Next steps after receiving your award letter

There are several steps to complete as you finalize your financial aid. We have organized these steps by month by which to complete them. 

April

Finish "to-dos" in MyNevada and apply for Work Study

  • Review your "To Do List" in MyNEVADA.
  • Resolve financial aid items by the June 1 priority deadline to minimize delays and avoid potential cancellation of your financial aid.
  • Your financial aid file must be complete for your financial aid to be disbursed. Disbursements will occur no earlier than the Monday before classes begin each semester and apply directly toward charges for the current semester.

Complete the Federal Work Study Wait-List

  • Federal and non-need Work Study funds for on-campus employment may be requested by students who have completed:
    1. The FAFSA or the Institutional Methodology for FAFSA-Ineligible Students Form.
    2. The Work Study application is on MyNEVADA under Supplemental Forms (available mid-April). Requests significantly exceed available awards. Awards may be offered throughout the academic year with priority given to students who have on-campus employment.

May

Apply for Federal Loans (students and parents)

  • Complete the Federal Direct Student Loan process (for students planning to borrow).
  • You can accept, decline or reduce the amount of your federal student loan offer. Select your Financial Aid tile in your MyNEVADA account, click "Accept/Decline," and then click the "Edit" button to accept the loan. Click the "reduce" box to change the amount before accepting. Alternatively, you can submit a Federal Direct Loan Activation form, which can be found on the Financial Aid Forms webpage. We recommend you make adjustments by July to minimize processing delays. 
  • Next, you will need to go to the Federal Student Aid website and log in using your FSA ID. Under "Loans and Grants," complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and complete "Loan Entrance Counseling" (if you are a first time borrower). Your loan will then be processed by the Department of Education.
  • Loan fees and interest rates for 2024-2025 will be available in mid-summer.

Apply for a Federal PLUS Loan (for parents and graduate students planning to borrow)

  • Parents of dependent students may apply for a Parent PLUS Loan. Graduate/professional students may borrow a Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan. A PLUS Loan requires a credit check. The borrower (parent or graduate/professional student) must complete an additional application for a Federal Direct PLUS Loan at the Federal Student Aid website.
  • The parent or graduate student should log in by using their FSA ID. Under "Loans and Grants," select "PLUS Loans: Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS" to begin the process. Follow the directions on the screen to certify the PLUS loan. The loan will then be processed by the Department of Education.
  • Loan fees and interest rates for PLUS do vary from the student fee and interest rates. The 2024-2025 rates will be available in mid-summer.

June

Complete a third-party release and report any additional financial resources

  • Add a third-party release.
    • The University does not allow access to, or the release of, educational records or other personally identifiable information without the consent of the student. If you wish to give access to a parent or other third party, navigate to "Student Center Classic" in MyNEVADA. Scroll down to "Third Party Releases" in the right-hand column of the boxes. Follow the directions to add a person you are interested in having access to your information. Remember to set up and share the verbal passphrase with the individual, as they will be asked for the passphrase when they call in.

Let us know about other scholarships/resources

  • If you expect to receive other financial aid not listed on the offer letter, such as scholarships or fee waivers, please complete the Reporting Changes Form on our financial aid forms page. Be advised that these changes may affect the type and amount of aid offered. Be sure to include copies of external scholarship offer letters.

July

Review your statement, complete the Semester Enrollment form and contact outside scholarship donors.

  • Review your account statement for tuition, fees and any other institutional charges (when available).
  • If you need assistance determining the amount you will be charged use the cost calculator on our website (until the account is updated) or you can contact us for a cost breakdown including the balance due after financial aid is applied. Your account must be paid in full or have a payment plan in place by the Friday before each semester starts.

Complete the Semester Enrollment form

  • Find this in your supplemental forms in MyNEVADA. It will be added to the "To Do List" in mid-July.

Advise outside scholarship donors

  • If you are awarded scholarships from organizations not affiliated with the University, please refer them to the Scholarships Information for external Organizations portion of our website.
  • If scholarship checks are sent directly to you, please bring them to our office for processing.

August

Finalize payment arrangements, acknowledge the Millennium Scholarship and find a campus job

  • Enroll in Direct Deposit in MyNEVADA.
  • Any remaining financial aid will be refunded to the students via the mailing address listed in MyNEVADA unless you are enrolled in direct deposit. Navigate to the "Finances" tile to enroll in direct deposit. For assistance, please refer to the MyNEVADA help webpage or contact the Cashier’s Office directly at (775) 784-6915.

Enroll in a payment plan in MyNEVADA

  • There are two payment plans – one for tuition and fees and the other for housing and meal plans. A $50 service charge is assessed with the first payment. The payment plan will split the charges into three or four monthly payments. For assistance, please refer to the MyNEVADA help webpage or contact the Cashier’s Office directly at (775) 784-6915.

Contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC)

  • If you are supported by the DRC for a reduced course load certification, you must meet with the DRC before the end of the add/drop period for every semester in which you seek a reduced course load. The minimum enrollment for any scholarship or institutional grant is adjusted to align with the course load certified by the DRC each semester.

Acknowledge Millennium Scholarship (for qualifying Nevada residents)

  • On the Nevada Treasurer’s website, click on "Millennium Scholarship Overview" and follow the directions to acknowledge. This must be done before the scholarship can disburse towards your account.

Browse the University job board

  • Any jobs open on campus will be listed for you to investigate and apply for. You do not have to have work study to be able to work on campus. You can view a list of openings on the Career Studio website.