Financial Aid Award Process

How Coppin Awards Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) awards federal financial aid based on each student's completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application, student need, and availability of federal funds. For the best possible financial aid package, we strongly encourage you to complete and file your FAFSA as early as you can. To ensure every applicant has access to federal funding, we follow the same process for every financial aid applicant.

Coppin's school code is 002068.

Step 1: Review Your Completed Financial Aid File

We start by reviewing a student’s financial aid file. Each completed file has:

• Electronic FAFSA information
• Verification package, if the student was selected
• Admission confirmation for a degree or certificate-seeking program
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status (for returning students only)

Step 2: Calculate Your Cost of Attendance

We estimate the cost of a student’s education expenses for one academic year. This estimate considers:

• Tuition and related fees
• Room and board
• Textbooks and materials
• Travel
• Personal expenses

Step 3: Determine Your Financial Need

Once we understand your level of need, we create a financial aid package to meet federal, state, and university guidelines. We base financial aid awards assuming you will enroll full-time, and your awards may need to be adjusted if you decide on anything less than full-time enrollment. Financial aid packages often consist of Title IV aid, as well as outside aid, and cannot exceed the total cost of attendance.

Determining a student’s level of financial need starts with the information you (and your parents, if applicable) put on your FAFSA. Using that information, a FAFSA processor calculates your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC gets calculated from a formula established by Congress and the information on your completed FAFSA. We receive your EFC, and then subtract it from your cost of attendance. The money left over is your determined financial need.

Step 4: Notify You of Your Award Decision

• New Students: Award notifications will be mailed to each student. Accept your financial aid award through your EagleLinks account.
• Returning Students: You will receive you award notification via your Coppin email account. Accept your financial aid award through your EagleLinks account. 

How do outside awards affect my federal financial aid?

Many students have both federal financial aid and outside funds, like private scholarships or grants. Financial assistance can be awarded based on need or other criteria, including academic excellence. We must follow federal regulations to make sure your financial aid package does not have more funds than the cost to attend Coppin.

If you do anticipate or receive financial aid in the form of outside funding, let the Office of Financial Aid know immediately.