Alternative or Private Loans for Students in Certificate Programs

Rick Wilder, Director, Office for Student Financial Affairs

In order to comply with accreditation requirements and data collection requests from the Board of Governors, the University of Florida Office of the Provost has provided a process for defining and approving certificate programs at http://www.aa.ufl.edu/certificates.

Students in certificate programs that have been approved through the process are eligible to receive financial aid funding from alternative or private educational loans. Those students participating in programs not approved are ineligible for any alternative or private loans certified through the University of Florida.

Alternative or private loans are student loans that are not guaranteed by the federal government.  Students are not required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to have financial need determined in order to borrow from private lenders.  Loan applications are processed by various lenders and conditions for approval vary from lender to lender.

The University of Florida Office for Student Financial Affairs will certify alternative or private loans for students in certificate programs provided:

• The student is in a university-sponsored certificate program that has been approved by the Office of the Provost as a for-credit UF Certificate.
• The student’s chosen loan program/lender extends eligibility to certificate programs, and
• The authorized school official approving the loan is an Office for Student Financial Affairs employee.

A listing of approved undergraduate and graduate certificates can be found at:

https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/Pages/certificates.aspx

http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/academics/graduate-certificates-list

Contact the appropriate college certificate coordinator to determine if certificates awarded through professional colleges (Law, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Medicine) have been approved by the Office of the Provost.

Questions regarding the alternative or private loan certification process should be directed to The Office for Student Financial Affairs at 392-1275.