- Financial aid applicant:
- Any applicant who submits any one of the institutionally
required financial aid applications/forms, such as the FAFSA.
-
- Indebtedness:
- Aggregate dollar amount borrowed by the student.
-
- Institutional and external funds:
- Endowment, alumni, or external monies for which the institution
determines the recipient or the dollar amount awarded.
-
- Financial need:
- As determined by your institution using the federal methodology
and/or your institution's own standards.
-
- Need-based aid:
- College-funded or college-administered award from institutional,
state, federal, or other sources for which a student must have
financial need to qualify. This includes both institutional and
noninstitutional student aid (grants, jobs, and loans).
-
- Need-based gift aid:
- Scholarships and grants from institutional, state, federal,
or other sources for which a student must have financial need
to qualify.
-
- Non-need-based gift aid:
- Scholarships and grants, gifts, or merit-based aid from institutional,
state, federal, or other sources (including unrestricted funds
or gifts and endowment income) awarded solely on the basis of
academic achievement, merit, or any other non-need-based reason.
When reporting questions H1 and H2, non-need-based aid that is
used to meet need should be counted as need-based aid.
-
- Note Suggested order of precedence for counting
non-need money as need-based:
- Non-need institutional grants
Non-need tuition waivers
Non-need athletic awards
Non-need federal grants
Non-need state grants
Non-need outside grants
Non-need student loans
Non-need parent loans
Non-need work
-
- Scholarships/grants from external sources:
- Monies received from outside (private) sources that the student
brings with them (e.g., Kiwanis, NMSQT scholarships). The institution
may process paperwork to receive the dollars, but it has no role
in determining the recipient or the dollar amount awarded.
-
- Self-help aid:
- Need-based loans and jobs up to the level of institutionally
determined need.
-
- Work study and employment:
- Federal and state work study aid, and any employment packaged
by your institution in financial aid awards.

Return
to Information Resources Home Page