Financial Aid for the School of Dental Medicine

For more information regarding financial aid at the School of Dental Medicine, please contact:

Deana Summerlin, Senior Assistant Director, Office of Student Financial Aid
or
Blake Campbell, Counselor, Office of Student Financial Aid

Email them at finaid@ecu.edu
Students should identify in subject line they are dental medicine students and include their ECU Banner ID (i.e. dental student-First & Last Name-refund question)

Phone: 252-328-6610
This phone number is answered by representatives in the Financial Aid Call Center. Students should identify that they are a Dental Medicine Student and request to speak with Deana or Blake.

The Financial Aid satellite office at the Health Sciences Student Center is open 8-5, Monday-Friday:

Health Science Campus Financial Aid
1868 Health Science Drive
Room 122
Greenville, NC 27834
Mail Stop 753
Phone: 252-328-6610
Fax: 252-744-5450

Address faxes to Deana Summerlin or Blake Campbell.

Please note to send future scholarship checks and or correspondence to Deana Summerlin or Blake Campbell.

Applying for Financial Aid

If you are planning to use Financial Aid as a means of paying your tuition, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or renewal FAFSA via the web.  Please indicate that you want your information released to East Carolina University, school code 002923.

If this is your first time applying, you will need to apply for an FSA ID at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/.  As a dental student, you are automatically considered independent for financial aid purposes. Only your income is used to calculate eligibility for the Federal Stafford Loan programs. SODM does not require you to report parental income information on the FAFSA.

Students may submit their FAFSA beginning October 1.

SODM does not enforce a FAFSA deadline. However, students are encouraged to submit as early as possible to secure funding prior to the start of class.

SODM will begin reviewing FAFSAs in March. Financial Aid award offers will be mailed afterwards.

If you need help completing the FAFSA, contact the U.S. Department of Education at: 1-800-433-3243

Award Package

Based on the information you reported on the FAFSA,that information is applied to a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education. The formula calculates you and/or your family’s ability to pay for your educational expenses. The formula is referred to as your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your financial need is the difference between your cost of attendance and your Expected Family Contribution.

This calculation is often expressed as follows:  Cost of Attendance – EFC = Need based eligibility

Your award package may consist of federal student loans and institutional grants and/or scholarship(s) you are eligible to receive. Your total award package cannot exceed the cost of attendance. If you expect to receive any other form of financial assistance, please complete the Additional Aid and Other Resources Form available at https://financialaid.ecu.edu. Failure to do so can result in a financial aid over award, which may require you to repay funds.

Federal Loan Programs

Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Not based on financial need; interest accrues during the time a student is in school and during grace and deferment periods. Payment on this loan does not begin until 6 months after graduation or if you drop below half time enrollment. Standard repayment period is 10 years, but can be extended. Information on the current interest rate & origination fees can be found here.

Graduate Plus Loan

This loan is available to a student who has borrowed the maximum in Unsubsidized loan for the academic year. The Graduate Plus Loan is credit based and requires credit approval. Students may borrow up to the Cost of Attendance minus any other financial aid received for that year. Payment on this loan does not begin until 6 months after graduation or if you drop below half time enrollment. Standard repayment period is 10 years, but can be extended. More information about the Graduate PLUS loan, including interest rate and origination fees can be found here.

Dental Student Annual Loan Limit & Aggregate Limit

The maximum loan amount a Dental Student may borrow in an academic year is $47,167 in Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. The aggregate loan limit is $224,000, including all Stafford loans received for undergraduate study.

Entrance Loan Counseling & Master Promissory Note

If you are borrowing a Direct Loan through SODM for the first time, you must complete the Direct Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note by logging into https://studentaid.gov/. Our office will be notified electronically when each requirement has been successfully completed.

State Loan Programs

The Forgivable Education Loans for Service (FELS) is a scholarship/loan program offered through College Foundation of North Carolina. A scholarship/loan means that although it is technically a loan, if you follow the rules and obligations of the program, the amount is forgiven through service and thus becomes a scholarship.

