Distance Education Financial Aid

Use our net price calculator to estimate both the cost of attending Unity Environmental University and the financial aid for which you might qualify.

Graduate Students

To be eligible for financial aid, graduate students must be enrolled in at least one 3-credit course per 8-week term.

Baccalaureate Students

To be eligible for most types of financial aid, baccalaureate students must be enrolled in at least one 2-credit course per 5-week term.

Depending on a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), a student may be eligible for Pell Grant funds when taking only 1 credit in each term.  FSEOG funds will be awarded for 2 credits or more.

Non-degree Seeking Students

Non-degree seeking students do not qualify for financial aid.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Contact a Distance Education Concierge, who will help you find a way to pay for your education.

• Students may apply for Federal Grants, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at fafsa.gov. For current interest rates and origination fees, visit studentloans.gov.
• For graduate students, if the unsubsidized loan amount is exhausted, Federal Graduate PLUS Loan may be available.
• Private loans may be an option if no other sources of financial aid are available. Unity Environmental University is not permitted to provide counsel on which private loans to choose. For help on this matter, please go to https://unity.edu/fastchoice.

Deadlines

Filling out your FAFSA form is a free and easy way to help reduce current expenses and determine your eligibility for grants and repayable loans. Unity Environmental University does not have a priority FAFSA filing date. Students who would like to utilize federal aid are encouraged to complete their FAFSA at least 2 weeks before the start of their term to allow for processing time. Generally, students with no additional information required will receive an email confirmation of award within 3-5 days of receipt of the electronic FAFSA data.

Maine residents are encouraged to complete the FAFSA by May 1 each year to meet the deadline set for the Maine State Grant program.

Opportunity Maine

Opportunity Maine is a grassroots coalition that helped establish the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit (EOTC) program for individuals who have earned a qualified college degree in Maine and continue to live and work in the state.

The EOTC program is designed to provide tax benefits to Maine residents paying back eligible student loans.  If you graduated from a Maine college, and live and work in the state, then you may be eligible for tax credits based upon the amount of student loan payments that you have made during the year.

Beginning with loans borrowed in January 2008, residents may be eligible to claim a significant tax credit to pay student loans after they graduate.  Businesses may also eligible for the tax credit if they agree to pay a students’ loan.

To take advantage of the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit (EOTC), please complete and submit the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit Worksheet when you file your Maine income tax return.

• Refers to a tax Credit for Educational Opportunity offered by the State of Maine to students who completed all coursework at and graduated from a Maine institution, who live, work and pay taxes in Maine and have student loans taken out after January 1, 2008.

• Students who graduated in 2008 & 2009 were required to complete and submit to the Office of Student Financial Aid an Opportunity Maine Contract prior to graduation. A contract is no longer required.

• To claim the tax credit graduates, including those who graduated in 2008 and 2009 (who previously were required to sign a contract) need only to complete a worksheet and submit when filing a tax return.

For more information on program eligibility or credit amounts, please go to http://www.liveandworkinmaine.com/opportunity-maine/.