r/FIU

FIU is currently delayed on majority of students FASFA/Financial aid because of the big beautiful it has changed the entire system for them. Nothing students can do about it but just patiently wait until September 2nd if it takes that long which is insane to me since that’s the day class payments are due . All info I got is from the financial aid office August 19 9 am . So yeah this sucks

Qualifications:
- I registered and got all the classes I wanted
- Have lived in the dorms at FIU for 3 consecutive years
- Went to dozens of on-campus events/clubs + Staff Writer for the newspaper PantherNOW for a year
- Have done Online/In-person classes
- Joined multiple clubs and volunteered for multiple organizations

Here are some tips I learned over the years:

1. Rate My Professor is the GOAT for finding the best professors and you must set multiple alarms when registering for classes. 15 minutes before the actual time, and double-check your classes aren’t taken.

(P.s - some normally are). Have backups.

2. Panther Connect if you want to know when/where clubs/events are.

3. Speak up about uncomfortable roommates sooner and communicate your needs.

4. Volunteer and gain experience. Ex - SOBEWFF, TREEmendous, AMA (American Marketing Association), or more professional clubs. All are within FIU and even being associated with the club will bring you more opportunities.

5. Apply apply apply. Especially on the FIU Scholarships page or jobs in general, be consistent and apply even if you don’t think you’re qualified.

6. Cook more at home and save when you can. This economy is cooked

7. Ask everyone and everywhere if they take student discounts for things you’re buying. I realized my favorite cafe spot took it after 3 years…

8. The saying “you have time” will absolutely slap you in the face once you’re a senior.

Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior, if you haven’t started yet then the second-best time is now. Figure out what you want to do and do it now. Not trying to rush you but your future self will thank you.

9. Your environment will shape who you are. So make sure the people around you make you feel seen and push you to become better. Don’t keep people just to keep them.

10. Have fun and enjoy college life. Eat great food, hang out with friends, and go out when you can. 😎

So, after waiting for over an hour and a half, I was finally able to get through to someone at the Financial Aid office today. Here's what they told me:

• There's a group of students who haven't been awarded their Financial Aid because there is a processing error. Usually, FIU processes Financial Aid automatically, but because of the Big Beautiful Bill and the changes it made to FAFSA, processing was put on hold for 3 months and that broke something with the system.
• The processing department is working on processing this group of students manually, so it should appear in the MyFIU portal by the end of the week.
• This delay in processing will not effect what grants you receive nor the amount. The grants are based off of the first come, first serve of when FIU received your FAFSA for 2026-2027. (FIU Grants are still subject to availability, and all grants will depend on your SAI from the FAFSA)
• Keep an eye on your student email as they will send you an email when your financial aid awards are ready to view.

I hope this helps!

I know some people got it on friday, I’m just wondering if some haven’t received it.

I don’t see any pending aid or haven’t accepted anything like I usually do in the past year or two. Like for 2026-2027 it doesn’t have anything there.

sorry if its a dumb question but how do i join clubs at FIU? i look through the list on panther connect but im not sure what to do from there. thank you sm in advance!

hi! i’m a freshman starting the fall semester soon. i have an afternoon class at the same time as first night on the 24th. my class is from 5:40-6:40. what should i do?? obviously the more righteous answer would be to go to class but it’s also just an acting class? idk what to do i don’t wanna get there late and not be let in or miss something.

