Financial Aid Information and Processes
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Hollins encourages all eligible applicants to apply for financial aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA allows students to apply for federal financial aid, including grants, scholarships, and when eligible, work study. New students may also file the FAFSA to determine Hollins need-based aid.
The application becomes available on October 1st of each year. Fill out or renew your FAFSA here. As a reminder, Hollins’ school code is: 003715. Hollins’ FAFSA priority deadline is March 15th.
If you are having difficulty, please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance at sfa@hollins.edu for next steps.
Some helpful resources:
Education Tax Credits & Benefits:
Visit https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8863 to learn more about federal education tax credits. For information about the federal student loan interest deduction benefit, visit https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc456.
FAFSA Verification Process
The U.S. Department of Education will flag some students’ FAFSAs for a review process called ‘verification.’ Verification is a mandatory review process where a financial aid administrator makes sure that your FAFSA was filled out correctly. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, a verification worksheet and additional items (if needed) will show in the financial aid document section of HIS. Additionally, a financial aid representative will email you with directions on what documentation is needed to complete the verification process, and how to submit it. If you are unsure of whether or not you are selected for verification, you can check your FAFSA Summary Submission upon completion of your FAFSA. This report will let you know if you need to submit additional documentation to our office. The Office of Financial Assistance may not provide financial aid offers for current students until the verification process is completed.
Financial Aid Offer Notifications
New students will receive a financial aid offer notification via mail and/or email. Continuing students will be notified via email that their financial aid offer is ready for them to review and respond to. When you receive your notification, please log onto the Hollins Information System (H.I.S.) via My.Hollins. You will need to accept and/or decline your financial aid electronically. If you have any questions, please contact us at SFA@hollins.edu or (540) 362-6332.
Enrollment Changes
When a course is dropped, it disappears off of the student’s transcript and course schedule. Dropping a course will impact both billing and the amount of financial aid you qualify for. It is important to consult with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Assistance before you drop a class, if your enrollment level will change (ex: from full-time to half-time or from half-time to less than half-time).
Withdrawing from a course may impact the quantitative component of a student’s satisfactory academic progress measurement. If you are considering withdrawing from a class, you will want to inquire about whether or not this decision would impact your financial aid eligibility in any way.
Students who officially withdraw from all of their courses, stop attending their classes (“unofficially withdraw”), or who fail all of their classes may lose some of their financial aid for that term. This could potentially result in a balance due to the university.
Detailed information about the difference between withdrawals and drops is available in the academic catalog: https://registrar.press.hollins.edu/academic-catalogs/
Special Circumstances
Students with special circumstances may reach out to the Hollins University Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance for guidance. For example, if your family’s income reported on the FAFSA is vastly different than your family’s current financial situation, let us know. A dependent undergraduate who is unable to fill out a FAFSA because of parental estrangement should also contact us. Our office can provide advice and may request supporting documentation. Based upon the information and supporting documentation provided to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance, the financial aid administrator may be able to exercise the FAFSA professional judgment option or a FAFSA dependency override option.
Veterans Benefits
Students wishing to know more about veterans’ education benefits should visit our dedicated webpage here: https://www.hollins.edu/admission-aid/undergraduate-financial-aid-scholarships/veterans-educational-benefits/.
Our school certifying official, Emily Dabney, can be reached at registrar@hollins.edu.