Overview
The Financial Aid Office makes college education possible. We provide all financial information, services, aids, and resources for eligible students seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree from Gallaudet.
To do this, we offer as many opportunities for financial assistance as possible.
- Internal financial resources, such as university and endowment funds
- Both federal and state government funding
- Private agencies or organizations
- Both on- and off-campus employment opportunities
Programs
DE & PKZ Sororities Woman Scholarship Fund
Explore the DE and PKZ Sororities Woman Scholarship Fund at Gallaudet University, supporting women pursuing education with financial aid opportunities. Apply today!
Information
FAQs
Vocational Rehabilitation
The Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) that you and your VR counselor develop will include steps for reviewing your progress toward your career goals each semester. VR needs to see that you have a college academic plan that is clearly connected to your career goals, and that you are maintaining good academic standing. You must work with your Gallaudet academic advisor to ensure you stay on track to graduate. And you and your academic advisor must work with the Career Center to ensure you are seeking internships and other practical experiences that will prepare you to find a job in your field after graduation.
Contact your VR counselor before you drop a class, withdraw from a class, change your major or make other important decisions that affect your educational program.
VR is a federally funded state program designed to help state residents who meet specific requirements and have disabilities get the training and education necessary to secure employment. Many deaf and hard of hearing Gallaudet students receive funding from their state VR agencies. This includes help with tuition, books, technological aids and other items.
Contact your state VR agency to request assistance. A VR counselor will be assigned to you to determine if you are eligible for services. If you are eligible, he or she will work with you to help you plan and finance a college education related to your career goals.
Ideally, you should contact VR during your junior year of high school or earlier. You must allow enough time to meet with your VR counselor and establish your career goals and Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) before entering college.
If your local community college does not provide the necessary courses or support services for you to achieve your career goal, you may request that VR pay for Gallaudet. Contact us for facts that may help in your request. If you do not agree with the decision, you have the right to request a review from your VR agency.
Yes. It is important to have them participate in the VR process with you in the beginning, especially if you are under age 18.
Yes. Vocational Rehabilitation requires that students complete the financial aid process in addition to the VR process. VR often covers only a portion of your college expenses, not all of them.
Here are some tips for establishing a strong relationship with your VR counselor.
- Discuss your expectations and goals. Decide how and when you will communicate with each other. Make sure to get a copy of your Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).
- Get a copy of your VR authorizations, if possible. These are your evidence that your VR agency has agreed to support your education at Gallaudet and will help you with your financial planning.
- Keep a personal file for all your VR paperwork. This includes agreements, copies of authorizations, financial aid awards (grants, scholarships and loans) and personal budget plans. Plan in advance and refer to your file periodically to ensure your expenses are always covered.
- Keep your VR counselor up-to-date. Show that you are following your IPE. Send copies of your class schedules, grades and university bills to VR as soon as you get them. Meet in person at least once a year.
Services and Support
You will still need to submit additional items, even if you have completed your FAFSA. This is how you were chosen for verification. Your FAFSA was submitted to The U.S. Department of Education, which, in turn, selected you for verification based on your FAFSA. We need you to submit documents separate from your FAFSA, so that you can complete verification. Please respond to the email that the Financial Aid Office sent you regarding the documents needed from you.
Students will be asked to submit several documents as part of verification. Please read the email you received from the Financial Aid Office carefully for a list of items you need to submit. You will be asked to complete and submit a worksheet. The email will let you know which worksheet we need from the items below:
Verification Category and Required Documentation (FAFSA 2024-2025)
V1:Dependent Standard Verification OR Independent Standard Verification
V4: Dependent Custom Verification OR Independent Custom Verification
V5: Dependent Aggregate Verification OR Independent Aggregate Verification
If you are looking for a verification worksheet, please email financial aid, and we will send you an email attachment of the correct worksheet you need to complete for verification.
We prefer using the Data Retrieval Tool provided by IRS for obtaining the documents required to be submitted for FAFSA verification. This option is recommended by Gallaudet University and provides you with the fastest, easiest, and most secure way to verify your tax data.
Not all tax files can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. To use the IRS Data Retrieval Option, you must:
- Have a federal tax return filed with the IRS.
- Have a valid social security number.
- Have a Federal Aid Personal Identification Number (PIN)
- Your marital status changes after December 31 of the same tax year
- You filed as “Married Filing Separately.”
