Student Financial Aid Services: One Big Beautiful Bill Act Webinars

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduces significant changes to federal student and parent loan programs. These updates will take effect on July 1, 2026. We are waiting for the final implementation guidance from the U.S. Department of Education. Join us for a webinar to learn more.

Financial Aid Webinar: Important Changes to Undergraduate Federal Loans (Undergraduate Students)
Date: Tuesday, May 5th @6:00pm - 7:00pm

Register Here

Financial Aid Webinar: Important Changes to Federal Parent PLUS Loans (Parent PLUS Borrowers) 
Date: Wednesday, May 6th @6:00pm - 7:00pm

Register Here

Financial Aid Webinar: Important Changes to Graduate Federal Loans (Graduate Students)
Date: Thursday, May 7th @6:00pm - 7:00pm

Register Here

Contact methods

• Call the mainline: 973-596-3479
• Email us at finaid@njit.edu
• Fax us at: 973-596-2460
• Schedule an appointment by following instructions on this website here.

Mailing Address

Student Financial Aid Services (SFAS)

NJIT - Student Mall
University Heights
Newark, NJ 07102

Campus Location: Student Mall (lower level of the parking deck)

Normal Office Hours 
Monday - Friday: 8:30am - 4:30pm

Summer Hours (May 19 - August 15)
Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 5:00pm

* During summer holiday weeks, our office times are 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Important Numbers

NJIT University Personnel/Deliveries: Please call 973-596-3477 or 973-596-3479 so that we can receive the deliveries.

Federal Student Assistance Information 1-800-433-3243 (and to request duplicate Student Aid Report)

New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (NJHESAA)
1-800-792-8670  (New Jersey state grants, scholarships, and NJCLASS loans)

Federal Direct Loan Information
To view information on your federal student loans and loan servicers, please see Loan Servicer.

If students need to reach NJHESAA about state-related paperwork or questions about state aid, please send an email to this address: Client_Services@hesaa.org

Disclaimer
SFAS is not liable for the security of sensitive information or for the untimely receipt of deadline-oriented information via e-mail. To ensure safe and confidential receipt of documents containing sensitive information, you may send certified through U.S. mail or hand deliver. To ensure the timely receipt of deadline-oriented documents, fax the information and request a receipt acknowledgment. If you do not receive an acknowledgment, it is your responsibility to follow-up with SFAS to verify that the document has been received. Thank you.

We want to make the high quality of an NJIT education as affordable as possible for each student we admit. Close to 80% of all our undergrad students receive some form of financial aid as well as 92% of our first time incoming freshmen and transfer students. Our office provides more than $100 million in financial assistance to our students.

We also strive to provide excellent service to current NJIT students and their families. We’ll help you get all your questions answered and find the information you need to continue funding your education year after year.

If you fail to enroll or to begin attendance for the award period indicated on your financial aid notification letter, Student Financial Aid Services must cancel all financial aid that was offered to you. Upon your re-enrollment, you can request financial assistance again, but any assistance you receive will be based on the availability of funds at the time.

If you plan to withdraw from any of your courses during an academic term, it is important that you contact SFAS for advice regarding your financial aid. If you are not properly enrolled at the time the funds disburse, you could jeopardize receipt of particular types of aid. Withdrawing from courses may also prevent you from making satisfactory academic progress, which will affect your eligibility for future assistance. If you want to withdraw from all your courses, it is imperative that you follow the withdrawal procedure with the registrar to obtain an official withdrawal date.

Treatment of NJIT Financial Aid for Total Withdrawal

Adjustments to institutional financial aid follow the university's policy on refunds for tuition due to withdrawal.

If you withdraw from all courses on or before completing 60 percent of an academic term, SFAS will review your financial aid to determine whether funds must be adjusted in accordance with university, state, and federal policies governing total withdrawals. The bursar's office calculates your refund of tuition for total withdrawals according to the university's policy.

The policies on the treatment of financial aid for total withdrawals, however, are specific to each designated fund program and are applicable only if you were awarded that particular type of fund. If you were awarded various types of financial aid, more than one policy may apply in determining your revised aid eligibility.

The following sections describe the treatment of institutional, state, and federal financial aid when you withdraw entirely from the university.

Treatment of New Jersey State Financial Aid for Total Withdrawal
Adjustments to New Jersey state aid follow the state refund policy for withdrawals. The following chart determines the amount of state aid that must be returned to the state program when a recipient withdraws.

