Frequently Asked Questions about Financial Aid

The FAFSA is used to determine a family's eligibility for financial assistance.  Please list CSM's Title IV Federal code, 002064, in the appropriate box on the FAFSA.  This is a yearly process. You must apply online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

CSM's Title IV Federal School Code is 002064.

Visit the government's FAFSA website at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Yes, you should fill out a FAFSA.  Please click here to find more information related to Title IV eligibility and drug convictions.

To complete the FAFSA, go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa and ensure you submit the application with the CSM school code of 002064. Allow 10 business days for your FAFSA results to arrive at CSM. CSM will send you an email once your FAFSA has been received. You may also view your financial aid status under your my.csmd.edu account. Select Online Services, then, Financial Aid. Your status will be under Checklist.

You will receive your refund once the funds for that specific award(s) have been received, processed and applied to your account. Student Account Services sends out refunds to the students. If you have any federal financial aid and the funds have been disbursed, the refund will be sent to you within 14 days. This includes any other aid you are receiving for that semester. Fall semester refunds start to be processed in late October and Spring semester refunds start to be processed in mid March.

When your funds are transmitted and processed, you will have two options to receive your refund: via check or electronic transfer.

CSM provides you with the ability to set up ACH direct deposit to your bank account via your Self Service account.

Log into your account here, and you will be redirected to the set up screen. Once you have authorized ACH, future CSM direct deposits will be sent directly to your account.

If you do not opt in to receive your refund electronically, Student Account Services will send you your refund via U.S. Mail. Please review your current address on file with CSM by logging onto your myCSMD account, then going to Online Services, Current Students and Address Summary.  If you need to update your mailing address, please complete and submit an Update Contact Information Form to the Admissions Office. 

When a student officially withdraws from a course, the date of withdrawal will be used as the last date of attendance. If a student stops attending, without officially withdrawing, College of Southern Maryland will determine the last date of attendance based on information received from faculty. College of Southern Maryland will calculate the return of unearned TA based on the following formula:

• Withdraw or stop attending prior to the semester start 100% return of funds
• Withdraw or stop attending prior to 10% point of semester 75% return of funds
• Withdraw or stop attending prior to 20% point of semester 50% return of funds
• Withdraw or stop attending prior to 60% point of semester 10% return of funds

Students are chosen for verification either by the Central Processing System or the College of Southern Maryland. Verification is completed by the Financial Assistance Department (FAD). If you are selected for verification, you will receive an email from FAD referring you to your my.csmd account to view the documents requested. You should submit this information as soon as possible. If you do not complete verification, you will not receive Federal Aid or any other type of aid that requires you to file a FAFSA application.

The verification process generally takes 4-6 weeks. The Financial Assistance Department cannot perform verification until all the appropriate documentation is received. Sometimes we will need to request additional documentation after starting the verification process if conflicting information is found that will affect your eligibility. This could possibly lengthen the processing time. The key to getting your verification completed is to submit your documentation in a timely manner.

Yes. You will need to provide a copy of your tax transcript as well as copies of all your W-2's. You will submit these documents with a verification worksheet that will be provided for you when you are notified that you have been chosen for verification. If you did not file or were not required to file taxes for the appropriate year, you will have the opportunity to put that information on the verification worksheet.

Please note: CSM is no longer authorized to accept copies of tax returns.  You must submit copies of tax transcripts.  To order a tax transcript directly from the Internal Revenue Service, click here.

If you already have a student loan and you wish to find out who services your loan and how to contact them, click here. You'll be able to find out who holds your student loan, who guaranteed your loan and who you can call to find out more about your loan. This service is provided by the National Student Loan Clearinghouse and is placed on the College of Southern Maryland website for your convenience.  

Please Note: The Maryland Higher Education Commission offers a student loan repayment program aimed at encouraging nurses, nurse faculty and teachers to work in certain areas and fields in Maryland. Should you be interested in more details please go to: mhec.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx