Financial Aid & Scholarship Services

The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services administers a broad spectrum of grants, scholarships, work-study, and loan funding in an attempt to meet the financial need of the university’s students. The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services awards financial aid to students according to their individual calculated need. Student need can be determined by expected family contribution and college costs.  All information provided to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services is regarded as confidential.

Students applying for financial aid must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) designed to determine, in accordance with state and federal guidelines, the difference between what the student and/or family is expected to contribute and the cost of attending NMSU. Among the factors that determine the family’s/your parents Student Aid Index (SAI) are:

  1. annual adjusted gross income based on your tax return as reported to the Internal Revenue Service;
  2. savings, stocks, and/or bonds;
  3. other assets in the form of a business, farm or real estate;
  4. nontaxable income and benefits; and
  5. income and assets.

Students applying for financial aid should complete a FAFSA by visiting https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

Please refer to the NMSU Alamogordo, Financial Aid and Scholarship Services web site for more information on available financial aid. A complete listing of programs and policies is available at https://alamogordo.nmsu.edu/student-services/financial-aid/scholarships.html.

General Eligibility Requirements

To receive federal financial aid you must be admitted to NMSU Alamogordo as a degree seeking student in an eligible degree or certificate program and demonstrate that you are qualified to obtain education by:

  • Having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate or
  • Completing a high school education in a home-school setting approved under state law.

If you were enrolled in college in an eligible program or career school prior to July 1, 2012, you may show you are qualified to obtain a higher education by:

  • Passing an approved ability-to-benefit test (if you don’t have a diploma or GED, a college can administer a test to determine whether you can benefit from the education offered at that school);
  • Completing six credit hours or equivalent course work toward a degree or certificate (you may not receive aid while earning the six credit hours)
  • Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (state funded scholarships are available to undocumented students).
  • Have a valid Social Security number. If you don’t have a Social Security number, you can find out more about applying for one at www.ssa.gov.
  • Must be meeting satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
  • Sign a statement on the FAFSA certifying that you will use Federal student aid only for educational purposes.
  • Sign a statement on the FAFSA certifying that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money back on a federal student grant.

Financial Aid Awards

All financial aid awards are based on information provided by the student and/or parents, availability of funds and eligibility requirements. Any award may be revised based on changes in enrollment, cost of attendance, application of graduation, family contribution or failure to meet satisfactory academic progress. Withdrawals or reductions in enrollment may affect an award or any future awards. Financial Aid will not pay for audited courses or some repeats.

Grants: The Federal Pell Grant is a federal grant available to undergraduate students with documented financial need.  If a Pell Grant is insufficient to pay educational expenses, the student may be eligible to receive other types of aid, including a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) or Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership Program Grant (LEAP), and/or other miscellaneous grants. These grants are awarded to undergraduate students who show exceptional financial need. Funds are limited and are awarded based on need and the priority date.  For more information, contact University Financial Aid and Scholarship Services or visit the university’s financial aid website at https://alamogordo.nmsu.edu/student-services/financial-aid/index.html.  Generally, grants do not have to be repaid.

Work-Study Programs: The Federal and New Mexico Work-Study Programs provide employment awards for eligible students.  Funds are limited and are awarded based on need and the priority date.  A work study award does not guarantee employment.  Students are responsible for applying for available positions. Go to NMSU Alamogordo's Financial Aid page at https://alamogordo.nmsu.edu/student-services/financial-aid/work-study.html.

For more information on the U.S. Department of Education student aid programs, go to https://studentaid.gov/ or see the NMSU Financial Aid web site at https://alamogordo.nmsu.edu/student-services/financial-aid/index.html.

Scholarships and Other Aid: Many students finance part of their education with scholarships, which may be awarded for academic achievement, special skills, talent and/or based on the applicants financial need.

NMSU-A has a variety of scholarships that are offered to incoming freshman, transfer, and continuing students. State, institutional and private scholarships may also be available but amounts, deadlines and eligibility requirements vary. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office or visit the scholarship web site at  https://alamogordo.nmsu.edu/student-services/financial-aid/scholarships.html.