The amount of your tuition x % refund x New Jersey State Financial Aid Total Financial Aid, excluding FWS.

Example: Withdrawal in the second week of the semester with $3,959 tuition charges, a $2,350 TAG award, and $5,200 in aid (excluding FWS) would be: $3,959 x 90% = $3,563 x $2,350/$5,200 = $1,610 TAG returned to the state.

Treatment of Federal Financial Aid (Title IV) Programs as a Result of Total Withdrawal

The federal policy for return of Title IV funds maintains that you can retain only that portion of federal aid that you have earned based on your time in attendance before you withdrew from the university. The percentage of time you have attended an academic term determines the amount of federal aid that must be returned to the federal government. This federally mandated policy is independent of NJIT's institutional refund policy for tuition.

The policy determines, on a pro-rata basis, the amount of federal assistance that you have earned up to the point of total withdrawal. For example, if you complete 30 percent of an academic term, you earn 30 percent of the federal student aid that you were originally entitled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60 percent of the payment period or academic term, you will have earned all of your federal financial assistance, and no federal aid would need to be returned.

The following charts illustrate how unearned federal financial aid is calculated if you withdraw from the university.

• Fall 2025 Return of Title IV Funds - Refund Schedule
• Spring 2026 Return of Title IV Funds - Refund Schedule

​See below Fall 2020 calculation example: If you have federal aid and you withdraw completely from your classes on 9/21/2020, the percentage of aid earned is 18.8%.

Federal Loan $2721 X 18.8% = $512.00 of the federal loan is the amount you have earned and the unearned amount $2,209.00 must be returned to the federal government. This may create a balance on your account. It is critical you understand the implications of your decision to withdraw.

Unofficial Withdrawals

As per federal and state regulations, the New Jersey Institute of Technology must determine whether federal and state aid recipients completed the semester. Students who do not earn any passing grade due to a combination of F, W or I grades are assumed to have unofficially withdrawn from the university and their aid must be adjusted accordingly. 

If you are assumed to have unofficially withdrawn, we will reach out to the faculty members to confirm your last date of attendance or academic activity. Your federal and state aid will be recalculated and reduced based on your last date of attendance or using semester midpoint. As a result, any unearned aid will be returned to the source (federal or state). Should it become necessary for you to cease attendance in all courses, it is in your best interest to follow the official withdrawal procedure through the registrar but you are highly encouraged to speak with your Financial Aid Advisor to receive counseling on the impact of your withdrawal.

Federal Verification
Verification is the process in which Student Financial Aid Services (SFAS) — as dictated by federal and state regulations — compares the financial information you reported on the FAFSA with your prior-prior-year federal tax returns/ transcripts, W-2 forms, and other financial documentation. We also verify the household information. If your application is selected for verification, you will receive an email instructing you to access your financial aid account through your Highlander Pipeline portal. From there, you can determine the specific information SFAS needs in order to verify your data. SFAS must receive all requested documentation within 14 days of the request and verification must be complete before federal and state aid can be disbursed. If there are differences between the data you supplied on your FAFSA and the verification documentation, corrections may be needed, and your application will be reprocessed. If we make any corrections to your FAFSA information, we will notify you via a message on your Highlander Pipeline portal. 

For income verification, we will request copies of signed federal tax returns and W-2s for students and parents (as applicable). In some cases, you may be asked to provide an IRS Tax Return Transcript from the Internal Revenue Service. To understand how to obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript, please watch this video. 

Your FAFSA may have flags that would require us to confirm your financial aid eligibility. For example, you may be asked to confirm your citizenship status. We will send you an email to upload the required proof of citizenship to the document portal. Your file will remain incomplete unless all required documents are submitted. 

State Verification
If you are a New Jersey resident receiving state aid like the New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG), the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) may select your file for state verification. If you receive a request for documents or additional information from HESAA, you must forward all requested information and financial documents directly to HESAA to avoid a delay in the disbursement of funds or loss of your state aid altogether. In some cases, HESAA may request the same information that was requested by SFAS. Please make sure you have created your NJFAMS account as HESAA will post all requests and open tasks on the NJFAMS portal. 

