To apply for financial aid, a student must submit their admissions application and become a regularly admitted student in an eligible degree program or certificate program. Additionally, they must also complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov. Once an award offer is generated, we will notify the student via their UM e-mail address. For new students, we will use the address listed on the FAFSA. The award offer will be available to view and accept on CyberBear. Any additional requirements will also be posted on CyberBear. After a student has completed the online acceptance of their financial aid and submitted any required documents, the Financial Aid Office will move the file forward through the final review process. The final review process or “sign off” is required prior to disbursement of any financial aid. For most files, the final review process is automated; however, some files must be manually reviewed. The final review process ensures that the student meets the eligibility criteria and is properly packaged prior to disbursement. 

At the University of Montana, the Summer 2024 semester is considered part of the 2023-2024 academic year. Information regarding summer session dates and deadlines can be found on the UM summer website. Reviews for summer aid begin on March 1st. We will award the maximum amount of aid as soon as the student becomes eligible in the summer term. If a student is awarded a fund or amount they do not want, they should send our office an e-mail at finaid@mso.umt.edu or submit a Revision Request Form in our office on the 5th floor of Aber Hall to indicate the desired reduction or decline in the awarded fund for the summer term. 

Students initially request summer aid when they complete the online acceptance process in CyberBear for the entire year. One of the questions on this online forum allows the student to indicate their attendance plans for summer. Our office uses this answer to review summer aid eligibility. If a student is unsure what they originally indicated for summer enrollment in CyberBear, they can log back in to CyberBear and view their summer enrollment. If a student would like to change their answers, they can do so by going to https://www.umt.edu/finaid/enrollment-status-update/ and updating their summer enrollment via the online enrollment status change form. 

Pell Grant eligible students enrolled in summer courses will automatically be considered for the Federal Pell Grant. Student who have already reached the annual maximum students by attending 12 or more credits the previous autumn and spring semesters must be enrolled in at least 6 credits in the summer term to be considered for additional Pell Grant funding. However, students graduating in the Autumn 2024 or Summer 2024 may request to use their 24-25 FAFSA to see if we have additional aid eligibility. 

Summer Work Study Information

Spring work study positions end on May 10, 2024. Students who have not been approved for summer work study positions must stop work on May 17, 2024. Students who have been offered summer work study may begin their summer position as early as May 20, 2024. 

Types of Summer Work Study

There are two types of summer work study – In-School Summer Work Student and Summer Work Study Only 

The In-School Summer Work Study is designed for students who primarily plan to take courses over the summer working part time to be considered for this program. A student must be enrolled in at least 6 credits during the summer sessions.  The six credits may be obtained in one summer session or split between two sessions.  The student must have filed their FAFSA for the current school year 23-24 and completed all file requirements. The In-School Summer Work Study amount is typically $1800 and students are limited to an average of 19 hours per week during any session in which they are taking six or more credits. 

The Summer Work Study Only is designed for students who plan primarily to work during the summer taking few or no classes.  To be considered for summer work study only program, a student does not need to be enrolled in credits in the summer; however, the student must be enrolled in the Autumn 2024 term. Students taking summer classes may apply for a larger work study only award if they are taking more than 5 credits and are enrolled for Autumn 2024. The Summer Work Study only maximum amount is $4650 and students are limited to 40 hours per week. Any hours worked beyond the 40 hours allotment will be charged 100% to the employer. 

Students meeting program criteria, requesting work-study, and indicating enrollment plans for at least six or more credits for the summer term in CyberBear will automatically be considered for the work study program. 

