Spring 2009 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 website. 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 Federal Grants
Students must be enrolled in a program leading to a degree/certificate in order to
be eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Grants, Federal
College Work-Study, Federal Stafford 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 six (6) credit hours in order to be eligible for assistance from these programs.
Undergraduate students must be enrolled for at least nine (9) hours in order 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 candidates; five (5) hours part-time. A change in enrollment status (hours enrolled and/or grade level) that occurs after the 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 an 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 website.
This website provides students with information relating to the amount of their financial
aid awards, if any, as well as informing them of 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 website to review their status. All continuing CSU students have been assigned an e-mail account. It is every student’s responsibility to access his/her e-mail periodically and to review any communication from the Office of Student Financial Aid.
A limited number of “temporary financial aid waivers” may be issued to students that have submitted all accurate financial aid documentation: accurate and signed Student Aid Report, income documentation, as well as additional documentation requested by the Office of Student Financial Aid prior to the academic term. Waivers are issued through the Office of Student Financial Aid and are contingent upon pending financial aid, enrollment status and academic progress standards. Students are responsible for payment in the event that funds are not received due to program limitations.
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 towards the completion of their educational
objectives. Students must be in compliance with this policy in order to maintain their
continued financial aid eligibility. Copies of the current Satisfactory Academic
Progress 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 website.
Mitigating Circumstances/Appeal Process
Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress may petition for reinstatement
of their eligibility to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee. 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 from the many 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 Limitations
The State of Illinois MAP grants, which are administered by the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission (ISAC), are being 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 you are classified by a school 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 Spring 2009 semester.
Student Loans
The Federal Stafford Loan program limits, if combined, cannot exceed the established
limits and cost of attendance. During the 2008-2009 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 subsidized Stafford Loan as a Freshman, you will not be allowed to borrow a subsequent loan until you advance to the sophomore level. In order 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 on "Financial Aid" and then click on "Apply for Loans". Downloaded forms must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid, Cook Administration Building, Room 207. February 28, 2009 is the last day that the Office of Student Financial aid will accept loan applications for the Spring 2009 semester.
CSU’s “Financial Aid Refund/Repayment” Policy
If a CSU student, receiving any federal 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 determine the amount of federal and/or state
aid that must be returned to the student financial assistance program and/or the amount
that must be repaid by the student who has received a cash disbursement of any federal
or state aid including book vouchers.
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.
Student’s Repayment
If a student receiving certain federal financial assistance completely withdraws,
federal regulation requires Chicago State University to “prorate” and reduce the awards
received, according to the actual number of calendar days in which you were enrolled
and charged.
If you received a disbursement check prior to your complete withdrawal, based upon “prorate” you may be required to repay a portion or all of such funds to the award program. Before you initiate a complete withdrawal contact the Office of Student Financial Aid for a complete explanation.
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 drop to less than half-time enrollment, completely withdraw or graduate
from the institution. Students must complete both of these requirements on-line at
the Financial Aid website. Go to www.csu.edu, click on “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 which 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. 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, E-mail 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 keep themselves informed
as to issues that may affect their financial aid eligibility by regularly monitoring
e-mail 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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