleans Federal School Code, 002014, in Step Six of the FAFSA.

  • Undergraduates (Associate/Bachelor's degree seekers) must follow the FAFSA to determine if parent data is required. Students in LSUHSC Masters and Doctoral programs are graduate/professional level and do not have to include parent data on the FAFSA to qualify for U.S. Department of Education federal aid.

    However, applicants for Health Professions Loan (DDS) must include parent data.

  • Using the IRS Tax Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) when filing your FAFSA electronically will simplify filing, avoid data entry errors, and could reduce documentation required if your application is selected for Verification. When operational, this service is available for most federal tax filers. Unfortunately, the service has been suspended for most of March 2017 for system maintenance and improvement; as of March 29th there is no date set for resumption of the service.  FAFSA filers should complete the FAFSA by carefully referencing and keying in data from their 2015 IRS federal tax documents if the DRT is unavailable when filing; do not delay FAFSA filing.

  • Feel free to bring your FAFSA in for review with your financial aid counselor, but submit your electronic or paper form to the federal processing center.

Student Aid Report - The Student Aid Report (SAR) lists the results of the FAFSA filing. Contact the financial aid office immediately if:

  • There are errors in your report

  • Your SAR includes the letter “C” next to the EFC figure, or

  • LSUHSC-NO is not identified as a data recipient.

Verification - If the SAR indicates an aid applicant is selected for verification, the application file will not be complete for processing until the financial aid office receives a completed Verification Worksheet and all required Federal Income Tax Transcripts (or IRS form documenting non-filing status if applicable) and other verification documentation required by the student financial aid office. Select the required Worksheet at the links below based on notification you will receive from the Student Financial Aid Office:

V1 Dependent Worksheet      V1 Independent Worksheet

V4 Dependent Worksheet      V4 Independent Worksheet

V5 Dependent Worksheet      V5 Independent Worksheet

 

Step 2 ► The Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)

The Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) covers multiple academic years. Note: minimum level enrollment for Subsidized/Unsubsidized is five credits graduate, six credits undergraduate, in a regular semester.

Step 3 ► Federal Entrance Counseling

Complete the Federal Entrance Counseling at https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action.