Financial Aid FAQs

You can search for scholarships from outside sources that fit your profile. Visit our Resources page to find links to several free scholarships search services on the web. Simply answer a few questions and then you'll be given a list of scholarships of which you may be eligible to receive. The best part of this service is that the database is updated regularly, and your list gets updated when new scholarships that fit your profile are added.

We also maintain a list of scholarships of interest to Embry-Riddle students, including all of the scholarships offered to students by the University, as well as a listing of aviation-oriented scholarships. In addition to being offered online, this list is included in each information packet that we send. To request an information packet, contact us.

Your cost will vary slightly by academic program (note: students pursuing a degree program requiring flight training will have additional costs), but you will find that Embry-Riddle is by far one of the most affordable private universities for aviation/aerospace education. See estimated student costs of attendance.

Keep in mind: Just because a private university costs more than a public state university, it doesn't necessarily mean you will pay more out of your pocket. Schools that cost more are authorized to award higher amounts of financial assistance. So your out-of-pocket cost could be the same or even less.

The sooner you fill out the FAFSA, the better. The application is free, and it's not just a way to determine how much federal student aid you'll receive. State governments and some colleges and universities use information from the FAFSA to determine what state and institutional aid you qualify for. But state agencies and individual schools also have different deadlines to qualify for aid, so keep track of all the deadlines and get a head start. Even if your household income is too high for you to qualify for federal grants or work-study funds, the FAFSA is also used to determine federal student loan eligibility. There's no harm in applying, and on average, it only takes 23 minutes to fill out the FAFSA.

You may be wondering if financial aid can be utilized to fund the cost of flight. The answer is, yes! You can receive financial assistance to help cover your flight costs. Most students receiving financial aid and pursuing a degree program requiring flight training find it necessary to consider the different loan programs available to cover the cost of flight. Careful budgeting of your costs in these programs is a worthwhile effort to ensure your success.

Understanding flight budgets and borrowing money for flight can be somewhat puzzling. Hopefully, this will make it easier to understand how financial aid can be utilized, to help parents and students partner together in this journey.

• When planning for enrollment in a flight course, check with your Financial Aid Counselor to go over your financial aid options.
• If you need to apply for a loan, please keep in mind that it can take up to 45 days for a Private Loan to be processed by the lender and sent to Embry-Riddle for loan certification. Compare lenders and apply for private loans.
• If you need to apply for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan, please allow 3-5 business days for loan certification. Apply for a PLUS Loan.
• A flight account is created for flight students. Once a refund is processed for flight, it is the student’s responsibility to move funds into their flight account.
• Please be sure to monitor flight funding, as additional costs may accrue if additional flight activities increase the estimated completion rate of the flight course. If your cost exceeds what you’ve already been budgeted for, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor to discuss increasing your flight budget and financial aid.
• Before processing a drop, withdrawal or cancellation of a flight course, contact your Financial Aid Counselor to see if there will be any financial impact to your account. If enrollment changes due to a dropped flight course, awards may be reduced or canceled.

Please note: Flight courses taken off-campus are not funded through Embry-Riddle. It’s important to manage your money allocated for flight. If money borrowed for flight is utilized for other purposes, we will not be able to authorize additional funding.

Contact the Financial Aid Department by phone at 386-226-6300 or by email at dbfinaid@erau.edu. 

Your student account is reviewed by an assigned counselor by the last two digits of your student ID (SID) number, which are as follows:

Last Two Digits of SID	Section Email
00--19	dbfasec1@erau.edu
20--39	dbfasec2@erau.edu
40--59	dbfasec3@erau.edu
60--79	dbfasec4@erau.edu
80--99	dbfasec5@erau.edu

 

Most students are considered dependent, which means that their parents’ incomes and asset information will be considered when determining their financial aid. The Department of Education determines dependency status. In order to qualify as independent, you need to meet certain criteria, such as being on active duty (not in the reserves), a veteran of the U.S. military, married or having a child that you support. You may have to provide documentation in order to prove that you are an independent student. If this is approved, then your parent’s financial information will not be considered when determining your financial need. Even if you don’t live with your parents, you must still answer the questions about your parents if you’re considered a dependent student.