FELS provides financial assistance to qualified students who are committed to working in North Carolina in fields designated as critical employment shortage areas.  SODM students are eligible to receive $14,000 per year for four years.

For more information and to apply go to http://www.cfnc.org/FELS.

University Scholarships and Awards

Various scholarship funds and awards are based on financial need and/or academic potential as ascertained by the Scholarship Committee. Preference is given to those students who meet the mission of the school and the criteria outlined by each scholarship description. Students will apply through ECUAWARD, an on-line web portal where all ECU students complete scholarship applications. The General Scholarship Application must be completed and submitted by the designated deadline each year in order to determine eligibility and potential recipient status. Award notices are sent to applicants via the ECU student email account, so it is important to check your ECU SoDM email regularly.

Note: Scholarship and grant awards are subject to the availability of funds each year and some annual award amounts may vary. The deadline to apply for scholarships is 15 February for the following academic year.

How to Apply:

• Select “Sign In”
• Click “Sign in With Your Institution”
• Sign in with your Pirate ID and Passphrase
• Complete the General Scholarship Application, making sure to answer each question fully
• Provide and electronic signature and date
• Click “Finish and Submit”

You may be prompted to answer additional questions or directed to other scholarships that have a manual application. Read all the prompts and directions carefully. Make sure to review all identified opportunities to determine if you should apply.

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) provides students with an idea of what costs might be incurred as a dental student attending SODM. There are two types of costs listed: direct costs and indirect costs.

Direct Costs include tuition and fees that are paid directly to the university. The student health insurance plan is also a direct cost for students who choose to purchase the plan.

Indirect Costs are expenses you will likely pay during the academic year. Indirect costs are not billed by the university. Example of indirect costs include; books and supplies, rent, transportation, and personal expenses. Indirect costs are simply estimates and you can control how much you spend. Use our estimates as a starting point and then budget appropriately. Keep in mind that the Financial Aid Office can only award students with an amount of aid equal to or less than their cost of attendance.

Married students and/or students with dependents should note that your budget only includes living expenses solely for you. The expectation is that the living expenses of your spouse and dependents will be met through spouse’s earnings.

However, students may apply to receive additional loans for child day care costs and for other unusual expenses that affect the student’s ability to pay. Students will be required to provide documentation such as receipts at time of request. These requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Cost of Attendance does not include consumer debts, such as car payments, bank loans, or credit card obligations which students may have established prior to dental school.

Cost of Attendance for Academic Year 2024-25

Return of Title IV Funds

If a Title IV aid (Direct Loan) recipient withdraws before the end of a semester, the institution must calculate the amount of Title IV aid (Direct Loan) the student did not earn. Unearned Title IV funds must be returned to the loan servicer.

The university will assume the responsibility for making the appropriate returns to the Title IV programs on the student’s behalf as well as overpayments received by the university. It is the responsibility of the student to pay the university these overpayments within 90 days from the date of the withdrawal. Failure to repay the university will jeopardize eligibility for future Title IV funding at East Carolina University as well as other institutions of higher education. Students must also complete Exit Loan Counseling. This is a federal requirement of all students who are graduating from ECU, withdrawing, or have dropped below half-time status.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

This policy has been developed to ensure that the Student Financial Aid Program meets or exceeds requirements set forth by federal regulations governing academic standards of progress for financial aid eligibility. This policy applies to those students receiving Title IV financial aid. Federal guidelines require that a policy be determined that is both quantitative (time frame) and qualitative (grades) for financial assistance. A student in “good academic standing” is one who has officially matriculated and is presently pursuing a program of study defined by the University as leading to the satisfactory completion of that program. In addition, the student must be proceeding at a pace which, if continued, will lead to the awarding of a medical degree.

In order to receive federal and other types of financial aid, students must comply with the ECU School of Dental Medicine’s Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines and financial aid guidelines.