The purpose of financial aid is to provide financial assistance to CIIS students. The Financial Aid Office is here to help our students (both domestic and international) realize their educational goals. Financial aid consists of scholarships, grants, and loans. While complying with all applicable government regulations and donor restrictions, a serious attempt is made to extend a personalized, concerned approach to a student's financial needs.

Financial aid does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, or handicap in any of its policies pertaining to the awarding of financial aid.

To apply for a Graduate PLUS loan (7.9% interest rate, unsubsidized loan, and credit-based): www.studentloans.gov.  You may email finaid@ciis.edu for your maximum eligibility for Fall & Spring semesters.  For Summer Graduate PLUS, apply again in April 2010.

The Financial Aid Office prepares for Direct Lending

Beginning with FALL 2010, our school is joining thousands of other U.S. higher education institutions in the Federal Student Direct Loan Program.

As a result, CIIS students with federal Stafford, Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS loans will borrow their funds from the federal government instead of from multiple private banks and credit unions. However, the change is expected to have little visible impact on students and families.

The change necessitates only one action on the part of students, who need only to sign a new Master Promissory Note (MPN). Click here for the instructions on how to sign your New Promissory Note.

As part of direct lending, the Stafford direct loan is exactly the same in terms and conditions, interest rates and loan fees as the FFEL. The Grad PLUS loans and Parent PLUS loans will benefit from a lower interest rate of 7.9 percent, as compared to 8.5 percent in the FFEL program.

Federal direct loans offer other advantages, such as more flexible repayment plans, easier tracking and a greater possibility of loan forgiveness for students who perform public service after graduation.

Borrowers can also track their federal loans online through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) at http://www.nslds.ed.gov.

Important Dates
File your 2010-11 Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible if you're applying for aid for the Fall 2010, Spring 2011, and/or Summer 2011 semesters.

Priority Deadlines are as follows:
"Priority Deadline" means the Financial Aid Office will guarantee the delivery of your award letter before the start date of class and your funds will arrive on-time. Note: Even if you submit these requirements (FAFSA and CIIS Financial Aid application) after the Priority Deadline, you will still be eligible to receive your funds, although we can not guarantee your funds will arrive and be disbursed by the below disbursement dates.

Disbursement Dates:

Additional Links
To check the status of your financial aid, go to: https://finaid.ciis.edu (a student ID and PIN is required)
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); school code for CIIS is 012154.
Students are encouraged to review their educational loan history on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), an official Department of Education site.