Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions
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UNH Financial Aid FAQs

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  • Financial aid consists of different sources such as grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans. More information about the federal student aid programs can be found here: https://studentaid.gov/h/understand-aid

  • There is no separate application required for academic merit scholarships. You are automatically considered for eligibility when your application is reviewed for admission to UNH.
  • Merit scholarships are awarded based on your recalculated UNH GPA. Included in your recalculated UNH GPA are grades earned in high school starting with grade 9 through the end grade 11 or most recent grade level you completed prior to you applying for admission.
  • If you qualified for an academic merit scholarship, you will be notified by email of your scholarship award.  More information about academic merit and other scholarships can be found by clicking here https://www.unh.edu/financialaid/types-aid/scholarships. 

  • Yes! UNH is committed to making college affordable for our in-state students.
    • Pell Grant-eligible NH residents are eligible to receive the Granite Guarantee which covers the cost of tuition at UNH. No separate application is required. More information about the Granite Guarantee can be found here https://www.unh.edu/financialaid/granite-guarantee.
    • The Hamel Scholarship Program offers generous financial support to academically competitive NH residents with strong commitment to community service and leadership. Priority consideration for this scholarship program is given to applicants who apply by our Early Action deadline of November 15. Eligible candidates will receive an invitation to apply to the Hamel Scholarship Program.
    • A complete list of other scholarship opportunities can be found here https://www.unh.edu/financialaid/types-aid/scholarships.  

  • You should receive your financial aid information via your UNH portal within 1-2 weeks of receiving your acceptance letter from UNH. Missing or incorrect information on your FAFSA will delay the delivery of your financial aid information.
  • Continuing students should expect to see financial aid information around mid-May.

  • Login to your WebCat portal https://webcat.unh.edu/ to see what documentation the financial aid office requires. In most cases you will need to do three things: 1) complete the Dependent Verification worksheet, 2) submit a signed copy of your parent or guardian’s tax return, and 3) submit a signed copy of the your tax return (if you filed a tax return).
  • If you have questions on completing these requirements, reach out to the financial aid team.

  • UNH does not match financial aid and/or scholarship offers from other colleges and universities. It is our policy to offer you the best financial aid package we can at the time of admission to preserve integrity and maintain transparency in our process. UNH does not ‘hold back’ funds to offer upon request or in response to other institution’s financial aid packages. Please visit the following website https://admissions.unh.edu/financial-aid-award#awardstatus, to better understand your financial aid award.

  • If your family’s financial situation has changed significantly since you filed the FAFSA form – especially due to the ongoing pandemic – please reach out to our financial aid team. They can review your need-based financial aid eligibility based upon any changes in your family’s financial circumstances.

  • The financial aid office always suggests that you first exhaust your scholarship options. You can start by working with your school counselor, sports/clubs, and even local organizations in your own community to find out if there are any scholarship opportunities. Two great resources you can also explore include College Board’s Big Future scholarship search and fastweb.com which is a scholarhship search website.
  • Once you’ve exhausted your scholarship options, review the educational financing information on the financial aid website here. Do not hesitate to reach out to the financial aid team with any questions.

  • If you DO plan to use your offered loans for the academic year, you can complete the Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note at https://studentaid.gov/. The Department of Education will notify the financial aid office once these two steps are completed. Completing these two steps will ensure that your loans are paid prior to the beginning of each semester. Please keep in mind that these two steps MUST be completed using your FSA ID username and password.
  • If you DO NOT plan to use your offered loans for the academic year, please complete the Declining Aid Form online.  

  • The University will always try to maintain your award consistently from year-to-year. However, your need-based aid (tuition grants/scholarships) may fluctuate depending on the information you provide on your FAFSA from year to year. Changes in family size, the number of students enrolled in college and income are the most common reasons why need-based aid may change from one year to the next.
  • If you’ve received a Trustee’s Scholarship, Chancellor’s Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, Dean’s Scholarship, or Director’s Scholarship, then you will receive the same amount for up to 4 years (8 consecutive semesters) if you maintain continuous full-time enrollment, achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) by the end of your sophomore year and maintain this GPA during the remainder of your undergraduate career at UNH.
  • Should your residency change during your time as an enrolled student, your scholarship award is subject to change

  • As of 2021, UNH no longer provides letters to landlords confirming incoming funds to pay for off campus rent. Instead, students may log into Webcat and print a copy of their bill showing the pending credit and provide this to their landlord. Durham landlords may have their own policies about accepting this in place of on-time rent payments at the start of each semester.
  • Students whose actual payments exceed their charges may request a refund after receipt and settlement of the tuition bill, providing all monthly payments have been received, loan notes and loan checks have been signed, and all checks have cleared. Refunds can be requested in Webcat.