MASSGrant Award Terms & Conditions

To be eligible for a MASSGrant award, a student must:

• Not have received a prior Bachelor’s Degree or its equivalent
• Enroll as a full-time undergraduate student (at least 12 semester credits or its equivalent) in an eligible certificate or degree program at an eligible institution;
• Be a Massachusetts resident for other than educational purposes, for at least twelve months prior to the start of the academic year for which aid is awarded (recipient and/or parents must remain residents throughout the entire academic year);
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the standards of the school the student attends;
• Comply with Selective Service Registration requirements;
• Be eligible for Title IV funds and not in default of any educational loan, or owe a refund.
  

As a recipient of the MASSGrant, you are responsible for:

• Notifying the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance of any changes in your 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that could affect your award;
• Notifying the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance (in writing) of any change in your name, address or social security number. Social security changes must be accompanied by a copy of your social security card;
• Repaying any portion of a grant received by you as a result of misinformation or improper certification or verification;
• Providing true and accurate information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). False statements or misrepresentations on the financial aid application may subject you to a fine or imprisonment or both under the provisions of the U.S. criminal code.

Verification

Verification is a federally mandated process to confirm the information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If selected for verification, you must provide the requested information to the financial aid office at your institution in a timely manner.

• Grant funds will not be forwarded to your school until the verification process is completed.
• As a result of verification, your award may be revised or canceled at any time.
• Failure to complete the verification process in a timely manner at your school will result in the cancellation of your MASSGrant award.
  

Your MASSGrant award will automatically be sent to the school listed in the e-mail notification of eligibility unless the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance is otherwise notified by you. You do not need to notify our office if you accept this grant as it appears in the e-mail that you received. Below is information that you need , if you wish to perform the following:

Change of Institution

Students may also transfer their MASSGrant award from one eligible institution to another, on-line at OSFA. When you access the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance’s website, select the “For Students” and “MASSAid Student Portal” options to navigate to the Student Web Portal login page. If you do not already have a MASSAid student user account, you will need to create one.

Since the amount of a MASSGrant depends on the type of institution you attend, your award may be revised when a change of institution occurs. If you are transferring to an eligible out-of-state school, it is likely that your award will change. Eligible schools include most accredited post-secondary institutions in Massachusetts as well as approved Bachelor’s and Associate degree granting schools in the states that have reciprocity agreements with Massachusetts. Those states are PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT and the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

When a student reports changes to school enrollment information on-line, our system automatically re-calculates the MASSGrant award based on the new school information and the student can subsequently print a revised letter of eligibility via the student web portal, if needed.

Decline Award

A student can access his/her MASSGrant award infomation on-line and decline one or both semester awards via the Student Web Portal. When the student declines one or both semester awards on-line, our system automatically processes the change and the student can subsequently print a revised letter of eligibility, if needed.

MASSGrant awards vary each academic year and cannot exceed a student’s calculated financial need, when combined with all other financial assistance received at the institution. Eligibility is restricted to 8 semesters for a four-year program; 6 semesters for a three-year program; 4 semesters for a two-year program and 2 semesters for a one-year program. Any previous number of MASSGrant awards received counts against a student’s remaining eligibility.

Right of Appeal

If extenuating circumstances (i.e. death of a parent or spouse, unemployment, etc.) have occurred since the filing of the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, an appeal may be submitted to the financial aid office of the school the student is attending. An appeal may result in an adjustment to a student’s MASSGrant eligibility and/or award.

MASSGrants are awarded for one academic year. Students must apply each year to receive consideration for grant assistance.