UCF said its main fall financial-aid disbursement was completed September 3, with approximately $156.7 million distributed to 37,525 students. About 3,000 cases remained under review, and the university told WFTV Channel 9 Orlando that it expected most of those cases to be resolved within two to three weeks.
The unresolved cases have prompted a student petition seeking answers from university leadership and faster processing of unpaid aid packages. The petition, titled “Fix UCF Financial Aid Processing Delays Immediately & Hold Leadership Accountable,” was launched on Change.org in September 2026 and had collected nearly 500 signatures within days, according to the campaign's account.
The petition says students who completed their financial-aid paperwork before the semester should not have to wait for money needed for living expenses and course materials. Its stated focus is administrative transparency, faster processing and accountability for the delay; those allegations are the petition organizers’ claims, not independently established findings.
What UCF says caused the delay
UCF has attributed the backlog to changes in federal student-aid rules for the 2026–27 academic year. The new requirements reduce federal loan eligibility for some students enrolled less than full time and require the university to calculate the applicable amount for each affected student. UCF says some loans requiring that review need additional processing time and that full-time students are not part of the enrollment-based reduction, according to its financial-aid guidance.
UCF also said the required calculations could not begin until after the August 28 add/drop deadline. The changes stem from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, whose student-loan provisions began affecting the 2026–27 aid year. Among those changes are new Parent PLUS limits of $20,000 per year and $65,000 over a student’s borrowing period, according to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
WFTV reported that Earl Richards, a senior studying biology, applied for aid in the spring and was still waiting several weeks into the semester. Richards told the station that he had repeatedly visited the financial-aid office and was advised to keep waiting. “It’s about to be a year,” he said, describing the time since he applied. He said he was concerned about students without financial reserves who need aid for housing, gas and other basic costs.
Options for students still waiting
UCF directs students with immediate needs to its Office of Student Financial Assistance at 844-376-9160. Its Short Term Advance program can provide money for eligible immediate expenses, including textbooks and, in some circumstances, housing and food; the advance is repaid when the student’s financial aid is disbursed, according to UCF’s financial-aid guidance.
What federal deadline applies to aid balances?
According to the Federal Student Aid Handbook, schools must document that a Title IV credit balance was made available to the student within the 14 days required by regulation, once a credit balance exists.
Between August 13 and September 1, UCF provided approximately $126,500 through that program to 165 students, WFTV reported. The university’s published guidance also says eligible students receive a tuition and fee deferment while qualifying financial aid is being processed.
