Summer Session

Financial Aid for Summer Session

For financial aid purposes, summer sessions are attached to the end of the academic year.

University Scholarships and Financial Aid uses the same FAFSA as the prior Fall and Spring terms, so no additional FAFSA is required.

Summer Session at VT

Newly admitted students, who attend the summer prior to the fall term of admission (e.g. for Summer Start), must file the appropriate FAFSA by June 30th. Awarding begins in late March and continues throughout the summer term.

Eligibility Requirements

Financial aid for Summer 2025 requires the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

USFA awards summer financial aid based on enrollment at the time we package summer financial aid. Students must notify our office of any changes in enrollment status by email at finaid@vt.edu. USFA reviews changes in summer enrollment prior to the last day to add classes for the 12 week session and reevaluates student eligibility for summer financial aid based on those changes. Enrollment changes may also result in a delay in financial aid disbursement or refunds (if applicable).
When receiving Federal Direct Loans, we advise you to accept before May 1, 2025 in order for the funds to be available at the beginning of Summer Session I.
Audit credits do not count towards aid eligibility.

Loans

Summer Federal Direct Loan eligibility is limited to the unused annual maximum from the fall and spring semesters. PLUS and Private/Alternative Loan eligibility increases up to the additional summer term Cost of Attendance. Please be sure to indicate the correct summer enrollment dates for the online loan applications:

May – August

Federal Loans

Students must be enrolled at least half time over the summer terms in order to receive federal loans such as Federal Direct/Parent PLUS/Graduate PLUS Loans.

Half-time for undergraduate students is 6 credit hours and half-time for graduates is 5 credit hours.

Please allow for 2-3 weeks of processing time for Federal Parent PLUS and Graduate PLUS Loans.

Private Loans

Students applying for a Private Loan are strongly encouraged to file a FAFSA but are not required. Apply for your loan by April 15th to ensure your summer bill is paid by May 10th.

Lenders typically require half-time enrollment for Private Loans; however, some may allow for less than half-time.

Please allow up to 4-5 weeks of processing time for Private Loans.

Students attending a Summer Education Abroad program must complete the Global Education Financial Aid Form. This form is provided digitally by the Global Educaiton Office.