The below information pertains to the 2024-25 University of Florida College of Dentistry (UFCD) Need-Based Scholarships application cycle.
The 2024-25 scholarship application will be available no later than May 1, 2024. Applications are due by 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2024.
General Questions
- Do I have to apply this year if I applied for UFCD Need-Based Scholarships last year?
YES. You must apply each and every year if you wish to be considered for UFCD Need-Based Scholarships. All applicants are equally considered every year, and previous recipients are not guaranteed to receive a scholarship again.
FAFSA Questions
- When do I have to submit my FAFSA to be eligible for scholarships?
The FAFSA opens no later than December 31, 2023. To receive the best financial aid offer, complete the FAFSA as early as possible.
- I’m not sure if I submitted a 2024-25 FAFSA. How can I check?
- Click here for instructions on checking the submission status of your FAFSA
- FAFSA Simplification Act for 2024-45 no longer gives independent students the ability to report parent financial (tax) information.
Parent Financial Information Questions
- Are all scholarship applicants required to provide parent information when submitting the application as an upload?
Yes. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for students with special circumstances that prevent the inclusion of parent information. You must document such special circumstances on the scholarship application if you wish to be considered for an exception. Submission of a special circumstances statement does not guarantee that an exception will be granted.
Due to the FAFSA application process changes, students can no longer report parental tax information on their FAFSA application. Students are required to upload a copy of their parents’ tax return to the UFCD Scholarship Application. If the parent is married, the student will provide a copy of their parent’s joint tax return. If the parents are single, the student will provide a copy of both parents’ tax returns.
Please note: If your parents reside in a foreign country and/or do not file taxes, those circumstances alone do not exempt you from the parental information requirement. See below for tips to help you input parent information for residents of foreign countries and non-filers.
- If I am not receiving financial assistance from my parents, why do I need to provide parent financial information?
Scholarship funding is limited. Since all dental students are considered to be independent by FAFSA and the majority of dental students demonstrate some level of financial need, parental information helps to differentiate levels of need among students.
Loan Eligibility Questions
- If I am selected for a UFCD scholarship, does that affect my eligibility for federal loans?
No, it does not; you will still be able to borrow federal loans. The good news is that you are able to borrow less in loans, saving yourself thousands of dollars.
Remember that the total amount of financial aid you can receive each academic year is based on your cost of attendance (COA). Scholarships and grants are always counted toward your COA before loans. For example, if your COA for the year is $40,000 and you receive a $10,000 scholarship, the maximum amount of loan money that you can borrow is $30,000. In this scenario, your total financial aid is still $40,000; you would simply have 2 different types of aid making up your package.
In the above example, you would be saving yourself more than $10,000 by borrowing less in loans. Due to interest, you would actually be saving yourself approximately $14,000-$15,000, depending on the length of your repayment term.
Tax Questions
- What does the first page of a federal tax return look like?
Click here for an example of the first page of a federal tax return. This is the only page of the tax return that you are required to submit.
- Why am I being asked to provide 2022 tax information? Should I update my FAFSA with 2023 tax information once my taxes have been filed?
UFCD follows Department of Education (ED) guidelines for determining and analyzing financial need. Since DOE is using only 2022 tax information to determine need for 2024-25, UFCD is following suit. The use of 2023 taxes would exceed the bounds of ED regulations.
You do not need to (and should not) update your 2024-25 FAFSA with 2022 tax information, nor do you need to update your scholarship application.
- Do I need to provide copies of 2022 state tax returns?
No. We only need your and your parents’ federal tax returns. The federal tax return is generally a 1040 series or IRS Tax Transcript. You will only be asked to provide tax documentation if you are selected for a scholarship.
The above information is for individuals currently in or starting the DMD Program.