- You filed an amended tax return.
- You filed a foreign tax return.
- You filed your taxes within the last eight weeks and submitted it by mail
- You filed your taxes within the past three weeks and submitted it electronically.
There are several ways to obtain a tax transcript:
- Order a copy online at https://www.IRS.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript (This will take approximately two weeks to arrive at the home address you used on your tax return).
- Go to any IRS Office and ask them to give you an official, computer-generated copy of your return transcript. (You will receive a copy the same day you go to the IRS Office.)
- Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 (This will take approximately two weeks to arrive at the home address you used on your tax return.)
Please submit verification worksheets and Tax Return Transcripts to the Financial Aid Office using one of the following methods:
- Fax- 202-651-5740 (V1 only)
- Email attachment to financial aid (V1 only)
- Drop Off: Chapel Hall, Room G-02
- Mail: Gallaudet University Office of Financial Aid800 Florida Avenue NEWashington DC 20002
- Once verification begins, you may be asked to submit additional documentation. If we need additional documentation, we will let you know via your Gallaudet email.
- Keep copies of everything you send us, including worksheets and tax documents.
Yes! All students selected for verification must complete it if they want financial aid, including VR.
If you are under the age of 24 and single, you are required to include your parent(s) tax information on your FAFSA. To help determine if you are a dependent or independent student, review this link: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency.
That is not true and could even be the worst thing you do! By ignoring emails from the Financial Aid Office and not submitting requested documents, there is no way for the Financial Aid Office to complete verification. If you choose to do this, financial aid will not be released to you, so it is very important that you provide the requested verification documents.
Common Questions
Once all the required documents have been submitted, the Financial Aid Office will review and compare the verification data with the information reported on our FAFSA. If the data is accurate, your financial aid eligibility will be determined, and you will be notified of any financial aid awarded to you. If there are inconsistencies between the verification data you submit and the FAFSA reported data, the Financial Aid Office will make the necessary changes to your FAFSA and will proceed with any financial aid awarding as soon as corrected FAFSA results are received from the U.S. Department of Education. In some cases, we may need additional documentation from you to clarify information or make FAFSA corrections that cannot be made by the Financial Aid Office staff.
You will receive a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) once your FAFSA has been processed (3-5 days after you complete it). If you were selected for verification, there will be a message on your SAR stating that you were selected and instructing you to contact the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office will also send you a notification through your Gallaudet issued email with information related to the verification. The email will also contain the list of documents required to be submitted by you to complete the verification process. Do not ignore the email!
Participation in the verification process is not optional. If the student does not provide the verification documentation, the student is not eligible for federal or state financial aid. The student is also ineligible for many forms of financial aid that Gallaudet may have to offer. So, please submit the requested verification information promptly to avoid a delay in the processing of your financial aid application.
If your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was selected for verification, participation in the verification process is mandatory and must occur before need-based Federal financial aid is disbursed. Every verification is different, with different requirements. The Office of Financial Aid will notify you through Gallaudet Email about which documents you need to complete. Verification CANNOT be completed without your assistance in providing the required documentation. Please check your Gallaudet email for an email from the Office of Financial Aid, which will give you a list of documents we need you to bring to us. Do not ignore the verification email from the Office of Financial Aid. If you have any questions, please stop by the Financial Aid Office for assistance or clarification.
Every academic year, students and their families apply for financial aid by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to help meet college expenses. This information is sent to the United States Department of Education. Sometimes, the U.S. Department of Education selects certain FAFSA’s for verification. Every school, including Gallaudet, is required to verify every student selected for verification before financial aid is disbursed to the student. There are many reasons why you could be selected for verification:
- You can be chosen at random.
- Your FAFSA contains estimated information.
- Your FAFSA was incomplete.
- There were inconsistencies found in the information you provided on the FAFSA.
- Income reported is insufficient to support the household size.
- Adjusted Gross Income (parent and student, if the student is a dependent).
- Taxes Paid (parent and student, if the student is a dependent).
- Income Earned from Work (for non-tax filers).
- Certain Untaxed Income Items (parent and student, if the student is dependent).
- Household Size
- Number in College (excluding parents for a dependent student).
- Any other inconsistent or conflicting information.
