Students who wish to apply for financial assistance must complete the FAFSA online each year.  (Please contact our office if you would prefer to complete a paper application.)

If you are a new student, you should plan to begin the financial aid application process the same day that you submit your Application for Admission to Mercer.  You may use the following checklist to assist you in the Financial Aid application process.  The checklist is for your records only and does not have to be returned to Mercer.

___________   Apply for Admission.  (New students only)

___________  Request Academic Transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities be sent to the Admissions Office.  (New students only)

___________  Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Be sure that Mercer University’s code 001580 is listed.  Also be sure to complete the FAFSA for the correct academic year.  For example, the 2009-2010 FAFSA should be completed for Fall 2009, Spring 2010 and Summer 2010.

___________  Review the Comments Section of your Student Aid Report (SAR) very carefully and return any documents requested to the Financial Planning Office.  You should receive your SAR within two weeks of the date you submitted your FAFSA online.  If you do not receive your SAR within two weeks, you can check the status of your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  (If you completed a paper FAFSA, you should receive your SAR results within four weeks.)       

___________  If your SAR indicates that you were selected for verification, mail a signed copy of your federal income tax return and a Verification Worksheet to the Financial Planning Office.  A Verification Worksheet should be mailed to you within two weeks of the date you receive your SAR.  If you do not receive a Verification Worksheet within two weeks, contact the Financial Planning Office to request one.

___________  Review your SAR to ensure that Mercer University is listed.  If Mercer is not listed, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and add Mercer’s school code 001580, to your SAR.  

Please note:  Any conflicting information in a student's file must be resolved before financial aid can be awarded.  Thus, some students may be asked to provide documentation in addition to the above noted items.

Once you have been admitted to the University and your financial aid file is complete, you should receive a Financial Aid Award Letter outlining your financial aid award(s).  You should normally receive your award letter within three weeks of the date your file became complete in the Financial Planning Office.  (It may take longer than three weeks to process your file if it becomes complete around the first day of class.)  Once you have been fully admitted to the University, you may view the tracking of your financial aid documents and award information online by going to http://bearport.mercer.edu and logging into your personal Bearport account.