To be considered for most scholarships at NMSU you are required to apply online through Scholar Dollar$, at https://scholarships.nmsu.edu/. One scholarship application serves all NMSU students regardless of campus.

Federal Direct Loan Requirements

Federal Direct Subsidized Loans: This is a loan program for eligible undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need. The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on a Direct Subsidized Loan while the student is enrolled in school at least half-time.

All undergraduate students who borrow for the first time after July 1, 2013 are subject to a maximum time period to receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans. Students may not receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans for more than 150% of the published length of their academic program (measured in academic years). A complete explanation of Subsidized Loan usage limits is available at: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans: Loans that are made to eligible undergraduate and graduate students that do not demonstrate financial need. Unlike other federal loans, interest accrues while the student is attending school.

Repayment of a Federal Direct loan begins six months after graduation or six months after enrollment drops below 6 credits or less than half time for undergraduate students.

Students receiving a subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan, must complete an online entrance counseling session and a master promissory note before NMSU will issue the funds. In addition, students are required to complete an exit interview upon graduation or withdrawal from the Student Loan Acknowledgment every academic year.  Once Federal Loan Borrowers graduate, or withdraw from the institution, they must complete the Exit Counseling to avoid delays in receiving their transcripts or diplomas. Students may complete all these requirements at https://studentaid.gov.

Withdrawals: Recipients of financial aid grants and loans who stop attending class, drop credit hours, or withdraw may be required to return all or a portion of awarded Title IV funds. Further information regarding the return of Title IV funds is available on the NMSU web site at https://fa.nmsu.edu/title-iv/index.html.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require that financial aid recipients meet certain academic standards to be eligible for federal financial aid. To ensure that financial aid recipients are making satisfactory academic progress, academic transcripts are reviewed at the end of each term to determine eligibility for the next term. All terms of attendance are reviewed, including periods in which the student did not receive financial aid. All transfer credit hours are taken into account when satisfactory progress is reviewed. The Financial Aid SAP standards are not the same as NMSU’s Academic Standards of Progress criteria.  Students may learn more by visiting https://fa.nmsu.edu/satisfactory-academic-progress/.

Elements of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress:

  • Qualitative Progress: Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 (a C- average).
  • Completion Rate: Students must complete a minimum of 70 percent of all coursework (registered credit hours) attempted within the NMSU system. Any course with a grade of withdraw (W), incomplete (I), repeats (RR), failure (F), audit (AU), or no credit (NC) is not considered completed coursework. Repeated courses are included in the calculation.
  • Maximum Time Frame: Undergraduate students must complete their program within 150 percent of the published length required by the program. Students who have reached the maximum allowable time will be suspended from receiving financial aid. Limited developmental/remedial hours are excluded from this calculation. Total attempted hours including repeated courses and transfer coursework are included in the student’s maximum time frame calculation.

Financial Aid Warning: “Warning” is a status assigned to a student the first semester they fail to meet the standard of satisfactory academic progress measured as Qualitative Progress and Completion Rate.  If the student has not returned to satisfactory standing after this warning semester, he or she will be suspended from further financial assistance until satisfactory progress standards are met.

Financial Aid Suspension:   Students are suspended from receiving financial aid if they do not meet satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid purposes. Students on financial aid suspension will not receive any form of federal or state financial aid (grants, loans, work-study). Financial aid eligibility is reinstated when all standards of satisfactory progress are met.

The Appeals Process: Students suspended from financial aid may appeal the suspension if there are extenuating circumstances affecting their progress. Students who would like to appeal the suspension must submit an appeal form which can be obtained at the NMSU-A Financial Aid Office. They must also submit all required documentation to The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services. A committee will review the appeal and may grant reinstatement of financial aid based on the extenuating circumstances that directly contributed to the deficient academic performance. To receive timely decisions from the committee, students are encouraged to submit appeals and supporting documentation by the priority date found at https://fa.nmsu.edu/satisfactory-academic-progress/.

For more information, contact:

NMSU Alamogordo Financial Aid Office
2400 N. Scenic Drive
Alamogordo, NM 88310
Phone: (575) 439-3600
https://alamogordo.nmsu.edu/student-services/financial-aid/index.html