Deadlines
It is extremely important that you respond to requests for information promptly because finalized financial aid packages are processed in the order of file completion date. To ensure that your financial aid funds disburse as scheduled at the start of the fall semester, you must submit all required documentation by April 15. You can still submit documents after the April 15 deadline, but the absolute deadline for the submittal of all documents is 30 days prior to the end of the semester or award period. The designated deadlines allow SFAS to process and authorize disbursements within the timeframes permitted under regulations set forth for administering the federal and state aid programs. We encourage you to regularly check your email and portal to provide requested documents in a timely manner to avoid delay or loss of aid. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy is the term used to define successful completion of coursework to remain eligible for federal, state and some institutional financial aid. NJIT is required by federal and state regulations and institutional policy to determine whether a student is meeting SAP requirements. View NJIT's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.

Basic Elements of SAP

• The standard applies to undergraduate, graduate (Master’s and Ph.D.) and graduate certificate students who wish to be considered for aid eligibility.
• The entire student’s academic history in their program level is considered in the assessment whether financial aid was received in the past or not
• The three SAP measurements include minimum grade point average, minimum pace requirement, and total semesters attended within the required timeframe

SAP Assessment and Review

Student’s academic history is reviewed annually at the conclusion of the spring payment period.

SAP Appeals Process

A student who fails the standards of SAP and has mitigating circumstances as mentioned below may submit an appeal by the deadline as per the policy and the appeal form. Below are the mitigating circumstance allowed under an appeal:

• Death in the family
• Illness
• Other special circumstances

Completed SAP appeals will be reviewed within 15 business days (during peak times, the review may take longer). Decisions will be sent to the student’s NJIT email account.

RELATED FORMS

• Financial Literacy webpage
• Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form

STUDENT RESOURCES

• Undergraduate Advisors
• Center for Counseling
• The Learning Center
• Math Learning Center
• Chemistry Learning Center
• CS Tutoring

Federal financial aid regulations allow students to receive financial aid for retaking (repeating) a previously passed course, one time only. For financial aid purposes, a “D” grade is considered passing.

Because a previously passed course can only be repeated once for financial aid purposes, if a student retakes a previously passed course, it will be included in the enrollment status and would be eligible for financial aid. However, if the student enrolls in the same course again for a second retake, this course will not be counted towards student’s enrollment status and would not be eligible for financial aid.

NJIT’s course repeat policy is different from the federal course repeat regulations. In some cases, federal regulations may allow a student to receive financial aid for retaking a course but the institutional policy may restrict a student from retaking the course after he/she has exhausted maximum allowed attempts. For institutional course repetition policy, please refer to the University Catalog.

Frequently Asked Questions

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans

NJIT administers these need-based and non-need-based student loans on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. If the William D. Ford Federal Direct Stafford Loan (Subsidized or Unsubsidized) has been offered to you, it will appear in your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer. You can accept or reject these loans or accept a partial loan amount.

To be eligible for a loan of this type, you must be enrolled at least half-time (a minimum of 6 credits). The awarded loan amount is applied to your account each semester. The interest rate and fees for loans may be subject to change annually on or before July 1. For the most current interest rates and loan fees for the applicable aid year, please see Interest Rates.

Annual and Aggregate Federal Direct Loan Limits

Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer

SFAS electronically receives the processed FAFSA (if NJIT is listed as a college choice on the FAFSA). SFAS designs an estimated Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer that details the various types of aid for which you are eligible (based on the information you provided on your FAFSA) and informs you of the details in the Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer. The Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer and all subsequent notifications are sent to your UCID email account. Similarly, if any changes to your financial aid awards occur, or if SFAS requires additional information, you will be notified through your UCID email account. To ensure that your financial aid disburses as scheduled at the start of the semester, you must submit any requested documentation needed to confirm your financial aid eligibility to SFAS by April 15 prior to the start of the academic year. Once you review your Financial Aid Offer, you can accept or decline any part of your aid package by logging on to the Highlander Pipeline and accessing your NJIT financial aid records as instructed. (you must create your UCID before you can log on to the Highlander Pipeline.) Accepting your awards online is an easy process; students should follow the steps below:

• Set up your UCID (If not already done so).
• Go to Highlander Pipline
• Enter UCID & password.
• Click on Discover More.
• In the Financial Aid Account Card, click on "Financial Aid Dashboard".
• Select applicable Aid Year from the drop-down.
• Go to Award Offer tab.
• Under 'Loans' section, review and accept or decline your awards.
• Click 'Submit'.

