<p>I have 8 years of study in front of me. I plan to obtain a PhD in astrophysics. I plan to study in the summer perhaps I can finish early. But I heard a rumor that financial aid does not cover summer semesters?</p>
<p>It depends on what type of financial aid you’re asking about. Many schools do not extend scholarship or other institutional aid during summer, but that’s very school-specific. Federal aid is available in the form of Stafford loan (but it does count toward your loan limits for the year) and you may be able to get a Pell grant if you qualify. State aid policies vary widely - in my state, grants are available for summer coursework but they aren’t paid until 14 months later! Your school, or their website, is probably the best place to find summer aid info.</p>
<p>At the 2 schools I am familiar with you can get summer aid. It is based on FAFSA, but you have to make a separate application for it using the school’s own forms. As sk8rmom said, for federal aid you can get loans (but if you already have the max Stafford for the year you can’t get any more), but additional Pell may be available. Some schools may do summer WS. My daughter’s school does not.</p>
<p>My son’s merit scholarship is available in the summers, but only if he takes at least 12 credits. No institutional aid is available at my D’s school in the summer. Every school is different.</p>