FAQs for Financial Aid Notifications

How do I view my financial aid notification? 

To view your aid notification, you’ll have to apply for financial aid, be admitted, establish your netID and set up Duo’s 2 Factor Authentication service. You can follow the steps on the admitted student checklist. 

  • Once those are completed, you can view your notification in the my.uic.edu portal. 
  • Go to the “Student” tab
  • Then select the “Financial Aid” drop down menu. 
  • Finally, select “Electronic Financial Aid Notification” with the “2025-2026” aid year. 

Why haven’t I received my financial aid notification yet? 

  • Double check that you sent your FAFSA to UIC (our school code is 001776). Some people sometimes put in other schools (University of Chicago or one of the other University of Illinois campuses) by accident.
  • If you’ve recently been admitted or recently submitted your FAFSA, it can be around 2 weeks before your aid notification is processed. 
  • If you applied through the RISE program (instead of FAFSA) there may be an additional delay.
  • You may have been selected for verification which can delay your aid notification until completed. 
  • Double check that the name on your FAFSA matches the name in your UIC student record.
    • If your name is incorrect on your FAFSA: Log in to your FAFSA application and update your name to match your legal name. If your name is long or hyphenated, enter as much as the system allows.
    • If your name is incorrect in on your UIC Application, contact admissions to make a correction. 

If none of those apply to you, you may want to contact the financial aid office directly. 

I want to change my housing plans, how do I do that? 

  • The housing indicator listed on your award doesn’t actually change your aid calculation. In terms of financial aid, the cost of attendance estimate is the same whether you live on campus or not. There’s no need to update your status, but you are able to update your indicator in your application status portal under “housing intent.”
  • If you want to apply for campus housing, you may do so on the UIC campus housing website. The application is also pinned to the “Find your roommate” channel on ZeeMee
  • More info at: https://housing.uic.edu/rates/

What’s the difference between Direct Costs and Estimated Costs in my Cost of Attendance?

  • Cost of Attendance is the total that is used to calculate your aid. It includes direct costs, which the university bills you, and estimated costs, which are used to determine aid. You do not pay estimated costs to UIC, they are a budgeting tool. (Housing costs will only be billed if you live on campus and will be billed at the rates linked in the housing question above)
  • More info at https://financialaid.uic.edu/cost/cost-attendance-coa/

Why is my Aspire grant different from someone else’s? 

  • The Aspire program is a financial aid program that is issued to eligible Illinois students with household income under $75K. 
  • The Aspire “program” covers all tuition and mandatory fees, however, the Aspire “grant” will vary based on federal and state grant aid. So individual Aspire grants will be different depending on the other aid that is granted. 
  • View more Aspire FAQs at https://free.uic.edu/#faq, including information on eligibility. Note, there’s a March 15 priority aid filing date that is important to meet. 

 

 

Monetary Assistance Program (MAP grant) changes for 2025

On March 12, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) notified Illinois institutions, that due to a budget shortfall from the State of Illinois, they are reducing your MAP Grant Award for the 2025-26 Aid Year by 4%.

  • If you have already received a Financial Aid Notification and were gifted a MAP Grant, your MAP grant will be reduced by up to $336. This amount will vary based on the total MAP grant amount. A revised Financial Aid Notification will be sent before the end of March 2025.
  • If you have already received a Financial Aid Notification and were awarded a MAP grant AND the Aspire Grant, your MAP grant reduction will be covered by the Aspire Grant. A revised Financial Aid Notification will be sent before the end of March 2025.
  • Some Financial Aid Notifications are still pending.