Parent Resource Guide
Many parents of RMU students are actively involved in their child’s life, especially when it comes to college finances. To help parents stay informed about their student’s financial aid, we offer this information to guide you through the financial aid process.
Student Financial Information
All correspondence regarding students’ financial aid is sent directly to the student. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Robert Morris University policy, the Financial Aid Office is prohibited from releasing financial aid information to anyone other than the registered RMU student. We can discuss financial information with dependent student’s parents, if the parent provides identifying information and if the student has completed the University Release Form that is located in Sentry Secured Services.
Net Price Calculator
The Net Price Calculator is designed to help potential freshmen and transfer students, estimate their financial aid award at RMU. Please be sure to complete the entire process to ensure the most complete estimated results.
Types of Aid
There are many types of aid a student may qualify for including grants, scholarships, work-study and loans. Robert Morris University awards both merit scholarships and need based institutional aid. Our merit scholarships are awarded at the time of acceptance and are determined based on the student’s High School GPA and SAT or ACT score. To view the various institutional merit awards available, please click here.
Information about the different loans available to our students is located under the loan section on our website. As a parent, you may also borrow a Parent PLUS loan to help with the remaining balance of your child’s account. Detailed information concerning the Parent Plus loan can be found here.
Financial Aid Process
Students interested in being considered for financial aid must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year, which can be filed online at https://fafsa.gov. Incoming freshmen and transfer students accepted to RMU will receive a folder, mailed to their home address, containing their financial aid award letter and other important information. For those students starting in the upcoming fall semester, financial aid packaging starts in late fall. For example, for a freshmen starting in Fall 2017, they will be packaged starting in late 2016 if all documents are completed.
All continuing students receive their financial aid award information via Net Partner and are packaged around the first of June for the upcoming academic year. This is to ensure students are receiving the maximum amount of aid they are eligible for after grades post and reviewing Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Please note that the student's RMU e-mail address is used for any electronic correspondence. The student may forward their RMU e-mail to another e-mail account but their RMU e-mail account should be considered the official source.
Verification
Through a process called verification, some FAFSA filers are asked to provide supporting documents to verify the accuracy of the information they reported. The documentation required is used by the financial aid office to double check the FAFSA information and make corrections if needed. Prospective students who are selected will have “Verification Pending” written across their financial aid award letter. The aid listed on the award letter will not be finalized until verification has been completed. Detailed instructions regarding required documentation will be included with the financial aid folder.
Continuing students will not receive their financial aid award letter until they complete the verification process. A letter will be mailed to the home address asking for the supporting documentation.
Policies
While aid is awarded to a student at the time of admission to RMU, they must maintain a certain GPA and earn a minimum number of credits in order to remain eligible for the aid for future terms. For federal and institutional aid eligibility, please refer to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Students receiving PHEAA state grants, please refer to the State Grant Policy. Athletes also have a separate set of guidelines and can refer to the Student Athlete Handbook for further information.
For other important Policies, please refer to the policy section of our website.
Additional Aid Opportunities
RMU has created an online directory of external scholarships that is intended to help start the process. The directory includes regional, national, and international opportunities, and is not meant to be a complete or exhaustive list of all opportunities available. Most scholarships have a February – June deadline so start the search process early.
Most scholarships charge no fee to apply. If a fee is required, please research the scholarship carefully before paying any fee.
Invoices
The office of Student Financial Services maintains university student accounts and issues student bills on a semester basis. For detailed billing information, please click here. If you have questions about your student’s account, bill, payment plan, or late fees, you may contact Student Financial Services directly at 412-397-6260.
Helpful Links
Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA): www.pheaa.org
Federal Student Aid: https://studentaid.gov
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): https://fafsa.gov
Loan Repayment Calculator: https://studentaid.gov/repay-loans
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RmuFinAid - Remember to "Like us" to receive updates during the year