Summer Term Financial Aid

Summer term begins the financial aid year (unlike the academic year which ends with summer). Financial aid is available for students enrolled during the summer term, just like fall and spring terms.

FAFSA eligible students must complete the 2024-25 FAFSA in order to determine their eligibility for financial aid beyond their normal scholarship funding for the summer 2024 term. The FAFSA is not required for the renewal of scholarships.

Items to consider when enrolling in summer classes:

  • Students must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits (or Co-op) to qualify for federal student loan funding.
  • Federal student loans have annual limits. If students enroll for three terms (summer, fall, and spring), they will be offered a third of their yearly, federal loan eligibility per term assuming they are enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits (or Co-op) in each term.
  • Undergraduate students who qualify for federal Pell Grant funding would receive a normal distribution of this federal grant for a term of full-time (12 to 18 credits) enrollment or Co-op.  The Pell Grant would be prorated for a term in which they are enrolled less than full time (< 12 credits). The amount of funding offered per term will depend the students' number of enrolled credits each term and the number of semesters/terms the students are enrolled in total for the year.
  • Undergraduate students must be enrolled full time (12 to 18 credits) in order to be offered RIT grants and scholarships. For example, students who register for 6 credits in the summer term and then enroll full time in both the fall and spring semesters, will be offered RIT grants and scholarships only in the fall and spring semesters since they are not enrolled full time in the summer term.
  • An exception to the full-time undergraduate enrollment requirement for receiving RIT grant funding is the RIT Summer Grant.  The RIT Summer Grant is available to matriculated undergraduate students taking 6 to 11 undergraduate credits in the summer 2024 term at RIT.  The FAFSA is not required for the RIT Summer Grant.
  • Undergraduate students completing their degree requirements in summer 2024 who do not need to be enrolled full time should contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships so that we may maximize their aid eligibility for their final term of course enrollment.  This is not applicable to students enrolled in official part-time programs. 
  • Graduate students who plan to enroll in the summer term should reach out to their academic departments regarding scholarship renewal.

Students should check the Financial Aid & Scholarships section of eServices to determine if they have any outstanding documents or action items to be completed for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

For questions regarding financial aid and the summer term, please contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.