Mistakes can delay your application and limit the amount of aid you are eligible to receive. To avoid errors, carefully read all of the questions on the FAFSA. Some of the most common FAFSA errors are:

• Leaving blank fields: Too many blanks may cause miscalculations and an application rejection. Enter a "0" or "not applicable" instead of leaving a blank.
• Using commas or decimal points in numeric fields: Always round to the nearest dollar.
• Listing an incorrect Social Security Number or driver's license number: Double-check and triple-check these entries to ensure accuracy. If your parents do not have Social Security Numbers, list "000‐00-0000." Do not make up a number or include a Taxpayer Identification Number.
• Failing to use your legal name: Your name must be listed on your FAFSA as it appears on your Social Security card. Don't enter nicknames or other variations on your name.
• Entering the wrong address: Don't enter a temporary campus or summer address as your permanent address.
• Entering the wrong federal income tax paid amount: This amount is on your income tax return forms from two years prior, not your W‐2 form(s).
• Listing Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as equal to total income from working: AGI and total income from working are not necessarily the same. In most cases, the AGI is larger than the total income from working.
• Incorrectly filing income taxes as head of household: If there is an error in the head of household filing status, the school will need an amended tax return to be filed with the IRS before paying out aid awards.
• Listing marital status incorrectly: The Department of Education wants to know your marital status on the day you sign the FAFSA (engagements do not count). If you are in a legally recognized same-sex marriage, you will need to provide your spouse's information as well.
• Listing parent marital status incorrectly: If your custodial parent has remarried, you'll need to include the stepparent's information on the FAFSA. If you have two parents in a legally‐recognized, same-sex marriage, you'll need to list both parents (one as Parent 1, and one as Parent 2)
• Failure to list both parents if they live together: If both your legal parents (defined as biological or adoptive parents) live in the same household, you are required to list both parents on the FAFSA even if they are not married.
• Failure to report unborn children: If you have a child that will be born before or during the award year, and you will provide the child with more than half of their support, count that child as a member of the household.
• Failing to count yourself as a student: The student completing the FAFSA must count themselves as a member of the household attending college during the award year.
• Forgetting to sign and date: For both you and your parent (if dependent), be sure to sign it.

When you apply online, you will be given the option to retrieve your IRS Data to automatically populate the FAFSA. This option simplifies the application process, helps reduce errors and lowers your chances of being selected to verify the information on your FAFSA. You will submit your tax information from two years prior, rather than your taxes for the most recent filing year, so for the 2023-24 FAFSA, you will provide information from the 2021 tax year. You should be able to retrieve this information to automatically populate the corresponding questions on the FAFSA.

• On the ERNIE homepage, click on the "Campus Solutions Student Homepage."
• Scroll down to the Personal Information Section and click the "Auxiliary Access" link.
• Read and accept the Terms and Conditions.
• Click the "Add" button.
• Create AUX username and relationship.
• Delete pre-set password, create a new password and confirm.
• Create PIN, check the "Add/Remove" box, enter user email, click "Okay" and save.
• AUX user(s) will be sent an email.
• Provide AUX user(s) with the password that was set up.

The purpose of Federal Work-Study (FWS) is to provide college students who need financial assistance a chance to earn money while pursuing their degree. FWS provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students on campus. Your eligibility is determined from the information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

What are the benefits of the Federal Work-Study Program?

• Allows you to earn money to help pay for your educational expenses.
• Your FWS employer acknowledges you are a student first. FWS employers are flexible and willing to work around your class schedule.
• It can provide opportunities to develop your professional skills, like communication, time management and interpersonal skills.
• It can lead to career opportunities.
• Even though FWS earnings are taxable, they are not considered when figuring your “financial need” on your FAFSA.

Eligibility Requirements

FWS eligibility is determined by the information provided on your FAFSA. You must have financial need in order to receive FWS. If you wish to be considered for this program, you should indicate this preference on the FAFSA.

To be eligible to work under the Federal Work-Study Program, you must:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Meet the Standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress. 
• Be a degree-seeking student and be enrolled at least half-time as an undergraduate or graduate student at Embry-Riddle.
• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, eligible non-citizen or citizen of the Freely Associated States (The Federated States of Micronesia and the republics of Palau and the Marshall Islands).
• Have a valid form of identification.
• Have a completed to-do list/review status.
• Complete verification if selected.
• Complete any outstanding admission contingencies.

Funding for the FWS program at Embry-Riddle is limited, so we cannot guarantee that every eligible student will be awarded. Therefore, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of completing the FAFSA early each year. You can file a FAFSA as early as October 1 each year. Federal Work-Study eligibility is determined annually, so it is important that you submit your FASFA each year.

Students interested in work-study can contact Student Employment directly.