Summer Student Aid FAQs

You must first fill out an Application for Summer Financial Aid to be eligible for aid. Summer aid is generally offered in the form of loans (except for Pell eligible students--see below). Assuming you are enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) and you have not exhausted all of your Federal Stafford eligibility then you will be offered a Stafford loan. If you have no additional Stafford eligibility remaining, you may finance your summer classes through a private loan by contacting the respective lender. If you identify another lender offering private loans, Rider will gladly work with you and your chosen lender. In addition, please be advised students generally need to apply with a credit-worthy co-signer. PLUS loans are also available for parents of undergraduate students and graduate students who filed the FAFSA and are enrolled at least half-time.

If you are only taking 3 credits during the entire summer session, you will not be eligible for a Federal Stafford loan. In order to utilize a Stafford loan during summer a minimum of 6 credits for the combined summer 1 & 2 sessions is required. You may apply for a private loan using a lender that permits borrowing for students enrolled less than half-time. Rider will gladly work with you and your chosen lender. In addition, be advised students generally need to apply with a credit-worthy co-signer.

A financial aid counselor will review your application to determine any potential aid eligibility or indicate how much you can apply for in a loan to cover summer expenses and will send you an email. This notification will be sent to your Rider email account.

If you have already accepted a Stafford loan, you do not need to fill out any additional document unless this is your first time borrowing a Stafford loan. If it is your first time, you need to fill out a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and also complete Entrance Counseling at www.studentaid.gov. If you are applying for a private loan you need to complete an application with the lender (links below) and be credit approved. The lender will then notify Rider that you have a loan awaiting school certification and your funds can be processed.

Scholarships and grants generally are not offered during summer school, except Pell grants for eligible students.

No, financial aid does not transfer to other schools. In order to receive financial aid at a school you need to be degree seeking at that institution.

If you have not completed a FAFSA, then you need to submit the FAFSA application for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. The 2020-2021 FAFSA will determine your eligibility for summer and the 2021-2022 FAFSA will determine your eligibility for fall 2021 and spring 2022.