Fall 2010 Student Financial Aid
ADM 207 • (773) 995-2304
Eligibility
Financial Aid Waivers
Satisfactory Academic Progress
ISAC Monetary Award Limitations
Student Loans
Refund / Repayment Policy
Federal Work-Study
Deadlines and policies are available in the Office of Financial Aid, Office of Student Financial Aid and on the financial aid web site. The university provides an established financial assistance program designed to best meet the needs of Chicago State University students. Assistance is available to eligible students in the form of scholarships, grants, assistantships, student employment and loans. All students wishing to be considered for financial assistance must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
To be eligible for Financial Assistance Grants
Students must be enrolled in a program leading to a degree/certificate, to be eligible
for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Grants, Federal College
Work-Study, Federal Stafford Student Loans, Federal Perkins Loan, and the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission MAP Grant.
Special students (at-large, conditionally admitted graduate students, or students enrolled in contract courses) are not eligible for state or federal financial assistance. Generally, students must be enrolled for at least half-time, to be eligible for assistance from these programs.
Undergraduate students must be enrolled for at least nine (9) hours, to be considered three-quarter time, and twelve (12) or more hours in order to be considered full-time. Nine hours is considered full time for master’s and doctoral candidates; six (6) hours part-time. A change in enrollment status (hours enrolled and/or grade level) that occurs after a financial aid recipient’s original registration must be reported immediately, in writing, to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Failure to report changes in enrollment status may result in overpayment, cancellation of benefits, and jeopardize future eligibility for student financial assistance. Students selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education or the university will be required to provide requested documentation before their financial aid awards can be processed.
Review your financial aid status anytime
Students may review their financial aid status at any time on the CSU X-Press web
site. This web site provides students with information relating to the amount of their
financial aid awards, if any, as well as any requirements that they might need to
fulfill, such as, but not limited to, submitting verification documents, tax forms,
SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) petitions, etc., before their financial aid package
may be finalized.
The Office of Student Financial Aid no longer mails document tracking and award letters to continuing students. Instead, students are notified via e-mail that there is “activity” on their financial aid accounts and that they should go to the CSU X-Press web site to review their status. All continuing CSU students have been assigned an email account. It is every student’s responsibility to access his/her email periodically and to review any communication from the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Student Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
Policy and procedures
Federal and state regulations require Chicago State University to establish and implement
a “Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy” for students. Chicago State University’s
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy measures whether eligible undergraduate/graduate
students are progressing at a reasonable rate toward the completion of their educational
objectives. Students must comply with this policy to maintain their continued financial
aid eligibility. Copies of the current SAP Policy are available for students in the
Office of Student Financial Aid. The document is also available for review in both
the undergraduate and graduate catalog, as well as on the Chicago State University
web site.
Mitigating Circumstances/Appeal Process
Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress may petition for reinstatement
of their eligibility to the Financial Aid Appeals Board. The student must document
mitigating circumstances, such as injury, illness, family death or other emergencies.
Students appealing for reinstatement of their financial aid eligibility will be required
to seek assistance through academic support services offered by the university. Students
whose appeals are denied will be required to sit out financial aid for one semester.
In that semester they must: a) fulfill stipulations of a NEW contract and b) attain a minimum semester G.P.A. as specified and c) successfully meet requirements of the quantitative measure. Students who have fulfilled all of the above requirements can apply for probationary financial aid status. If granted, they must spend a semester on financial aid probation. To exit this probation, they must fulfill requirements specified under “Exiting Probation.” Students who are terminated from financial aid eligibility and subsequently reinstated are considered to be in probationary status.
NOTE: The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is subject to change without notice. The Office of Student Financial Aid will make every attempt to provide students with timely notice regarding their satisfactory academic progress status. However, it is every student’s responsibility to read the policy and monitor his/her own progress.
ISAC Monetary Award Program
The State of Illinois MAP grants, which are administered by the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission (ISAC), are tracked by the equivalent number of semester hours of MAP benefits
paid on a student’s behalf. This is called “MAP paid credit hours.” Payment for each
term is being made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for
MAP payment, with a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of 15 MAP paid credit hours.
There is a limit on the number of MAP credit hours that can be paid while a student
is classified as a freshman and sophomore. This is the equivalent of 75 MAP paid credit
hours. If this maximum is reached, a student must attain junior status for MAP grant
eligibility to resume. The maximum number of MAP paid credit hours that can be received
is capped at 135.
