Summer Aid FAQs

1. Payment in-full before your first class day.
2. Enroll in a Summer Payment Plan and pay 10% of your SHSU account balance out-of-pocket.
3. Apply for a Bearkat Payment Extension Loan (BPEL) to defer the 10% payment for 30 days.

You must have a completed FAFSA for the current aid year. You must register for at least 6 hours at SHSU for undergraduates or 3 hours for graduates to be offered Summer financial aid.

All Summer first-time undergraduate students at SHSU must enroll in at least 6 hours for both Summer and the upcoming Fall term to receive Summer financial aid.

Graduate students must enroll in at least 3 hours for Summer and 6 hours for the upcoming Fall term to receive Summer financial aid. You must have a good SAP, complete all aid requirements, and a current FAFSA for Summer financial aid.

As an undergraduate, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 total credit hours (ex. 3 hours in Summer 1 and 3 hours in Summer 2 or 6 hours in either Summer 1 or Summer 2).

As a graduate student, you must be enrolled in 3 hours.

Courses must be on your degree plan. Any changes to enrollment may result in changes to your financial aid.

For Undergraduates

If you did not use all of the aid offered to you during the previous Fall and Spring semesters, you may receive the remainder of those loans in the Summer semester.

Example: You were awarded a $5,500 subsidized loan for the Fall/Spring terms, but you only accepted $4,500; the additional $1,000 will be offered to you for the Summer term.

If your classification changes after the Spring term, you may be eligible for additional Summer financial aid.

For Graduates

If you’ve utilized the full unsubsidized loan amount of $20,500 for the Fall/Spring semester and cannot receive any remainder for Summer, you have the option of applying for the Grad PLUS loan on studentaid.gov. This loan is credit based and you must meet SAP requirements. Additionally, you must notify the graduate counselor if you decide to apply. This loan is helpful if you’ve surpassed your aggregate limit of $138,500 in federal direct loans as the Grad PLUS loan doesn’t contribute to this amount.

If you received the Pell Grant in the Fall and/or Spring terms you can receive up to 50% of your Fall/Spring Pell Grant for the Summer term. Pell Grants are calculated on hours enrolled, from 1 up to 12 hours.

Example: You received $5,000 in Pell Grant for the Fall/Spring terms, you could receive up to $2,500 for the Summer term. 

Grants for the Summer term are limited. Priority is given to students with the greatest financial need and are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

All eligible students registered in the required hours will receive Summer aid notifications starting mid-April. Aid Notifications are sent to your SHSU email account and can be viewed on your Financial Aid Dashboard.

Refer to Scholarships4Kats for Summer scholarship opportunities.

Summer aid will only impact your future aid eligibility if you are near your aggregate Pell Grant and/or loan limits.

If you received the Parent PLUS loan in the Fall and/or Spring terms, a Summer PLUS loan will be included in your aid. For this aid to be paid, your parent must complete a new PLUS application using the current aid year application and selecting summer month periods (May through August).

If you received the Additional Unsubsidized Loan in the Fall/Spring terms, then the Parent PLUS loan will only be offered if the parent applies for and is approved for the new loan.

You do not need to complete a Summer TASFA. Students who have completed a TASFA for the current aid year may be eligible for the Texas Public Educational Grant (TPEG) during the Summer term as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. Students can also apply for the College Access Loan (CAL) for the Summer term.

Yes, but with limited funding.