Stay Mason Student Support Fund – Spring Term 2026
Application is open from January 13 to May 6
Program Description
You must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program at Mason for Spring Term 2026 and meet all other eligibility requirements at the time you apply for Stay Mason emergency assistance.
Emergency funding is available to students who experience unexpected financial challenges, emergencies, or sudden financial hardships during Spring Term 2026 and meet the eligibility criteria outlined below.
Stay Mason funding is not a scholarship; it is a one-time emergency assistance grant. Funding is not guaranteed and is not meant to provide long-term or full tuition relief. This funding is a last resort for students who need it most and should not be considered part of a student’s financial planning. It is not a substitute for financial aid.
Priority consideration will be given to students whose continued enrollment at George Mason University may be at risk because of unexpected and unforeseen events or expenses.
Emergency funding is made possible through the generous support of George Mason University and donors committed to helping students.
Other Funding Sources
Your application for emergency assistance will not be considered until you have exhausted all other sources of federal financial assistance, including all subsidized and unsubsidized loans, prior to applying for Stay Mason funding.
If you know you need continued financial assistance, you are encouraged to work with, and will be referred to, the Office of Student Financial Aid to discuss all options available to you.
If you do not qualify for federal financial aid, you may apply to the Stay Mason Student Support Fund for emergency assistance consideration (for example, if you are a student who is undocumented, protected by DACA or TPS, seeking/pending asylum, or are an international student).
Financial Aid Status
As of July 1, 2026, the Graduate, Graduate PLUS, and Parent PLUS loans will undergo major changes after the current 2025-2026 academic year as a result of new federal legislation that was passed in July 2025. These changes affect caps on how much a student or parent may borrow and receive in loan funding, and eliminate Graduate PLUS loans for students who were not grandfathered in. These changes take effect at the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year.
Parent PLUS Loan caps have been set at $20,000 a year per student, with a $65,000 aggregate limit per student.
Graduate Loans for graduate and professional students will now have the following caps: for graduate students - $20,500 per academic year with an aggregate limit of $100,000; and for professional students - $50,000 per academic year with an aggregate limit of $200,000.
Lifetime borrowing limits are capped at $257,500 per student on all federal student loans, except Parent PLUS loans which only limit funding per student.
While Graduate PLUS loans have been eliminated, there is a legacy provision that allows current borrowers (students who have borrowed Graduate PLUS loans prior to July 1, 2026) to continue to borrow Graduate PLUS loans for up to three academic years, or the remainder of their program (whichever is less).
For more information, please refer to The OBBBA and Financial Aid | George Mason University webpage and/or contact Mason’s Office of Student Financial Aid.
Application Process
Dates: Applications for Spring Term 2026 will be accepted from January 13 at 10:00 AM ET through May 6 at 5:00 PM ET (subject to the continued availability of funds).
Criteria: To qualify for funding consideration through this emergency application process, you must meet ALL of the following criteria as of the beginning of Spring Term 2026.
Eligibility Criteria for Spring Term 2026 Stay Mason Student Support Fund
- Enrolled in at least 1 credit hour during Spring Term 2026 in a degree-seeking program at George Mason University (part-time or full-time and undergraduate, graduate, law or certificate program); and
- Exhausted all other sources of federal financial assistance, including having a current 2025-2026 FAFSA on file, if eligible to complete a FAFSA, and accepting and receiving ALL offered subsidized and unsubsidized loans prior to applying for emergency assistance; and
- As an Undergraduate student, completed at least 12 credits of coursework in your current program at Mason prior to Spring Term 2026; or
- As a Graduate student, completed at least 9 credits of coursework in your current program at Mason prior to Spring Term 2026; and
- For Undergraduate students, have a minimum GPA of 2.00; and
- For Graduate students, have a minimum GPA of 3.00; and
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as outlined in University policy *; and
- Experiencing an unexpected financial hardship resulting from an emergency or crisis situation during Spring Term 2026; and
- Provide documentation to support the request as may be required by the Stay Mason Fund committee.
*Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requires that: undergraduate students maintain a 2.00 GPA and a 67% completion rate, and graduate students maintain a 3.00 GPA and a 67% completion rate.
