Scholarships & Financial Aid

US Armed Forces Dental Profession Scholarships

As you are probably discovering, a dental education at a private university can be expensive, but with planning and resourcefulness, a private education is affordable. The funding sources available through our Financial Aid Office will help you meet your educational costs. However, financial assistance from the office is intended to supplement family resources. The primary responsibility for paying for your dental education belongs to you and your family. In many cases, the aid we have to assist you can cover full tuition, fees, books and instrument charges. Many students use a variety of loan programs to help with living expenses.

The financial assistance that you receive depends upon three things:

1. Submission of accurate information in a timely manner.
2. Your calculated financial need.
3. Available funding - As most financial aid is made available through state and federal governments, dollar amounts depend on governmental appropriations.

Below, is information which should help you in applying for financial aid, understanding the kinds of financial aid available, and planning to meet your costs.

Application Procedure

As an applicant for Dental School, you will receive a Financial Aid Application packet in late January to early February. Apply early! Funding is limited and processing takes time.

The packet will contain:

1. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - complete the entire form. Then, mail it to the federal processor, or submit it on the internet: www.fafsa.edu.gov. UDM School of Dentistry federal code: E00635
2. A Financial Aid Checklist - read this form carefully. It outlines important steps to follow in completely the FAFSA, and indicates additional items which must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office.

Helpful Hints

Read and follow the directions. Failure to do so may cost you time in processing and could delay your financial aid award.

If you don't understand the directions, call the Financial Aid Office and ask for assistance.

Be careful to follow the checklist provided in the packet. Some key items are listed below, but read the entire sheet; you are responsible for the information contained in it.

• Complete the entire form. Include all parental information as well.
• You must complete and submit to the Financial Aid Office a University of Detroit Mercy "Financial Aid Applicant Information Sheet." Documentation of income may be requested if you have been selected for verification. Remember to make copies of tax forms for you and your parent with a signature on Page 2 (including all schedules) prior to submitting them to the IRS.
• Respond immediately to all follow-up requests.
  

Awarding
After all necessary information has been received, your completed packet is reviewed, and an award calculated. You will then receive an Award Letter. If you agree to accept the assistance, as offered, sign the back of one of the copies and return it to the Financial Aid Office. Keep the other copy for your records. If you have any questions,
please contact the Financial Aid Office.

The School will electronically certify your Stafford loans with your selected lender upon the receipt of your signed award letter.

Financial Aid Programs - Available to Dental Students by Filing the FAFSA

MICHIGAN TUITION GRANT (MTG)
Michigan residents may qualify for up to $2,000 from the State of Michigan for up to four years of study. Over 80% of Michigan residents who apply for this grant by July 15th may qualify.

HEALTH PROFESSION'S LOAN (HPL)
To be considered for funds for the HPL program, each student must supply parental income/asset information on the FAFSA regardless of the dependency status. The HPL funds available any given year depends upon the prior year's collection of the HPL funds from former students. Due to this circumstance, the amount of HPL funds
available to each student for a given academic year varies considerably. Typically, awards are a minimum of $6,000. Interest rate is fixed at 5%.

FEDERAL WORK STUDY (FWS)
This program is essentially an opportunity for you to work up to 20 hrs per week on, or near, the campus. Most Dental Students, however, find that the demands of their program makes FWS impractical. Funds depend upon allocations from the Federal Government.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS
SDS is funded by the Federal Government to Dental students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and/or are from a "disadvantaged" background, and who will practice primary are dentistry upon graduation. Applicants are required to provide parental financial data regardless of dependency status. Eligible recipients can receive money for full tuition, fees, and books.

DENTAL MERIT GRANT (DMG)
Five students are selected to receive up to $8,500 per year for UDM for four years. Factors considered in awarding the grant are cumulative undergraduate grade point average, science grade point average, BCP (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) grade point average, DAT scores, and financial need. The grant is renewable for four years as long as satisfactory academic progress is made.

There are two basic types of financial aid - scholarships, which are typically based on academic progress and need based financial aid which includes Michigan State Tuition Grant, loans and work study programs that are awarded based on a student's ability to pay for a college education.

Need based aid requires a student to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which measures the financial aid resources of a student and their family against the cost of the college or university he or she plans to attend.

To fill out the FAFSA you must be a citizen or an eligible non-citizen.

Applying for Financial Aid
To apply for financial aid all students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This applies to both incoming first-year and transfer students, as well as returning students who wish to renew their aid for another year. The FAFSA determines your financial need and eligibility for aid by weighing the cost of your education against the ability of you and your family to pay that cost.

Requesting a FAFSA form
You can request a FAFSA form by calling the financial aid office at (313) 494-6617 or (313) 993-3350. The FAFSA is also available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. We highly recommend those students complete their FAFSA online if at all possible.

FAFSA deadlines
Incoming students should complete the FAFSA as early as possible after January 1st and no later than March 1st.
Returning students have until April 1st to submit the FAFSA, but should do so as soon as possible to receive your award in a timely manner.

FAFSA Codes
Federal school codes for the FAFSA for students are as follows:
Dental School Students: E00635
Dental Hygiene Students: 002323

Important Details
It is extremely important to fill out the FAFSA as accurately as possible. Your social security number is a key element, without it, the FAFSA will not be processed, in addition, if your social security number is inaccurate, or the name on your FAFSA does not match exactly the name on your social security card, your FAFSA will be rejected or selected for review. This can cause delays of several weeks in the application processing cycle.

Michigan residents must pay special attention to the Michigan residency questions (numbers 18 and 19) for students and (numbers 67 and 68) for parents. Also, to ensure maximum consideration for the Michigan State Tuition Grant program, University of Detroit Mercy should be the first school listed in Step Six of the FAFSA (question 86).

Questions about Financial Aid? taylorca2@udmercy.edu