Students who want to pursue the work study only program option for this summer and are enrolled in 0-5 credits in the summer term need to request for the summer hire form. Review for summer work study only requests start on April 1st and only if the student is enrolled in six credits for the upcoming Autumn 2024 semester. In addition, the 2024-2025 FAFSA must be received. Requests made by students that do not meet those criteria will not be processed until both those indicators autumn enrollment and 2024 FAFSA are on file at the University of Montana. At the end of summer, students need to submit a new hire form for the academic year this is only needed once per academic year. Once the student has been approved for summer and their hire form has been processed by the Financial Aid Office, they may begin working as early as this May 20, 2024. Work must end by August 18, 2024. It is the responsibility of the student and the employer to monitor and plan accordingly to the students pay rate, scheduled hours, and work study offer amount. The offer amount represents a student's total gross earnings not the employers share of the earnings. If a student earns $10.50 per hour and has an offer of $4650 they can only work about 444 hours or 11 weeks before the work study allotment runs out. 

Request a Work Study Hire Form

Summer Hire Forms may be requested Work Study Hire Form Request (umt.edu) or come by the 5th floor of Aber Hall. 

Federal direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans are available to students who have not already reached their annual loan limits prior to the summer semester. Students whose grade levels have changed (e.g., from freshman to a sophomore or from a sophomore to a junior) by the start of the summer semester may also be eligible for additional Federal Direct Loans. 

If a parent borrower would like to request a Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) for the summer term, they complete the parent plus loan application at studentaid.gov and indicate the 2023-2024 academic year. If they previously requested PLUS loan for the 23-24 academic year, then the parent borrower may update the amount requested which will notify our office of their request to increase their loan for this academic year which includes the summer term.  

Graduate PLUS (GradPLUS) loans are available for graduate students we have reached our annual loan limits for the unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan program and need additional funding for summer. 

Students may also apply for private loans by beginning the application process with the bank or lending agency. Once all requirements on the bank or lender's website are completed, the lending agency will contact our office to request certification of the loan. Please note that private loans typically take longer to process than federal funds, so it's important to keep this in mind when applying. 

Explanation of Your Summer Financial Aid

This offer is contingent upon the availability of funds and subject to change during the summer award and in accordance with federal regulations, institutional policy and the accuracy of the information provided by you. 

Summer financial aid at the University of Montana is awarded based on any remaining aid eligibility as student has left from the preceding school year. If a student has exhausted their yearly maximums in federal loans, grants etc. over the course of the regular academic year, there may not be any funding available for the summer term. 

The amount of Federal Pell Grant listed on your summer award is the maximum remaining eligibility for the year. The actual amount you receive may be less depending on the number of credits for which you are rolled in for the summer term. 

Tuition waivers will always match tuition charges and an increase or decrease in credits will affect the actual value listed on your bill. Mandatory and optional fees are not covered by tuition waivers 

Federal Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) and Federal PLUS loans are subject to origination fees. Students must be enrolled half-time or more in a degree seeking program to be eligible for federal loans. 

 If a student has not previously borrowed a federal direct loan, the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and loan entrance counseling must be completed prior to disbursement, which can be done at www.studentaid.gov. 

Conditions for Receiving Summer Financial Aid

• Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress in a course of study leading to a degree. Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress will result in cancellation of financial aid. 

• Non-attendance, withdrawal from all classes, or receiving all failing grades may require repayment of unearned federal financial aid and could render the student ineligible for further aid. 

• Students must promptly inform the Financial Aid Office of any other monies received for educational purposes during the summer term, including but limited to, outside scholarships, tuition waivers, and third-party payments. 
• Grant amounts may be adjusted based on changes in enrollment status until the Census Date. Repayment of grant aid may be required if credit load drops before the census date at midnight. No changes are made to grant amounts based on enrollment changes after that date, even if aid has already been disbursed. However, if a student withdraws from 100% of their classes in the summer or fails to earn credits, they are subject to the Return to Title IV policies and may have to repay any unearned aid calculated.   

Authorizations Given to The University of Montana:

• I understand that the Title IV aid authorizations I made when completing the aid acceptance for the year in my Cyberbear account for the 2022-2023 academic year will remain in effect for the summer term charges on my UM account.
• I understand that I may cancel or change these authorizations by contacting the Financial Aid Office in writing at any time. I also understand that I am responsible for payment of any outstanding university charges before my financial aid will be released.
• I understand my original acceptance of the terms and conditions in Cyberbear certifies my acceptance of the above authorizations and responsibilities.