Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? Of course you do. Answers to many of the most common inquiries can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? Of course you do. Answers to many of the most common inquiries can be found here.
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We must receive all Financial Aid application materials by March 1.
Please Note: We suggest that you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 2 weeks prior to due date; this will ensure we receive your information on time.
Common application mistakes include:
- Forgetting to use The Warren Alpert Medical School's federal code.
- Forgetting to have parent's sign tax forms.
- Submitting required application documents late.
- Submitting the FAFSA form for the wrong academic year.
- Your Banner ID Number (e.g. B00123456) is located in the upper right-hand corner of the Financial Aid pages in Self-Service Banner.
- The status of your financial aid application can also be viewed online there.
- If you do not remember or have lost your username or password, please contact the Brown University CAP Office to resolve your access issues by calling 401-863-4357 or by sending them an email.
If you wish to apply for federal financial aid only, you must submit the FAFSA.
If you wish to be considered for institutional and federal financial aid, you must submit:
- The Warren Alpert Medical School Financial Aid Application
- the FAFSA with parent information
- your parents' signed federal tax returns and W2 forms (including all schedules)
- and student federal tax return & W-2 form(s)
Please refer to the Financial Aid Guide for a detailed description of the requirements.
Please complete and transmit the FAFSA electronically via the FAFSA web site.
*Please Note: Due to changes in federal procedures regarding the application process for Financial Aid, please be sure to e-file your tax return at least two weeks prior to filing your FAFSA. This will help to ensure that your tax information is processed by the IRS in time to be retrieved electronically into your FAFSA, and will decrease the likelihood that you will have to resubmit the FAFSA again with updated income information. Please select the Data Retrieval tool to retrieve IRS information into your FAFSA form.
Additionally, the federal government considers students at the graduate level and beyond to be independent from their parents with respect to financial aid. Therefore, students applying for federal loans only with The Warren Alpert Medical School do not need to include their parent financial information in the FAFSA. (Those applying for institutional aid must include parent information on the FAFSA.)
To request that your PIN be sent to you again, or if you believe your PIN has been compromised, go to pin.ed.gov and follow the instructions there.
No. Students may apply for federal loans without submitting parental information. If necessary, students may borrow a combination of loans to cover the full cost of attendance each year. The loans that do not require parent information are the Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan and the Graduate PLUS Loan.
View Loan Types
Financial need is defined as the difference between the annual Cost Of Attendance (COA) and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The Expected Family Contribution is determined by a federally approved needs analysis system and federal methodology, and it refers to a family's ability to contribute to a student's education. The Family Contribution is an evaluation of the financial resources that a student, (and spouse, if applicable), and his or her family may have available to meet those expenses.
COA minus EFC equals need. The Warren Alpert Medical School uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to assess family resources and determine financial need.
For each year that a student would like to be considered for financial aid, the student must complete the required forms. The financial aid application includes periods of enrollment from July 1 to June 30. If you are applying for external funding (federal loans) only, you are not required to submit an application to The Warren Alpert Medical School, but still need to complete the FAFSA each year.
If the March 1 deadline is met, you will receive aid notifications by the last week in April.
If you choose to take a leave of absence, please contact your academic advisor and follow up with the Office of Financial Aid.
AMS also offers students an opportunity to work on medical degree related projects away from their medical studies in the Academic Scholars Program. In order to receive approval for this program, you must plan to undertake work that contributes to progress toward the medical degree.
Students considering taking a leave or participating in the Academic Scholars Program must complete a time-away form as their request for time away must be approved by their academic advisor and the AMS Records and Registration Department.
Student Loan processing is managed by the Bursar’s Office, and disbursement dates vary according to class year. Please see the disbursement schedule to find out when loans will be disbursed for your class year.
Students can receive their refunds electronically. By requesting a refund via our new online Refund Request Form and setting up the request to receive the refund in a US checking or savings account, students will receive refunds in a quick, convenient manner. Students should receive the refund in their account 3-5 days from the date the request form is submitted.
Please visit the Bursar’s Office Staff Page to see who your bursar representative is, as well as how to contact them.