Stay Mason Student Support Fund – Fall Term 2023
Application open August 14 – December 6
Program Description
You must be enrolled at Mason in the Fall Term 2023 in a degree-seeking program at the time you apply for emergency assistance.
Emergency funding is available to students who experience unexpected financial challenges, emergencies, or sudden financial hardships AND meet the eligibility criteria outlined below.
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.
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
An application for emergency assistance funding will NOT be considered until you have exhausted all other sources of federal financial assistance, including all subsidized and unsubsidized loans.
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 are welcome to apply to the Stay Mason Student Support Fund (for example, if you are a student who is undocumented, protected by DACA or TPS, seeking/pending asylum, or are an international student).
Application Process
Dates: Applications during Fall Term 2023 will be accepted from August 14 at 10:00 AM ET through December 6 at 5:00 PM ET (subject to 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 Fall Term 2023.
Eligibility Criteria for Fall Term 2023 Stay Mason Student Support Fund
- Enrolled in at least 1 credit hour during Fall Term 2023 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 2023-2024 FAFSA on file, if eligible to complete a FAFSA, AND accepting and receiving ALL offered subsidized and unsubsidized loans; and
- For Undergraduate students, completed at least 12 credits of coursework in your current program at Mason prior to Fall Term 2023; and
- For Graduate students, completed at least 9 credits of coursework in your current program at Mason prior to Fall Term 2023: 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 emergency or crisis situation; 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 Fall Term 2023
Examples of expenses incurred during Fall Term 2023 which may be considered:
- Current emergency medical expenses not covered by insurance
- Books/course materials for Fall Term 2023
- 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
- 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 Fall Term 2023
Examples of expenses claimed during Fall Term 2023 which will NOT be considered:
- Expenses incurred prior to August 14, 2023 (except books/course materials purchased for Fall Term 2023)
- Anticipated future expenses related to Spring Term 2024 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
Additional Items to Note [PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU APPLY]
- Students are only eligible to receive funding through this process one timeduring the Fall Term 2023.
- If a student who has received funding withdraws during Fall Term 2023, the student must return the award, and a balance in the amount of the award the student received through the emergency funding process will be posted on the student’s account if appropriate.
- Students who received Stay Mason/Emergency Assistance funding in previous semesters are eligible to request funding again through the Fall 2023 application unless they have been funded the maximum of three times; however, previous awards up to the maximum three times funded can be considered by the review committee when making decisions.
- The review committee will also take into consideration funding for students through third-party payer arrangements and all refunds disbursed by financial aid.
- Students can be granted assistance through the Stay Mason/Emergency Assistance Fund process up to a maximum of three 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.
- Funds awarded do not need 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 it is previously set up through Student Accounts), or by deposit to a student’s account at George Mason University. You are encouraged to set up direct deposit through Student Accounts for all non-wage disbursements and to keep a local mailing address current in University records. The University will determine the method of fund delivery, and special requests by students for distribution of funding cannot be considered.
- Assistance through this process is NOT guaranteed. There is no guarantee that funding will be available for any given semester or term; and 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.
- For more information about the process or the status of your application, please contact smfund@gmu.edu.
Application
Complete and submit the online application below. 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. We ask that you familiarize yourself with the Frequently Asked Questions page to see what documentation is needed before you submit. Applications will be reviewed by the committee in University Life, and all decisions are final. The committee will do its best to communicate a decision to you via your Mason email within 21 business days of submission.
We recognize that the documentation you are asked to submit may be of a personal nature. It is important that we receive it to understand your need; however, 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 Note
The application process is administered through the Guardian platform. You will access the application via Guardian by clicking “APPLY” below. The application is entitled “George Mason University Incident Reporting Form” at the top. Then under the Information tab, you will see ‘Report Type’ and the “Stay Mason Student Support Fund” automatically populated. You are at the correct application for emergency assistance. Please fill out everything carefully and completely. As always, you can email us at smfund@gmu.edu with any questions.
All application decisions are final.