What CAN be considered for funding during Spring Term 2026
Examples of expenses incurred during Spring Term 2026 which may be considered:
- Current emergency medical expenses not covered by insurance
- Books/course materials required for Spring Term 2026
- Technology/equipment needed to ensure continuity of learning
- Homelessness or sudden loss of housing
- Utility bills (must have current date)
- Loss of childcare
- Health insurance premiums
- Tuition and fees for current term – only considered on a limited, case-by-case basis (we encourage utilization of payment plans through the Office of Student Accounts)
- Replacement of stolen equipment essential to student’s coursework at Mason (as long as a police report is filed and copy supplied)
- Other financial needs arising from individual and/or special circumstances to be determined on a case-by-case basis
What CANNOT be considered for funding during Spring Term 2026
Examples of expenses claimed during Spring Term 2026 which will NOT be considered:
- Expenses incurred prior to January 13, 2026 (except required books/course materials purchased for Spring Term 2026 and documented by purchase receipt)
- Anticipated future expenses related to Summer or Fall Terms 2026 or past due expenses from prior terms
- Reimbursement for tuition and fee payments already made by the student, financial aid, or third-party payer
- Expenses belonging/pertaining to family members, pets or others
- Student loan expenses and payments
- Credit card expenses and payments
- Study abroad costs
- Legal fines or expenses
- Non-essential personal bills
- Parking fees and tickets, library fines or other expenses mistakenly incurred
- Non-emergency air, train, or other motorized travel expenses
- Expenses already awarded emergency funding support for in a previous term
Computer/Laptop Funding
Students will be expected to utilize the computer labs and other computer resources provided on campus by the University. The committee will not consider replacing a computer/laptop without an identified emergency need and the required documentation. In order to be considered for computer/laptop funding, you must supply the following information and documentation with your application:
- Identify the emergency need including what happened to the present computer/laptop; AND
- An authentic photo of the current problem with your present computer/laptop; AND
- A repair cost estimate from a local area computer repair shop that identifies the problem with your computer and the cost of repair; if the shop says that your computer is not repairable, the estimate must identify that; AND
- Letter of support signed and currently dated from your professor that identifies that a new computer is needed to perform your current course work; AND
- A new computer/laptop estimate (current dated vendor estimate or screenshot that describes the item and identifies the cost).
NOTE: Funding for a new laptop/computer is neither automatic nor guaranteed and will not be considered without the above documentation. Normal wear and tear and age are not considered an emergency and are not sufficient bases for a new computer/laptop.
Additional Items to Note [PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU APPLY]
- Students are only eligible to receive funding through this process one timeduring Spring Term 2026.
- Only one application for funding will be considered during Spring Term 2026.
- Students should not submit multiple applications during the term.
- If a student who has received funding withdraws during Spring Term 2026, the student must return the award, and a balance in the amount of the award received by the student through this process will be posted on the student’s account if appropriate.
- Students can be granted assistance through the Stay Mason Fund/Emergency Assistance Fund process up to a maximum of three (3) times during their entire undergraduate, graduate, law, and certificate program enrollments at Mason. The committee can let students know their number-of-times status upon request.
- Students who received Stay Mason Fund/Emergency Assistance Fund assistance in previous semesters are eligible to request funding again through the Spring Term 2026 application unless they have been funded the maximum of three times. Previous awards up to the maximum three times funded can be considered by the review committee when making decisions.
- The review committee will take into consideration all refunds disbursed by financial aid as well as funding for students received through third-party payer arrangements.
- Funds awarded do notneed to be repaid unless the student withdraws from enrollment. However, the award may be subject to federal taxes, and the student is responsible for reporting income to the IRS and ensuring that all taxes are paid.
- Based on the funding source, the award may be disbursed to a student either via check, direct deposit (if previously set-up through Student Accounts), or by deposit to a student’s account at George Mason University. The University will determine the method of fund delivery, and special requests by students for distribution of funding will not be considered.
- We strongly encourage students to set up direct deposit through Student Accounts for non-wage disbursements of funds prior to submitting the application for emergency funding. https://fiscal.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/AP-Direct-Deposit-Instructions.pdf.
- Before applying for emergency assistance, students should make sure they have an updated local US address on file with the University.
- Assistance for students through this process is not a scholarship and should not be relied upon as it is not guaranteed funding. Additionally, there is no guarantee that funding will be available through this process for any given semester or term. The University may discontinue funding at any time. The number of students who can be served and the amounts awarded are subject to the availability of funds. All application decisions are final.
- For more information about the process or the status of your application, please contact [email protected].
Application
Complete and submit the online application below. Applications will be reviewed by the committee. The committee will do its best to communicate a decision to you via your Mason email within 21 business days of submission. All decisions are final.
DOCUMENTATION
You must also submit current documentation to support each item in your request for assistance. Failure to submit proper documentation with your application will delay the response time and may result in denial of the request.
We ask that you familiarize yourself with the Frequently Asked Questions page to see what documentation is needed before you submit.
We recognize that the documentation you are asked to submit may be of a personal nature, but it is crucial that we receive it to understand your need. Your information will only be shared with parties that have a legitimate educational need to know and will be stored in a secure manner.
IMPORTANT NOTES
The application process is administered through the Guardian platform. To apply, please follow the instructions below:
- Access the application via Guardian by clicking “APPLY” below.
- The application is entitled “George Mason University Incident Reporting Form.”
- Scroll down and under the Information Tab, you will see ‘Report Type’ (the “Stay Mason Student Support Fund” is automatically populated).
- Scroll further and fill out everything carefully and completely. Identify the amount of your request and check only the items for which you are requesting emergency funding.
- Supply and upload supporting documentation for each item checked.
- You can email us at [email protected] with any questions.
All application decisions are final.