Frequently Asked Questions

Pack Promise does not provide aid over the Summer (only Fall and Spring terms).  However, you are still encouraged to apply for Summer financial aid through NC State Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid which you can do through your My Pack Portal.  

If you are a TRIO SSS or TRIO SSS-STEM scholar then you can apply for grant aid for the summer through those programs.  The application for that usually is sent out to scholars in early Spring semester.

The NC State Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will typically offer academic year (Fall/Spring semester) financial aid to any continuing students around mid-May, after the review of spring grades to make sure students met the satisfactory academic progress policy.  Since you are a Pack Promise student, you will always be offered the grant assistance you are eligible for, regardless of when your paperwork is complete.  We do encourage you to inform your financial aid counselor of any delays or questions you have with completing the FAFSA.

Pack Promise only covers undergraduate credit hours which count towards your major or minor requirements.

Pack Promise student aid offers consist of various sources of grants/scholarships, a maximum of $3500 in a Need Based loan (Subsidized loan) as well as a Federal Work Study award. Aid sources are subject to change year to year depending on funding availability, but the student will always have 100% of their “Financial need” met as determined by their FAFSA EFC (Expected Family Contribution). Don’t worry if you don’t see a “Pack Promise” award, you’re still a member of the Pack Promise program (as long as you continue meeting all program requirements).

The Pack Promise program meets 100% of a student’s “Financial Need” as determined by their FAFSA EFC or Expected Family Contribution. A student’s FAFSA EFC is subject to change year to year based on the information provided through FAFSA. If one school year, a student has a $0 FAFSA EFC they’ll receive more aid then during a school year in which their FAFSA EFC is $5000 for example as their “Financial Need” is less during that school year.

For any financial aid related questions, always start with asking your financial aid counselor.  You can find your financial aid counselor here.  Counselors are assigned based upon your last name.

If you are on co-op for a semester then that semester will not count towards one of your eight semesters of Pack Promise aid.  If you are taking an internship or studying abroad for the fall or spring term then this semester will count as one of your eight semesters of Pack Promise aid.  

You are encouraged to contact the Pack Promise coordinator prior to the start of your semester to discuss adjustments and accommodations made towards your possible requirements for that term to ensure you remain in good standing.

As a Pack Promise Scholar, you must continue to complete the FAFSA every year and remain a full-time student in good academic standing. Academic standing will be calculated by Registration and Records at the end of every fall, spring, and summer term for all enrolled undergraduate students. A student in Good Standing has a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 2.0. 

You must also retain good satisfactory academic progress (SAP) with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.  SAP is calculated at the end of the spring term, once annually.  To retain good SAP, you must have a financial aid cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better (grade exclusions do not apply to the financial aid GPA), passed at least ⅔’s of your attempted hours (drops that give you a W grade still count as attempted), and be within the max time frame for your degree (attempted no more than 150% of the hours necessary to obtain your degree).

Scholars are encouraged to meet the Pathways requirements for each year which they participate in Pack Promise as well as continue to meet with Pack Promise coaches throughout their time at NC State.  During their first year, scholars must attend their orientation and meet with their Pack Promise assigned coach.

Unfortunately, Pack Promise does not have the capacity to reassign coaches after the beginning of the first semester in which a scholar is enrolled.  We do encourage scholars to seek out mentorship and coaching from faculty and staff within their college.  At the second-year welcome back program, we will discuss more with scholars about how to get connected to faculty within their college.

As stated in the the Pack Promise agreement letter, “our commitment to you is for a total of eight semesters of full-time coursework.”  You are encouraged to contact your Academic Adviser to see if you can declare a minor or additional major so you can uphold the portion of the contract whereby you would be enrolled at least full-time each term.  We’ll gladly offer full-time financial aid assistance to you if you were to take full-time hours that count towards your degree.

If you have schedule conflicts or other conflicts that prevent you from attending events to meet your Pack Promise requirements then please contact the Pack Promise coordinator to determine alternatives to meet this requirement.  This should be done within the first month of the semester.

The aid process works exactly the same for students living on or off campus. The only difference is students living off-campus will receive a much larger refund that they will then need to budget to cover their off-campus expenses. Otherwise, the aid process works the same and students will receive up to their total need and cost of attendance with their grant, loan, and work-study aid.