With nearly two out of every three students at University of Houston-Clear Lake receiving some form of financial aid, it's safe to say that we believe in helping people achieve their educational dreams. We also believe that applying for important financial aid shouldn't be a complex and frustrating process.
Financial Aid Made Simple
Applying for financial aid from UHCL, the State of Texas and/or the federal government is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
1) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Online or by Phone
- Compete your free application online at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa.
- You can also do it over the phone at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
2) Enter the UHCL school code: 011711
- Enter it on your FAFSA in the demarcated box so that UHCL can receive your FAFSA results.
- The FAFSA form allows space for you to enter codes for up to six schools.
School code: 011711
3) File your FAFSA by the first of January for the upcoming fall semester
- This ensures that we receive your FAFSA results by the first priority deadline of January 15.
- In fact, the FAFSA form is available on October 1 for the upcoming school year. For example, the FAFSA for the 2019-20 school year will be available on Oct. 1, 2018.
Other Financial Aid Processes
Verification Process
Verification is a process that all universities participating in federal aid programs have to complete. If the Central Processing System (CPS) selects you, you must complete verification in order to qualify for financial aid. If you are selected, we will send you an email requesting additional documents. Using these documents, we compare your data to the information on your FAFSA, and make corrections, if needed.
Visit financial aid FAQ's for detailed information about the verification process.
Professional Judgment Process
The Student Financial Aid Office recognizes the information used to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) may not accurately reflect the current financial situation for individual students and/or families. In this situation, we encourage students to submit documentation to make any necessary adjustments, through a process called Special Circumstances.
Special Circumstances
Some examples that may allow for a Special Circumstance would be (including but not limited to):
- Loss or reduction of employment, wages, or unemployment compensation.
- Loss of untaxed income or benefits e.g. Social Security benefits or child support.
- Separation or divorce.
If you have extenuating or unusual circumstances that qualify, please reach out to the Student Financial Aid Office.
Accepting your Financial Aid
Students should view and accept their Financial Aid Offers through E-Services.
- Log in to E-Services
- Click on the "Financial Aid" tile
- Click "Accept Decline" Awards
Please remember that you do not have to accept all of your loan offered. Once you click accept you can then edit the amount you would like to accept. The amount accepted will automatically split evenly between Fall and Spring terms. Financial Aid is applied to the student account one week prior to the term. Refunds are sent to students BankMobile Vibe account beginning the first week of classes.
If you need additional assistance or information as you apply for financial aid at UHCL, we encourage you to review our FAQs. You can also call us at 281-293-2480, e-mail us at uhcl_fao@uhcl.edu or come by the office.