Finances
Graduate PLUS Loans
Important Information for Current and Prospective Students
What You Need to Know
The Federal Graduate PLUS Loan program will be eliminated for new borrowers starting July 1, 2026. However, if you are already enrolled in a graduate program and have received a federal Graduate PLUS disbursement before this date, you may qualify for the Graduate PLUS Legacy Provision, which allows continued borrowing for up to three additional years or until you complete your program—whichever comes first.
If You’ve Already Requested a Graduate PLUS Loan
- You do not need to take any additional steps at this time.
- Be aware of situations that could end your eligibility, such as:
- Changing your academic program
- Transferring to another institution
- Withdrawing from your graduate program
For information on maintaining eligibility, see Graduate PLUS Legacy Provision below.
If You’ve Never Requested a Graduate PLUS Loan
- You still have the opportunity to request a Graduate PLUS loan and maintain eligibility for up to three years before federal changes take effect.
- To ensure your eligibility, follow the steps below before the deadlines.
Deadlines for Summer 2026 and Spring 2026
| Term | FAFSA Deadline | Unsubsidized Loan Acceptance in Workday | Grad PLUS Application & MPN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2026 | June 1, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | Must be enrolled in ≥6 credits |
| Spring 2026 | April 1, 2026 | April 15, 2026 | April 7, 2026 | Must be enrolled in ≥6 credits |
If you request a Graduate PLUS loan and do not see a disbursement by April 24 (Spring) or June 22 (Summer), contact the Financial Aid Office immediately: Click to reveal email
Step-By-Step: How to Request a Graduate PLUS Loan
Step 1: Complete Your 2025–2026 FAFSA
- Must be submitted by June 1, 2026 (Summer students) or April 1, 2026 (Spring students).
- FAFSA processing can take up to two weeks.
- Minimum enrollment: 6 credits.
- Complete your FAFSA here: studentaid.gov
- If the 2026–2027 FAFSA appears first, scroll down to “Need the 2025–2026 FAFSA form?”
- Select Start New Form or Edit Existing Form
Tip: Submit your 2026–2027 FAFSA at the same time to reduce next year’s steps.
Step 2: Accept Your Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Graduate students are eligible for $20,500 per academic year.
- Must accept full $20,500 before your Graduate PLUS loan can disburse.
- How to accept in Workday:
- Log in to Workday
- Select Menu > My Financials > My Financial Aid > Accept/Decline Awards
- Choose 2025–2026 academic year
- Accept the full $20,500 amount*
*Declining or accepting less than $20,500 makes you ineligible for the Graduate PLUS loan.
Step 3: Complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Application
- Borrow up to the maximum amount or specify your requested amount.
- Apply online: studentaid.gov/plus-app/grad/landing
Step 4: Complete the Graduate PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN)
- Required for federal loan disbursement.
- Complete online: studentaid.gov/mpn/grad/landing
- Select Graduate/Professional Students – MPN
If this is your first time borrowing at Gallaudet University, or if you’re unsure whether you have completed an MPN, submit a new one to avoid delays.
Graduate PLUS Legacy Provision
If you have accepted your full Unsubsidized Loan and received a federal Graduate PLUS disbursement before July 1, 2026, you may qualify for continued eligibility.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Received a federal Graduate PLUS disbursement before July 1, 2026
- Remain enrolled at Gallaudet University in the same credentialed program
Eligible students may continue borrowing for up to three additional academic years or the remainder of their program, whichever is shorter.
- Your primary academic program determines legacy eligibility.
- Unsure which program is primary? Consult your academic advisor.
Situations That End Eligibility:
- Change of academic program
- Transfer to another institution
- Withdrawal from your program
Key Reminders
- Minimum enrollment for loan eligibility: 6 credits per term
- Deadlines matter—processing may take up to two weeks
- For questions or support: Click to reveal email
Bottom Line: Take action now to maintain Graduate PLUS eligibility and secure future funding options, even if you don’t need the funds immediately.
Contact
- Financial Aid
- SLCC | One Stop Center
- click to show email
- (202) 651-5290
- (202) 618-6844
Monday
8:30 am-4:30 pm
Tuesday
8:30 am-4:30 pm
Wednesday
8:30 am-4:30 pm
Thursday
8:30 am-4:30 pm
Friday
8:30 am-4:30 pm
