Non-Degree Students
To apply for financial aid, students must follow the application procedures provided in our Non-Degree Student Application web page. A student must be admitted to a Delaware State University degree program and enrolled at least half-time (six hours for an undergraduate and five hours for a graduate student) at the UI in order to be eligible for federal financial aid.
- However, federal financial aid regulations allow a once-in-a-lifetime exception. Non-degree students enrolled in pre-requisite courses may be eligible for Federal Direct Subsidized/ Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for one consecutive 12-month period. Once the student receives a loan, the 12-month countdown begins regardless of academic level (undergraduate/graduate).
Non-degree students may be eligible for a Federal Direct Stafford Loan and/or Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan if they meet the following:
- follow the financial aid application procedures outlined on our Non-Degree Student Application to be admitted or currently enrolled as a DSU non-degree student
- be registered for Delaware State University pre-requisite courses in order to be considered for admission to a degree program (the pre-requisite courses cannot be required courses for the intended degree program)
- be registered in pre-requisite courses that total at least half-time status (five hours for graduate students, six hours for undergraduate students)
- complete and submit the application to the Office of Financial Aid
Non-degree students enrolled in Delaware State University courses that are documented as pre-requisites for a degree program at another institution may be considered for financial aid.
The annual loan maximum for non-degree undergraduate students is $4,625 for dependent students and $8,625 for self-supporting students.
The annual loan maximum for non-degree graduate students is $12,500.
The following non-degree students are not eligible to receive financial aid:
- graduate students who are not admitted to a Delaware State University degree program because they have not completed the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or have missed the application deadline
- students taking courses to raise their grade point average for admission consideration
- students taking courses that will apply toward the intended degree
- students enrolled in non-degree courses at an institution other than Delaware State University