Grants

Grant funds are need-based aid given to eligible qualifying students in their first bachelors degree, whom demonstrate exceptional financial need. You are required to complete the FAFSA by April 1 each year to be eligible for UNMC grant programs.

Nebraska Promise

Nebraska Promise is a University of Nebraska expanded financial aid program which guarantees eligible undergraduate students will have up to 30 credit hours of tuition per year paid in grant and scholarship aid. It replaces the tuition guarantee program previously known as Collegebound Nebraska.

The program is available to undergraduate nursing, dental hygiene, and allied health professions students meeting the Nebraska Promise eligibility criteria. It does not apply to students seeking a second bachelor’s degree.

Nebraska Promise Criteria

• Nebraska resident
• UNMC undergraduate student seeking their first bachelor’s degree
• Full-time (12 credit hours or more/semester) undergraduate student.
• Family income of $65,000 or less (Adjusted Gross Income or AGI) or Pell grant recipient.
  • Family income will be measured as parent and student AGI on the FAFSA for dependent students; student AGI only for independent students. Student dependency is determined by the FAFSA/Department of Education application information.
  • Submit the FAFSA by June 1, 2024 for the 2024-25 academic year.
• Complete all verification requirements within 30 days of the verification letter being sent to your MyRecords Message Center- Notifications Sent inbox

Maintain your UNMC academic program GPA to ensure you successfully progress through the program to remain enrolled full-time each semester. If you fail to maintain your program’s GPA, you may be placed on remediation in subsequent terms and not be eligible for full-time enrollment. *This an important difference for UNMC students. A 2.5 GPA may not be sufficient in your academic program to remain enrolled full-term from term to term.

There is no separate Nebraska Promise application. Eligible students are identified automatically through the annual FAFSA application.

The UNMC Financial Aid Office downloads FAFSA application information on Mondays only. To ensure your FAFSA is received on a Monday, we encourage you to submit your application by Wednesday of the previous week.

More information is available on the Nebraska Promise and Nebraska Promise FAQ web pages.

Scholarship aid received from outside private donors (student has applied for scholarship aid independently-local community, church, private organizations) will NOT be used to meet the Nebraska Promise unless the donor specifically requires the scholarship to be applied to the student’s tuition costs.