Why Has My Financial Aid Award Changed?

The Department of Education (DoE) has recently identified errors in its calculation of certain FAFSA applications and is working to fix them. If your application was among those impacted by an error, it will be reprocessed which could result in an adjustment to your financial aid award amount — either higher or lower.

If you make changes to your FAFSA this could potentially change your financial aid eligibility.

This includes enrolling less than full-time, dropping courses or withdrawing for a semester. These changes can reduce or eliminate your financial aid. Contact Texas One Stop before or if you have any changes to your enrollment.

All undergraduate students will be evaluated for SAP at the end of each academic year.

If the federal, state, or University funding for financial aid programs is lower than expected, your award may be adjusted.

Federal and state laws affecting financial aid can change, impacting your eligibility and award amount.

Not meeting the academic performance or other requirements for scholarships or grants can lead to losing that funding.

Federal regulations require UT Austin to consider all financial resources awarded to a student when determining their eligibility for financial aid. This includes scholarships awarded from a University department and those awarded by an organization or entity outside of UT Austin. When you are awarded a scholarship that was not previously included in your financial aid package, UT Austin must make adjustments. View the Financial Aid Impact example to see how your aid may be adjusted.

If selected for verification, you’ll need to promptly provide additional documents in your My Financial Aid portal to confirm your financial aid eligibility. This might result in an award adjustment.

Reaching the maximum amount allowed for Federal Direct Loans or Pell Grants will reduce or eliminate those awards in your package.

Unexpected events like job loss or medical expenses can impact your financial situation. Contact Texas One Stop if this happens.

Financial aid displacement occurs when a student’s financial aid is reduced due to receipt of a private scholarship or other reasons identified in this advisory. This practice occurs in Texas and should be taken into consideration while applying for financial aid. The institution to which you are applying is providing in this application a list of recommendations describing how to maximize your financial aid and ensure that you are prepared when financial aid displacement occurs. You are encouraged to reach out to the institution to which you are applying to receive advice on how to avoid financial aid displacement.

A student’s state-funded gift aid is most commonly revised or reduced because of:

• Additional gift aid received from a private source, such that the student’s total gift aid exceeds financial need or cost of attendance.
• Reduced cost of attendance as a result of dropped classes, a change in housing status, or withdrawal from the institution, among other causes.
• Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements or other merit-based criteria for the student’s gift aid.
• A change in enrollment status that renders the student ineligible for certain gift aid programs.
• Failure to complete required administrative processes or submit documentation by established deadlines.
• A change in the student’s Student Aid Index as a result of verification, updates, and/or corrections to the student’s financial aid application which affects eligibility for some forms of gift aid or the amount of gift aid the student is eligible to receive.

View the THECB’s Financial Aid Displacement Advisory.