Idk what to do at this point. I am currently an incoming freshman at FIU for the fall term. I apply for bright futures but had some problems with it (there was a disconnect between my bright futures portal and FIU's portal that I think I solved yesterday). Now, when I open my portal, the "Estimate FL Medallion Schol" vanished. It is nowhere even though yesterday it was there. I am unsure how to proceed? I tried calling the financial office, but they have not picked up. Does anyone know how to fix this? Does anyone have the same problem?

i’m really frustrated about financial aid. I submitted my initial application to FIU in April and they said I had to wait until mid July to receive my package. Mid July came, and they kept stating the typical wait until next Fridays until now, the week before school and still no package. Then, they wanted me to do a verification to prove the authenticity of my application!! the deadline was on July 26…they sent me an email about it by July 28. plus, I was calling them consistently about it and they never even told me anything about the verification. I had to find out myself! so eventually, I emailed them about what’s going on and they’re staying how they never even received the verification despite me receiving an email about the verification being completed. This is super frustrating because I feel like FIU isn’t doing what they have to do on their end, and I also have to file a professional judgment because my mom passed away this July. I already spent 20K burying my mom, and I don’t have any more funds to pay tuition by September 2nd. What do I even do at this point?

hi! i am 20F, officially transferring to FIUs MMC campus in Fall as a transfer student hailing from the Florida panhandle :) i’m majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies for a semester and then pivoting into Mechanical Engineering. i expect to stick around for about 2.5 years.

i’m primarily inquiring about any active clubs i can look into to socialize and make some friends to hang out with regularly. ideally i can eventually form or enter a close knit friend group with people that share similar values and interests!

a bit about myself:
- majorly into anime/manga (Lain, Frieren, Chainsaw Man, Apothecary Diaries, Madoka Magica, and more) and casual video games (Genshin, Elden Ring, RoR2, Ultrakill, etc). i do love art but i’m not currently dabbling in it like i used to. also somewhat into PC building
- strongly prefer a laid-back, accepting culture as i’m neurodivergent and of the LGBTQ+ community. (i am really ideologically progressive all around)
- i primarily chat via Discord but i do use Instagram as well
- i don’t have ANY roommates as i’ll be moved into a studio apartment and i am also car-less so traveling far outside of MMC for social hotspots isn’t feasible

i see many clubs/orgs on Panther Connect but i’m honestly unsure which ones have been disbanded, or are generally inactive, if any. i’m also admittedly not a party person so i don’t expect to find friends through that outlet :(

does anyone have any suggestions for active clubs that could be suited for my hobbies and preferences?
also can consider this a “callout for friends” post just DM me and maybe we can connect! if you might lead any clubs and are recruiting for the Fall semester feel free to DM me a Discord link too!

Recently graduated FIU and tbh part of me is gonna miss it. The clubs, Alienware lounge, library, and gym, free parking and access the the bus to North Miami. Pretty cool place to be. Makes me curious about the kinda stuff i still mught have access to this stuff after graduating tho?

I’m doing my master’s at FIU, and I was admitted in July. I sent in my FAFSA in mid-June, but I don’t have a financial aid package yet.

With my SAI being $-1500, is it likely that I would be able to get the Graduate Need Grant, or would it be more likely that I’d be mostly taking out loans?

Hey yall, has anyone gotten their financial aid package yet? I went to MyFIU and saw that there wasn’t a financial aid package found, but I checked my FAFSA and did it a while ago plus it was to the right school, or are they just coming out slowly? Thanks!

Hello everyone.
It is said that the application for fall 2027 opens around mid-August, and it is mentioned on their admissions page that you can apply if you have two non-science courses, which I have already registered for this fall (Nutrition and Human Dev.).
I have heard that the earlier you apply, the higher your chances. Do you guys think I should apply right away once the application opens, or should I wait until mid-October, which is when my classes finish?
I have also thought about doing some volunteer hours, but I don’t know what the minimum amount of hours they require. This is in the instance that I am applying in October (hence, perhaps ~20-30 hrs managing school and work).

My current stats are: 3.90 GPA, 87.3% overall TEAS, 100% science score. No volunteer hours.

I have not calculated my science gpa but I have straight As except for a B in lab anatomy 1.

Thank you in advance!!

I'm a polisci major from MDC, and I'm going to take 3 online classes and one on-campus. What are some things I should expect? all my online classes say "to be announced" on the times. I've heard from others that I could be blindsided and get my schedule screwed over because of this.