Student Aid Index (SAI): SAI is an eligibility index number that the financial aid office uses to determine how much federal aid student is eligible to receive. This number results from the information that students provide on the FAFSA® form. The SAI is not the amount of money a family will have to pay for college or the amount of federal student aid the student will receive. A negative SAI indicates the student has a higher financial need. Learn how the SAI is calculated. NJIT will determine your financial need by subtracting your SAI from the cost of attendance.

Financial Need: Refers to the Cost of Attendance (COA) minus the Student Aid Index (SAI). Demonstrated Financial Need (COA - SAI = Need) determines your eligibility for need-based financial assistance.

How Is Aid Calculated

The Financial Aid Financing Plan Offers aid according to financial need, merit or both. If you are eligible for financial assistance based on your financial need, you may receive a combination of gift aid (grants or scholarships that need not be repaid) and self-help aid (loans, which must be repaid) or part-time employment either on or off campus). Any combination of awards is referred to as your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer. Once your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer has been generated, you can access it via a secured link provided in the email you will receive. Eligibility for many of NJIT scholarships is not based on financial need; you are automatically considered for merit based (NJIT) scholarships at the time of admission. Your admission application, test scores and high school grade point average (GPA) are the main factors used to determine your eligibility for NJIT scholarships. However, there are some scholarships that also require that you demonstrate financial need. Note: Upperclassmen are also considered for NJIT scholarships but must have a FAFSA on file for the academic year to be considered. Eligibility for federal and state grants, as well as some NJIT scholarships, is based on the information on your FAFSA and the general eligibility requirements of each program. Gift aid is always awarded before self-help aid. If you have remaining eligibility after gift aid has been awarded, your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer may also include work study and student loans. Please note that when a combination of tuition-based grants and scholarships exceeds student bill charges or the charges the award is intended to pay for, the university may reduce the scholarship amount.

Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer Revisions

Your Financial Aid Financing Plan Offer may require revisions, often due to additional information, changes in enrollment status, failure to maintain academic progress, withdrawal from classes or outside aid received. Any revised offer overrides all previous aid offers. This sometimes means that you may have to repay funds already received.

Income Adjustment Appeal

Although the formula to determine financial aid eligibility is standard for all applicants, there is some flexibility in recalculating eligibility in light of special circumstances. For example, if you or your family has experienced an income reduction due to unemployment, disability, divorce or death, you can have your financial aid eligibility recalculated using updated information. Other special circumstances include loss of non-taxable income (e.g., child support, social security benefits, etc.). In all cases, special circumstances must be fully documented with a detailed, signed and dated statement, federal tax returns, death certificates, court documentation or letters from appropriate agencies, individuals or employers. If there are other circumstances that affect the amount you and your family are expected to contribute toward your education, please contact SFAS; however, keep in mind that the reasons must be sound and that you will have to provide adequate proof to support any adjustments.

Each financial aid program has specific requirements regarding enrollment status. In general, Student Financial Aid Services (SFAS) uses the following enrollment criteria:

Some academic programs use different enrollment status criteria; contact SFAS to learn more.

In general, financial aid packages are based on full-time enrollment. If your financial aid eligibility is based on three-quarter-time, half-time, or less than half-time enrollment, a notation will be made on your award notification. Tuition scholarship awards may be reduced in such cases, as may certain other financial aid awards related to the cost of attendance.

Your enrollment status on the 15th day of each semester determines your enrollment status for financial aid eligibility. During the summer session, your enrollment status on the second day of the summer term determines your enrollment status for financial aid.

It's important that you consult with SFAS if you plan to withdraw from any courses.

​Cross-Registration/Enrollment at Other Institutions
If you're an NJIT student who cross-registers at Essex County College, Rutgers University–Newark, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, or Burlington County College, you must fill out the proper forms (available online and at the NJIT registrar's office). Otherwise, the courses will not reflect on your academic transcript and therefore will not be factors in your financial aid eligibility.

Please note that you cannot receive financial aid at both institutions for the same courses. You must declare which institution will be considered the home school for financial aid–eligibility purposes.

If you're approved to study abroad or to attend another institution to take part or all of your educational requirements during a semester, you may receive financial aid for that term if approved in advance and if a consortium and/or contractual agreement is executed between NJIT and the other institution. For more information, please contact Student Financial Aid Services.