NOTE: ISAC reserves the right to change the terms of the State of Illinois MAP grant program, at any time, prior to the beginning of the fall 2010 semester.
Student Loans
The Federal Stafford Loan program limits, if combined, cannot exceed the established
limits and cost of attendance. During the 2010-2011 year a student may be eligible
to borrow a Federal Stafford Loan based on the following limits:
| Level | Subsidized | Unsubsidized |
| Freshman | $3,500 | $6,000 |
| Sophomore | $4,500 | $6,000 |
| Junior | $5,500 | $7,000 |
| Senior | $5,500 | $7,000 |
| Fifth Year | $5,500 | $7,000 |
| Certification | $5,500 | $7,000 |
| Certificate | $5,500 | $5,000 |
| Master’s/Doctorate | $8,500 | $12,000 |
You will only be eligible to borrow one loan for one academic year. For example, if you borrow $3,500 through a subsidized Stafford Loan as a freshman, you will not be allowed a subsequent loan until you advance to the sophomore level. To obtain a loan, a student must complete a CSU Federal Stafford Loan request form. This form may be downloaded from the financial aid website. Go to www.csu.edu, click 'Financial Aid' and then click 'Apply for Loans.' Downloaded forms must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
October 15, 2010 is the last day that the Office of Student Financial aid will accept loan applications for the Fall 2010 semester.
Financial Aid Refund / Repayment Policy
If a student who receives any federal and/or state student financial assistance, completely
withdraws prior to the end of an academic term in which he/she received federal/state
aid, federal regulations require CSU to prorate or reduce the award(s) received, according
to the actual number of calendar days in which the student was enrolled. Funds to
which a student is not entitled, due to the proration calculation, must be returned
to the federal/state award program(s). If a student's charges exceed the prorated
awards remaining on his/her account, a balance will be owed to the university. If
a student received a disbursement check prior to obtaining a complete withdrawal,
or used some of the awarded funds for a book voucher, based upon the proration, he
or she will be required to repay a portion or all of such funds to the university
and/or the award program(s). Before initiating a complete withdrawal, contact the
Office of Student Financial Aid for a complete explanation.
If a CSU student completely withdraws after receiving a cash disbursement, including a book voucher, from any student financial assistance program, CSU will determine the amount that must be repaid by the student to the student financial aid programs by utilizing the student repayment formula.
Timeline dates will be posted in the Office of Student Financial Aid for recipients of the basic state and federal financial aid programs. Timeline dates do not apply to recipients of other aid that may be based on academic performance, pursuit of a specific program/degree, etc., or aid from private sources.
Debt Management
Students who receive federal family education loans are required to complete debt
management loan counseling prior to receiving a disbursement and an exit interview
when they completely withdraw or graduate from the institution. Students must complete
both of these requirements online at the financial aid website. Go to www.csu.edu,
click "Financial Aid" and then "Loan Counseling". Follow the instructions on the
screen.
Federal Work-Study (FWS)/Student State Aid
A limited number of positions are available throughout the university through the
federal work-study and state aid funded student employment programs. Students with
exceptional need are awarded FWS/SA eligibility and given the opportunity to be employed.
Students wishing consideration for student employment should indicate their interest
on the FAFSA. Rates of pay vary, depending upon the type of work and the level of
responsibility. A student must be paid at least the minimum wage. Students are responsible
for monitoring the time/hours they work so that they will not exceed their award balance.
Veterans Affairs Office
Students receiving veterans benefits are required to adhere to the university’s academic
standing policies as outlined in the university’s catalog. A change in enrollment
status that occurs after the veteran’s status has been certified must be immediately
reported to the Veterans Affairs Office, which is located in the Office of Student
Financial Aid, ADM 207. Failure to report changes in enrollment status may result
in overpayments. An unapproved change of program may cause termination of future benefits.
Financial Aid Website, Email and CSU X-Press
All information provided in this student financial aid section is subject to change. Any such changes and/or modifications will be reflected on the Office of Student Financial Aid website. It is the responsibility of all students to stay informed about issues that may affect their financial aid eligibility by regularly monitoring email correspondence from the Office of Student Financial Aid and accessing the Office of Student Financial Aid website and CSU X-Press.
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