In order to graduate, Ashley Patterson, junior in LAS, has to attend summer school for four weeks so she has enough residency hours.

“I have to go because if I don’t, I’ll have to take summer classes the semester after my senior year,” Patterson said. “I’d rather get it done now and not have to stay an extra semester.”

Patterson said she received a grant from the University and a federal loan.

She was also offered a loan in her parents’ names.

“(The financial aid package) covers most of my expenses,” she said. “But not all of it. I don’t plan on working, but I might.”

However, Patterson is one of the few students who does receive financial aid for the summer semester.

Dan Mann, director of financial aid, said not much funding is available for summer sessions.

“In general, the majority of summer school expenses are met through loans and work,” Kim Hamilton, financial aid administrator, said.

Hamilton said that students must realize that they need to re-apply for aid, but also that filling out a Summer Financial Aid Application will not guarantee them aid for the summer semester.

“Financial aid for the fall, spring and summer semesters are all tied in together,” Hamilton said. “It also depends on the funds available to us.”

Even full-time students who have gotten financial aid for the regular school year may not get any for the summer semester.

“Eligibility for financial aid is generally limited if the student was full time and received aid during the fall and spring semesters,” Mann said.

Hamilton said the Student Financial Aid Office awards students the maximum amount of funds they can during the academic year, so students should not be surprised if they have utilized all of their Monetary Award Program, or MAP, and Pell grants.

But for students studying abroad, Erika Ryser, acting director of the study abroad office, said it is already too late to get financial aid from the University.

In general, students studying abroad take out loans, Ryser said.

But they can apply for other scholarships to fund their education abroad, though the selection is limited.

The Study Abroad Office offers a $300 scholarship that requires applicants to write an essay. Individual departments also offer scholarships.

“It doesn’t pay for all of it, but it can take the edge off, combined with other financial aid,” Ryser said.