Online & Distance Students

Depending on the types of courses you take, financial aid for online or distance courses differs in few ways from financial aid for traditional, on-campus courses.

Semester-Based Online Courses

To be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be fully admitted in a degree or approved certificate program and be registered for at least 6 credits as an undergraduate or 5 credits as a graduate or law student in each semester for which you request aid.

Open-Enrollment, Independent Study Courses

These open-enrollment courses, which you take online or by mail and don't follow a semester schedule, do not qualify for federal or state financial aid, UND scholarships or UND tuition waiver programs, except as required by statute.

You may, however, apply for private education loans. You must be registered for the course before the UND Financial Aid Office will certify a private education loan.

Combination of Semester-Based Courses and Open-Enrollment Online Courses

If you're enrolled in a combination of semester-based courses and open-enrollment courses, only your semester-based courses will be considered for federal or state financial aid programs.

If you withdraw from all semester-based courses and subsequently enroll in open-enrollment courses, your financial aid eligibility may be recalculated.