Funding your education

UNT annually awards $405 million in financial aid, including more than $60 million in scholarships. About 75% of UNT students receive financial aid and scholarships.

Award eligibility and credit hours

Each scholarship or financial aid award requires you to be enrolled in a minimum number of credit hours to be eligible to receive the award. You can view the minimum enrollment requirements for scholarships on your award agreement and for financial aid awards through my.unt.edu.

The difference between full-time, 3/4 time and 1/2 time enrollment status for undergraduate students is:

Enrollment Status Fall or Spring Semesters Summer
Full-time 12 or more credit hours 12 or more credit hours
3/4 time 9-11 credit hours 9-11 credit hours
1/2 time 6-8 credit hours 6-8 credit hours

Scholarships

What is a scholarship?

A scholarship is a financial award given to a student on the basis of academic achievement and promise. However, some also take into account financial need. Scholarships do not have to be repaid. There are three types of scholarships you can apply for: university scholarships, department-sponsored scholarships and external (non-UNT) scholarships.

Learn about our National Merit Finalist scholarship packages

Learn more about scholarships

How to apply for scholarships

  1. Apply for admission to UNT..
    Many students compete for these scholarships, and we recommend you apply as early as possible.
  2. Create a profile in the Eagle Scholarship Portal.
    You should submit this application annually to be considered for any scholarship opportunities available during the upcoming academic year. You can create a profile in the Eagle Scholarship Portal before you're accepted to UNT. You will need to activate your EUID first, so keep an eye out for instructions on this process once you've applied. However, in order to be selected for any UNT scholarship award, you must be admitted to a UNT degree seeking program and meet the minimum eligibility requirements of the scholarship by the scholarship deadline.
  3. Apply for department-sponsored scholarships.
    Each department has their own application process, which will detail the criteria for scholarship consideration. Typically, departmental scholarship awards are made to students with specific program involvement with the department. Students should contact departments from their major or minor area of study to find out what scholarships are offered and about the scholarship application process.

We encourage you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually since some scholarships require the application. There is no cost to apply and no commitment to accept any award eligibility identified.

Apply for scholarships

When will you know if you receive a scholarship award?

UNT Scholarships

Students selected for a scholarship based on their profile in the Eagle Scholarship Portal are notified through EagleConnect, UNT's official email service. Monitor EagleConnect and my.unt.edu for award information. Most awards will be announced by late June for the Fall semester.

Departmental scholarships

Each department on campus makes departmental scholarship award decisions. Award information is coordinated with FAS to post the awards to the student's account.

How do you accept a scholarship award and when will you get your money?

Once you have received a scholarship, you must accept it to get the money. Scholarship funds will not disburse to your student account until your awards have been accepted online or your external scholarship funds have been received by UNT.

Financial aid

What is financial aid?

The University of North Texas offers a variety of options to help you pay for your college education. Costs should not be a barrier to opportunity. Learn about different ways to finance your education, including grants, work-study and loans.

You might be surprised to find out how much financial aid you can receive, regardless of your family's income level. You won't know what you are eligible for unless you apply!

Get an overview of financial aid options and eligibility requirements

What does financial aid pay for?

Prior to receiving your refund, financial aid will pay all tuition, fees and housing charges, if you are living on campus.

Books - Financial aid funds will not disburse until shortly before the beginning of classes; therefore, you need to plan to pay for your books out of pocket at orientation if you want to purchase them early. The UNT Bookstore does offer a textbook reservation service. To learn more about this service, contact the UNT Bookstore at 940-565-2592 or stop by the University Union while on campus.

Housing Deposit - Financial aid funds will not disburse until shortly before the beginning of classes; therefore, you need to plan on paying the pre-payment that Housing and Residence Life requires. For more information regarding the pre-payment, contact Housing at housinginfo@unt.edu or 940-565-2610.

Orientation Fees - Financial aid does not pay for orientation fees. However, you may qualify for orientation fee deferment. Contact Orientation and Transition Programs for more information.

How to apply for financial aid

  1. Submit your FAFSA as early as possible.
    The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is an application that helps colleges and universities determine your eligibility for financial aid. In fact, nearly all students who complete the FAFSA receive some type of financial assistance.

    Be sure to submit your FAFSA for the correct school year. The FAFSA is available beginning October of each year for the following fall/spring/summer. UNT's school code is 003594. Learn more about submitting the FAFSA.

    To receive first consideration for awards, we recommend you complete the FAFSA as early as possible before the priority deadlines. If you miss the priority dates, you can still submit your application, but your financial aid will be delayed and you will need to make appropriate payment arrangements through UNT's billing department, Student Accounting to ensure your classes are not dropped.
  2. Apply for admission to UNT.

You must be admitted to UNT before we can process your financial aid. Learn how to apply for admission to UNT.

View our step-by-step guide to applying for and receiving financial aid

When will you know if you are receiving financial aid and when will you get your money?

Financial Aid and Scholarships will receive your (FAS) data electronically shortly after you complete your FAFSA. You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that details your aid. Learn more about receiving and reviewing your SAR.

It usually takes about six weeks to process your financial aid award package once UNT receives your FAFSA data from the Federal Processor. Once that happens, you'll receive additional instructions on how to complete your financial aid file via your Tasks To Do List in your my.unt.edu Student Portal. Please respond to all requests in a timely manner. Your file must be complete and you must be admitted to UNT before we can process your aid and offer you any financial awards. See instructions for accessing your To Do List on my.unt.edu.

Monitor EagleConnect (UNT's official email service) and my.unt.edu for award information. Your Financial Aid Offer letter will be emailed to your EagleConnect email once ready.

For early applicants who are newly admitted to UNT (new students), awards are made in late April/early May for the upcoming year. Most awards will be announced by late June for the fall semester. Awards and award revisions will continue to be made throughout the academic year.

Check your financial aid award status

How to accept your financial aid awards

You can accept your financial aid awards online through my.unt.edu. Financial aid funds will not disburse to your student account until your financial aid awards have been accepted online.

See instructions for accepting your financial aid awards using my.unt.edu.

How to check if all of your scholarships and financial aid awards have disbursed

The Financial Aid and Scholarships office processes all financial aid (grants and loans).

Financial aid funds will not disburse to your student account until your financial aid awards have been accepted online; all award-related Tasks To Do List items are completed; and enrollment requirements are met.

Once the awards are eligible for disbursement any Anticipated Aid is removed from your account and the Student Accounting department applies the amounts to your student account charges.

View your account summary at my.unt.edu to determine if any award has been applied to your student account.

See how to check the disbursal status of your funds

Still have questions about scholarships and financial aid?

We're here to help you. For more information, call us toll-free at 1-877-881-1014 or drop by the Financial Aid and Scholarships office on the first and second floors of the Eagle Student Services Center. See map. Financial Aid Advisors are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.